Briefly yanked into the spotlight as one of the music industry’s “next big things,” Buck-O-Nine has persevered and evolved through the mid-’90s ska explosion.

As it broadened its musical sound and focused on touring, the San Diego, California, band has left behind a rockier past to head into smoother territory.

Driving in ira RV, Buck-O-Nine is just arriving at the Seattle club that is the latest stop on the tour in support of their latest TVT release, “Libido.”

Guitarist Jonas Kleiner speaks in a calm, satisfied voice that reveals his contentment with the band’s current musical direction and member situation. The music of blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn reaches its way into the receiver of the phone and provides the backdrop for Kleiner’s words.

The origin of the group’s name has always puzzled Buck-O-Nine’s fans. “We don’t really know,” Kleiner says “It’s just kind of one of those inside joke kind of names that just evolved, really, from a number of sources.”

MTV and radio-play of “My Town,” the hit song from the band’s last album “22 Teeth,” came during the latest wave of ska that introduced Buck-O-Nine and other bands like Reel Big Fish and Save Ferris to mainstream music listeners.

“If you’re trying to sell something, you have to be able to market it,” Kleiner says of the “ska movement.” “In order to market it, you have to kind of come up with a label for it to make people understand what the product is.”

However, he also knows how labels can pigeonhole a band.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating to be labeled as a certain type of band, because you feel personally that you’re so much more, or you transcend the boundaries of how you’re being represented,” Kleiner explains. “In general, we just try and play the music that we really like to play and try not to let what’s popular or not popular influence what we do.”

Kleiner moves on to describe the band’s dynamic changes on the new album, including the new roles of the horns and guitar and a fresh approach to the songwriting process.

“I don’t think it was so much, necessarily a conscious thing,” he reveals. “At the time, we were working on new songs for a new record.”

The content of “Libido” differs from the band’s previous albums that featured mainly ska-influenced tunes.

When push comes to shove, bands have to continually develop their sound or else the music becomes stagnant.

“We were kinda going for maybe a little heavier approach in certain instances,” Kleiner says.

Rather than writing songs specifically in the ska punk category, Buck-O-Nine concentrated on just trying to write good songs, first and foremost.

Going into the studio without a drummer, the band faced some difficulty in making a quality album.

“I think it’s important to have a full band if you want to put out the best possible Buck-O-Nine record,” Kleiner says.

Since it lacked a drummer, much of the material had not been played live before it was recorded.

The departures of both its original drummer as well as former bassist Scott Kennerly have actually improved the overall satisfaction among band members.

“Our band vibe is the best it’s been in years,” Kleiner explains. “We have our drummer Jeff, who’s been in the band for a little over a year now, and our new bass player Jon. We’re all on the same level. We’re all on the same plane. We all have fun together and hang out together.”

Though previous drummer Steve Bauer remains a friend, feelings about Kennerly are not so pleasant.

“Our old bass player Scott, he kinda brought the band down a lot because he just wasn’t really a cool guy and he wasn’t into being friends with people in the band,” Kleiner says with a hint of bitterness.

The new friendly vibe makes its way onto the stage, with a set list featuring mostly new songs and material from the last two records, along with smatterings of early Buck-O-Nine.

“The Buck-O-Nine live show is just about a good, raw, energetic, intense, fun as hell music experience,” Kleiner says. He compares his live performance to the sound of Buck-O-Nine’s second album, “Barfly.”

Gigs along the tour have been overwhelmingly positive, with no real negative experiences in Kleiner’s memory.

He looks forward to having a positive experience in Iowa, remembering a great show they played in Iowa City with Homegrown and River Fenix.

“People seem pretty down to earth and pretty friendly,” Kleiner says in praise of Iowa fans.