Theme nights — most bars have them — Orange County, Calif. bars strive off them.

After all, if it wasn’t for ska and punk nights at local dance clubs, Orange County success stories No Doubt, Sublime and Offspring would still be playing basements for beer money.

Instead, these bands, along with dozens of others, have made careers out of what they grew up doing as a hobby — playing music.

Tonight, the Orange County ska flavor will invade People’s Bar and Grill with performances from Goldfinger, Save Ferris and The Aquabats.

“It’s easy to get a band [in Orange County],” Save Ferris bassist Bill Uechi said. “Just because there has been so much going on for so long. There are so many styles of music just coming out of there.”

Uechi experienced this ease with Save Ferris, which formed in the summer of 1995 when his former band merged with singer Monique “Mo” Powell and added friend trombone player T-Bone Willy.

“All of the ska bands are in the same scene so we all knew each other,” Uechi said. “We picked up our drummer through a random phone number we got from another band that was looking for a drummer.”

Save Ferris, which got its name because “most of the band are ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ fans,” began playing as many as 25 shows a month in and around its hometown.

The seven members, Powell, Uechi, Willy, guitarist Brian Mashburn, drummer Marc Harismendy, trumpeter Jos‚ Castella¤os and alto saxophonist Eric Zamora, recorded the seven-song E.P. “Introducing … Save Ferris” in early 1996 on the band’s own Starpool label.

After receiving generous air-play on West Coast radio stations with the song “The World Is New,” and taking first place in the national Grammy Showcase, Save Ferris was offered a contract with Epic Records.

“Everybody had to become more focused [when we got signed],” Uechi said. “I would say touring, more than the label, has changed the band. There are seven different personalities in the same van — it gets crazy sometimes.”

But having such a large band has its advantages, Uechi said.

“It’s funner,” he said. “There are so many of us that we can separate into different groups. It’s not like that with smaller bands. We get along better.”

Uechi added that life on the road often seems like time standing still, especially in looking at Save Ferris’ sudden launch into the limelight.

“We’re coming from the outside,” he said. “Everyday seems the exact same for us. We hear reports from the label, but we don’t give it that much thought.

“It doesn’t effect us directly,” Uechi continued. “We’re thinking about when we’re going to do laundry or take a shower.”

But you don’t have to be paying close attention to the record charts to see how well Save Ferris is doing — just turn on the radio. The band’s cover of Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s 1983 classic “Come On Eileen” is on high rotation on alternative stations across the country.

And by touring with hot acts such as Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Dance Hall Crashers and MxPx, Save Ferris has etched its name along side other recent Orange County artists to make it big.

But because Save Ferris is fronted by a female voice, Uechi said, the band is often placed along side No Doubt.

“But we’re not anywhere close,” he said. “We’re more concentrating on ska parts. We don’t sound anything alike to me.”

Save Ferris has been on the road with Goldfinger, whose latest album, “Hang-Ups,” hit stores Sept. 9, since late October.

Goldfinger managed to write the album while playing an amazing 382 shows in 1996, with the likes of No Doubt, the Buzzcocks, Pennywise, 311 and Reel Big Fish.

The album, which features many guests, including Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, was inspired by all the people frontman John Feldman met on the road, a press release stated.

Goldfinger released its self-titled debut, which featured the hit single “Here In Your Bedroom,” in 1996.

Goldfinger, Save Ferris and The Aquabats will be playing at People’s Bar and Grill tonight at 8 p.m.

The show is sold out.