New styles of Christian music have always generated a lot of attention.

Whether it’s tossing in a Christian message into punk, ska, industrial or metal, it’s become the norm for subgenres of music to take on religious ideologies.

Now, old-style Dixieland jazz gets in on the action with the Barbary Coast Dixieland band.

Formed in Minnesota in November of 1967, the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band got their start playing gigs at a club called Jimmy’s on the Levee in downtown St. Paul.

Banjo and guitar player Dick Peterson describes the band’s sound as “free-flowing music played from the heart with a lively beat to it.”

He said some of the challenges in playing jazz are listening to what the other musicians are doing and working as a team in order to create the best sound possible.

“We are all united under the common goal of producing sound that is pleasant to your ear,” he said.

Dixieland jazz began in New Orleans, but Peterson said Barbary Coast plays a more upbeat version known as Chicago-style Dixieland. “There’s no music for it — it’s just how you feel, that’s the nature of jazz,” he explained.

The band consists of Dick Peterson on banjo and guitar, Bill Butler on trombone and tuba, Steve Pikal on string bass, Tom Andrews on clarinet and drums, Dick Ramberg on clarinet and piano and Russ Peterson on brass and woodwinds.

“We’re like brothers,” Peterson said of his bandmates, adding that the group is so tight-knit, they meet for breakfast every Sunday.

Performing at various jazz fests, clubs and churches, Peterson and his band are veterans of the Midwest jazz scene. The band has played the Minnesota State Fair every year for the past 17 years.

Peterson said his approach to banjo playing is a unique one.

“I play left-handed, and you just don’t see left-handed banjo players,” he said. “If I were to do it all over again, I’d play right-handed.”

In 1983, Barbary Coast began playing tunes like “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Beautiful Savior” and “Amazing Grace” at religious services.

“It’s a musical ministry we’ve been committed to for the past 16 years,” Peterson said.

The group has played churches all around the Midwest in addition to Naples, Fla. and last year it played jazz at worship services 47 Sundays out of the year, an accomplishment of which Peterson is proud.

Barbary Coast has released four tapes and three CDs to date, the most recent being “Saturday Night Sunday Morning Volume 2,” a combination of both secular and non-secular music.

One of the highlights for Peterson occurred in 1990, when the band was asked to play in Nagasaki, Japan.

They toured the country for 10 days as part of the Journey Festival.

Another milestone for Peterson was playing for President Ronald Reagan in the ’80s.

In 2000, Peterson said the band only has four or five open dates left for the entire year — all the other dates are booked.

“Whether we do a stage show or a church concert, it’s just happy music,” Peterson said. “We’re all excited to play.”