The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones, or simply The Supertones) were a

Christian ska Christian ska is a form of Christian alternative rock, and subgenre of ska and ska punk which is lyrically oriented toward contemporary Christian music. Though ska did not constitute a genre within the Christian music industry until after third ...

band from

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. The band was signed to

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...

and its imprint,

BEC Recordings BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group. The label promotes bands with more adult Christia ...

, before becoming an independent band. The band temporarily disbanded in 2005, though reunited in 2010 to resume touring and recording before permanently disbanding in 2017. The OC Supertones were one of the first widely successful Christian ska bands.

History

The band began in the early 1990s as Saved. Originally formed by

Matt Morginsky Matt "Mojo" Morginsky (born June 14, 1976), is the lead vocalist of the Christian ska band The O.C. Supertones. Early years Matt Morginsky was born in Long Island to a Jewish father and an Italian mother. At age 14, he converted to Christianit ...

, Jason Carson and Tony Terusa while in

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

, the band played a mix of many styles including

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

. In 1995 they formed as The Orange County Supertones and settled on a

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

based sound, similar to

Operation Ivy Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after '' Tumbler-Snapper'' and before '' Upshot–Knothole''. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Is ...

Mike Park Mike Park is a Korean American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo proj ...

Skankin' Pickle Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1997. Biography Skankin' Pickle first formed in December 1988, made up of students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. T ...

. Although drummer Jason Carson had known Tooth & Nail founder Brandon Ebel for years, the label was reluctant to sign them. As characterized by Ebel: "The Supertones were good, but Saved was not good. I had years of Saved in my head." The Supertones' debut release, '' Adventures of the O.C. Supertones'', received a 1997

Dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

nomination for the "Alternate / Modern Rock" category. Their second album, 1997's release ''

Supertones Strike Back ''Supertones Strike Back'' is the second studio album released by the O.C. Supertones. One reviewer described the album as a "no-hold-barred modern day revival meeting". Compared to the bands' debut, this release features a refined sound. Attrib ...

'', was a surprise smash hit, peaking on both

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

's Heatseekers and Top Christian Albums charts at No. 3 and No. 2 respectively. In the fall of 1997 the Supertones headlined a tour with

Ghoti Hook Ghoti Hook ( ) was an American punk band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band formed in 1991, signed to Tooth & Nail Records in 1996, and disbanded in 2002. History Joel Bell, Adam Neubauer, and Justin Levy formed the group in 1991. Conrad Tolosa a ...

and

Stavesacre Stavesacre are an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California formed in 1995. The band is composed of vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarists Jeff Bellew and Ryan Dennee, bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Sam West. Stavesacre has released s ...

, and the next spring opened for

Audio Adrenaline Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adren ...

, with whom they recorded "Blitz" with on the Audio Adrenaline album ''Some Kind of Zombie'', also in 1997. In late 1998 they embarked on the all-Christian-ska "Skamania 98" tour with

The Insyderz The Insyderz were an American Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005. The band reformed in 2009, but have not been actively playing shows in the last few years. The Insyderz are one of the "big t ...

and

Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron was one of the pioneering figures of the Christi ...

. In 1999 the Supertones played for the papal visit to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Beginning with a more traditional ska sound, The Supertones moved next to a harder rock sound, which eventually changed again with more of a pop-rock influence. The band explained the musical evolution to ''CCM'': "

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

has the attention span of a

flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

... ska's time in the white-hot spotlight has come and gone." When saxophonist Dave Chevalier joined

The Dingees The Dingees are a band formed in Orange County, California in 1996. Other Projects *Matt Hernandez played in Project 86 and Unashamed. *Tony Terusa is currently in The O.C. Supertones and was in Saved. *Ethan Luck was in many bands, most no ...

