Although Christian music artists have traditionally had a reputation of being a couple years behind their mainstream counterparts, that has all begun to change with the rise in popularity of ska.

Christian ska bands such as Five Iron Frenzy and the Insyderz emerged at nearly the same time ska began to receive recognition in the secular market.

Not only were these bands playing, they were up to par with the scene, the music and the style. Taking a commanding role in the building army of Christian ska was the Orange County Supertones.

Since pinpointing their musical style in 1995, the O.C. Supertones have been skanking across Christian music charts and bestseller lists all across the country.

After dabbling in different musical styles including punk, disco, metal, funk, rap, hard-core and rock balladry, the Supertones found their niche by embracing their dub and pop-punk influences.

The band’s signature sound was exemplified in the 1996 debut release, “Adventures of the O.C. Supertones.” The album was an explosion on the scene, selling over 100,000 copies.

“We were really surprised at the success of our first album,” drummer and Supertones frontman Jason Carson said. “We were hoping to sell 10,000 units, and it has sold like a 140,000.”

The Supertones’ trademark style of third-wave ska blended with pop, hip-hop and rock influences, scored with fans. With as many different musical backgrounds as the band has members, the Supertones are a melting pot of music channeled into its own unique ska sound.

“We really enjoy creating our own style of music, and not trying to copy something or things like that,” Carson said. “It’s so cool because all of the guys in the band have so many different influences musically, the end product is really unique.

“Our lead singer is really into hip hop, and Tony (Terusa, bass) is in to funk and reggae. A lot of the other guys are in to rock, so it’s really cool what sound comes out. I think it’s a really unique style. It’s real fun dance music, it’s definitely third wave ska, but it’s also got it’s elements of pop rock.”

Success continued for the group with its sophomore release, “The Supertones Strike Back,” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Heat Seekers Chart. The album went on to sell over 300,000 copies.

But so far, members of the Supertones are most proud of their recent project, “Chase the Sun.” The album, produced by Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, L7, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Voodoo Glow Skulls), is a slight deviation from what the Supertones have become known for, even down to the title of the album.

With the first album being titled “Adventures of the O.C. Supertones” and the second album dubbed “The Supertones Strike Back,” multitudes of Supertones fans online thought it natural to call the band’s third album “Return of the Supertones.” Much to the fans’ disappointment, the band members settled on a different name.

Lead singer Matt Morginsky best explains the latest project.

“I thought of the title while making a drive from Nashville to California,” Morginsky recalled. “As I was driving through Arizona, the sun went down and created a beautiful sunset across the red-colored mountains before me. It made me think ‘If I get lost, I can just chase the sun back to California.'”

The powerful spiritual metaphor of the sun leading someone home was too much for the band members to ignore.

Spiritual metaphors and blazing new musical trails is the theme surrounding the Supertones with “Chase the Sun.” An abnormal album name wasn’t the only way the group kept loyal fans on their toes.

The album stays true to the group’s original “hip-hop over energetic ska with a lot of heavy, bouncy groove parts,” as described by Carson.

However, “Chase the Sun” takes a few turns in the road to explore different aspects of the Supertones’ influences.

“The whole thing has really progressed and we’re really pleased with where it’s going,” Carson commented. “We’ve gone into a couple different areas on the new album. There’s a couple ballads, some reggae, as well as some straightforward rock songs. We don’t want to turn into a band that doesn’t play anything ska. But at the same time, it’s cool to progress.”

After taking into account the idea of musical consistency, the band decided to keep the direction of “Chase the Sun” close to its musical roots.

The core group of the Supertones was formed when Carson and Morginsky got together to form the Christian band Saved.

After picking up bassist Tony Terusa, the group found other members and played around with many different styles of music. Jamming on everything from hip hop to hard-core, heavy metal to disco, and funk to ska, the group slowly phased out one style of music at a time.

“We basically had about every style of music you could imagine in that original band,” Carson said.

The process resulted in the trio picking up a horn section and settling on ska as the group’s dominant style. Signing a record deal with Tooth and Nail Records, and later with BEC Records, the boys of the Supertones crew were on their way.

Being on two separate Christian labels has been nothing but a positive experience for the band.

“It’s awesome being on a Christian label,” Carson said. “Brandon (Ebel, producer BEC Records) is really cool. He has a great philosophy for his label. He wants to put out a bunch of bands with Christians in them so they can express their art in the way that they want to express it.”

With three albums under their belt, the Supertones have played their share of coffee houses, clubs and coliseums. Being a ska band, stage presence and energy is a vital part of the band’s live show.

“We try to have more interaction with the crowd than we possibly could have,” Carson said. “We want everyone in the whole audience to just feel a part of the show. We try to make it just like a big party with tons of bouncing and dancing and stuff. It’s a really, really good time. Energy-wise, especially.”

When it comes to stage energy, few can compete with veteran Aussie-rockers the Newsboys. The Supertones are currently joining the decade-old group on the last leg of its 120-city national tour.

“It’s totally an honor to be on tour with them, they’ve been really awesome,” Carson said. “They’ve done some awesome stuff and taken us with them. They all have these motorcycles and they’ve taken us riding with them a few times. We’ve gone to these like dirt trails up in the mountains with them a few times, so it’s been a really fun experience.

“They put on an incredible show. They have this drum solo in the middle of the show where the drum riser like spins up high. The drummer is strapped in and it goes like completely sideways while spinning around. It’s insane, man.”

An energetic live show takes second stage to the group’s steadfast faith in God. Evidence of the band members’ faith turns up in every Supertones song.

During The Supertones’ live shows, the band takes time to interact with the audience.

“Our faith is definitely everything that our band is about,” Carson said. “I try to say this as humbly as I know how because I just know what idiots and sinful guys we are. To know that God is using us just really blows me away, I’m really humbled by that.

“We like to bring people to the point in our show that would allow us to share the gospel with them. Everyone has such a good time jumping around, but we also make sure to take the time to just share with [the audience] just how much God loves them.

The Supertones’ outspoken views on God and Christianity haven’t hindered their secular success. As part of the group’s label deal, albums are distributed to the general market through EMI. The group’s music has been played at televised sporting events (including Chicago Bulls and Anaheim’s Mighty Ducks games), on MTV (including M2, “MTV’s 120 Minutes,”), on the show “Extreme Sports,” and at the 1998 MTV Video Awards.”

As “Chase the Sun” raises the Supertones to yet another level higher in the musical stratosphere, the group’s message remains constant.

“In a world where there is so much craziness and so many problems, there is very little in which a person can put his trust,” Carson said. “God has done so much in our lives since we put our trust in him that we feel strongly about telling everyone about it.”

The Supertones will open for the Newsboys Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum. Tickets are $18.95.