It started out as a local Kentucky band that practiced in a garage and played wherever it could get an audience.

Little did the group know its jam sessions would lead to stages, which would lead to auditoriums, which would lead to arenas and coliseums all over the country.

But when asked about the band’s rapid success in the competitive business of music, Audio Adrenaline simply chalk it up to “another blessing from God.”

As one of the leading bands in Christian music, Audio Adrenaline has been playing mostly 5,000-seat arenas this past year.

The band’s latest album, bloOm, sold over 200,000 in the first six months, with three singles from the album making it to the Top 10 in Christian radio.

It’s difficult for the band to explain its fast success over such a short time period. “It honestly fell in our laps,” guitarist Barry Blair said in a press release.

The band’s attitude about its success, and about life in general, is well depicted in the song “Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus.”

This electric guitar-dominated song explains the fact that as humans on this earth, we can work as hard as we want to be successful, but even the most successful person on earth will never be as big as Jesus.

Audio Adrenaline plans to view its arrival into the music scene as an opportunity to reach a younger generation that wants to listen to music other than “typical Christian music.”

On the band’s latest album bloOm, Audio Adrenaline does an admirable job of showing its audience that Christian rock can be just as untamed as secular rock.

Raging electric guitars along with forceful drum patterns in “I’m not the King” produce an invigorating song which speaks the blatant truth that no human is perfect.

The band looks at its energetic remake of “Free Ride” in a different way than those who performed it before them.

“Free Ride is a great song,” lead singer Mark Stuart said. “The way we look at it is that God has provided us with a free ride to heaven through Christ.”

Because music has such a powerful impact on today’s culture, the band sees it as an effective ministry tool.

Stuart believes that because music is the new generation’s art form and passion, music will play a big part in any thought that is given to God.

“I think music has more of an influence over today’s youth than anything else,” keyboardist Bob Herdman said.

Audio Adrenaline has many goals they want to accomplish as a band, but among the most important is to relay the message that there is tremendous hope and joy in being a follower of Christ.

“People don’t realize Christianity isn’t just a bunch of rules and regulations,” Herdman said. “We want to get across the message of joy and hope.”

Performing after Audio Adrenaline tonight will be Christian rock superstar Steven Curtis Chapman, in support of his latest album, Signs of Life.

When he first began working on the album, Chapman’s goal was to make something that was different from everything else he had ever done.

“When I set out recording Signs of Life, I promised myself that anytime I found myself seeing and hearing familiar landmarks and landscapes, that I would back up and take a detour,” he said in a press release.

Chapman, Audio Adrenaline and Carolyn Arends will be performing tonight at 7:30 at Hilton Coliseum.

Tickets are available for $23.50 and $18.50 at the Iowa State Center ticket office, or any Ticketmaster locations. Call 233-1888 to charge by phone.