in 1998, the band made the decision not to replace his position. Rap and R&B influences also became more prevalent in their sound, which remained "about 40 percent reminiscent of the older stuff." Quote by Brandon Ebel. Their next two albums, 1999's '' Chase the Sun'' and 2000's '' Loud and Clear'', each charted on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Lyrically, they were known as having a straightforward approach to songwriting, with a minimal use of metaphor. Even so, their songs were cited as being thought-provoking and containing deep theology. One of the major focuses for the band was

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

; they included segments of preaching in each performance. Originally these were fronted by drummer Jason Carson, who had been active in

youth ministry Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry of faith groups or other religious organizations, usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage with young people who attend the ...

before the Supertones found their break. In 2000 when he went back into ministry full-time the band split the responsibilities among remaining members. Adam Ferry, formerly of

Plankeye Plankeye was an American Christian alternative rock band and one of Tooth & Nail Records' greatest successes during the 1990s and early 2000s. Plankeye's style could be defined as melodic post-grunge combined with indie and alternative elements. ...

, took Carson's spot on drums. They continued to release albums until 2005, when they announced plans to break up. The band released ''

Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs ...

'', a greatest hits compilation, and played their last show at

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...

La Mirada, California La Mirada (Spanish for "The Look") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census. The La Mirada Theatre for ...

on October 7, 2005. Former members Jason Carson, Darren Mettler and Tony Terusa re-joined the band on stage for three songs. Kevin "Slim" Chen was on hand but did not play with the band. The Supertones played for 2 hours at their final show, playing close to 30 songs.

Hiatus

On March 11, 2008

, Inc. released " The Ultimate Collection," a sort of greatest hits album with select songs from each of the band's studio albums, with the exception of "Revenge of the O.C. Supertones," which has no tracks represented. On February 12, 2008, former Supertones guitarist Ethan Luck became the newest member playing drums for the Christian pop-punk band,

Relient K Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio, by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman Board Message during the band members' third year in high school and their time at Malone University. The band is named after ...

. Former front man

released his debut solo album, "Doctorate in Cold Rockin' It" under the moniker Mojo & the Info via

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and MySpace on April 20, 2008. He also released a CD entitled "Everything Will Be Made Right" with the band October Light, as Mojo and October Light. Former guitarist Kevin "Slim" Chen now plays in the rock/pop punk band New Liars Club with former members of Gameface and the rock band Follow Your Failure. Original drummer Jason Carson is founder and senior pastor of Encounter Church in Orange County, California.

Reunion and second disbandment

In 2010, The Supertones announced that most of the original members would be reuniting for a handful of dates that year and then going back into retirement. The ensuing tour had fifteen shows, including Joshua Fest in

Quincy, CA Quincy (formerly, Quinsy) is a census-designated place and the county seat of Plumas County, California. The population was 1,630 during the 2020 Census, down from 1,728 during the 2010 Census, and 1,879 during the 2000 Census. History Quincy ...

Soulfest SoulFest is an annual Christian music festival held in New England, United States. It currently takes place at the Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire. Organizers have proposed moving the event to the D.L. Moody Center in Northfiel ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Spirit West Coast Spirit West Coast (SWC) is a Christian music festival that features Christian artists from several different genres. It also features lectures, workshops in tents, kids' shows, petting zoos, and comedians. Spirit West Coast was founded by five f ...

Del Mar, CA Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the De ...

.archive of Supertones Official Web Site
originally Supertones Official Web Site '' Reunite'', another greatest hits album, was released during this time as well. At the end of 2010, the band announced that they would continue to play ten or so shows a year going forward. On March 3, 2012, original members Matt Morginsky, Tony Terusa, Jason Carson and Darren Mettler along with new band members announced progress on the full-length album, ''

For the Glory ''For the Glory'' is a grand strategy wargame A grand strategy wargame or simply grand strategy game (GSG) is a wargame that places focus on grand strategy: military strategy at the level of movement and use of a nation state or empire's resour ...

'' funded via

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. "On the Downbeat" was released in advance of the album on March 9, 2012, as a teaser. The album released on November 6, 2012. On March 11, 2017, the band announced plans for a concert on Facebook Live in which they would be performing ''

'' in its entirety recognizing the album's 20th anniversary, as well as serving as their final performance as a band. Held at Shoreline Church in San Clemente, California, the show was recorded for a live album and DVD release.

