Ska bands are often labeled as sounding like [fill in the blank]
band and it is rare that they are able to establish their own
sound. One band trying to accomplish said action is the Orange
County Supertones, a six-piece Christian ska band. Although the
band members are shown on the cover of their latest CD, Chase The
Sun, in dark suits and ties, there are other pictures of the band
having fun.
And that's the spirit the band was able to capture in the studio: fun.
Sure, the songs all have an evangelical tone, like in my favorite "Away From You," when vocalist Matt Morginsky ponders, "Lord, I just don't understand/ this strange creature you call man/ Who thinks he lives by his own hand/ but I know/ There's no life away from you." That track in particular effortlessly combines Morginsky's comfortable vocal style with a strong rhythm section in bassist Tony Terusa and drummer Jason Carson.
Another strong track is the disc opener "One Voice." Beginning with an extremely catchy trombone and trumpet reinforcement of the guitar riff, Morginsky is once again at the forefront of the track with these lyrics: "And if we died to our selves/ to come alive as God's flesh/ That makes us family."
"In Between" begins with a guitar anthem chord progression before horn section Darren Mettler (trumpet) and Daniel Spencer (trombone) come in with an interesting melody line. Terusa's bass groove is subtle but toggles to a stronger presence when guitarist Brian Johnson chimes in with his distorted anthem chord progression in mid-song.
Maybe this CD arrived at the precise moment that I was craving a new sound. Maybe it arrived when I was burned out on listening to Pantera and Dream Theater wannabes interspersed with the latest slew of crappy live albums (who shall remain nameless - but if you read this site regularly, you know who I'm talking about). Quite possibly, it arrived as I wished for an end to the death metal crap that had been finding its way to my CD player.
Whatever the case may be, and I haven't quite resolved it in my mind, Orange County Supertones are, despite any religious idealogy differences, a strong and interesting band. The band's spiritual message is delivered.