Band members

Final lineup *

- lead vocals (1995–2005, 2010–2017) * Jason Carson - drums (1995–2001, 2010–2017) formerly of Unashamed * Tony "Toneman" Terusa - bass guitar (1995–2003, 2010–2017) * Darren "Chief" Mettler - trumpet (1995–2004, 2010–2017) * Nathan Spencer - trombone (2010–2017) * Jesse Craig - guitar (2010–2017) * Josh Auer - guitar (2011–2017) Past members * Daniel Spencer - trombone (1995–2005) *

Ethan Luck Ethan John Luck is an American musician, producer, multi-instrumentalist and photographer who has played in several bands, most prominently, the ska band The O.C. Supertones, Demon Hunter, Kings of Leon, Morgan Wade, and pop punk band Relient K ...

- guitar (2000–2005) formerly of

Demon Hunter Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...

and other bands * John Wilson - drums (2001–2005) *

Chris Beaty Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

- bass guitar (2003–2005) * Bret Barker - trumpet (2004–2005) * Kevin "Slim" Chen - guitar (1995–1997) formerly of

Bloodshed Bloodshed may refer to: * Bloodshed (comics), a character in the Marvel Universe * ''Bloodshed'' (film), a 2005 film by Jim McMahon * ''Bloodshed'' (album), a 2004 compilation album by Krisiun * "Bloodshed" (song), a 2013 song by Soulfly * Blood ...

* Jason Joel Lautenschleger - saxophone (1996–1997) * Dave Chevalier - saxophone (1996–1998) * Brian "Bronson" Johnson - guitar (1999) * Adam Ferry - drums (2001) * Bram Roberts - trumpet (mid-2002) * Jung Park - guitar * Tom Kieft - guitar (1998–1999) * Jordan Stroup - saxophone (1998–1999) Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:90 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Trumpet value:yellow legend:Trumpet id:Trombone value:coral legend:Trombone id:Saxophone value:skyblue legend:Saxophone id:album value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1995 BarData = bar:MM text:"Matt Morginsky" bar:KC text:"Kevin Chen" bar:TK text:"Tom Kieft" bar:BJ text:"Brian Johnson" bar:EL text:"Ethan Luck" bar:JCr text:"Jesse Craig" bar:JA text:"Josh Auer" bar:DM text:"Darren Mettler" bar:BB text:"Bret Barker" bar:DS text:"Daniel Spencer" bar:NS text:"Nathan Spencer" bar:DC text:"Dave Chevalier" bar:JS text:"Jordan Stroup" bar:TT text:"Tony Terusa" bar:CB text:"Chris Beaty" bar:JCa text:"Jason Carson" bar:AF text:"Adam Ferry" bar:JW text:"John Wilson" PlotData= width:11 bar:MM from:01/01/1995 till:07/10/2005 color:Vocals bar:MM from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Vocals bar:KC from:01/01/1995 till:30/06/1997 color:Guitar bar:TK from:01/07/1997 till:31/12/1998 color:Guitar bar:BJ from:01/01/1999 till:31/12/1999 color:Guitar bar:EL from:01/01/2000 till:07/10/2005 color:Guitar bar:JCr from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Guitar bar:JA from:01/01/2011 till:end color:Guitar bar:DM from:01/01/1995 till:31/08/2004 color:Trumpet bar:DM from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Trumpet bar:BB from:01/09/2004 till:07/10/2005 color:Trumpet bar:DC from:01/01/1996 till:31/12/1998 color:Saxophone bar:JS from:01/12/1998 till:31/12/1999 color:Saxophone bar:DS from:01/01/1995 till:07/10/2005 color:Trombone bar:NS from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Trombone bar:TT from:01/01/1995 till:01/03/2004 color:Bass bar:TT from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Bass bar:CB from:01/07/2004 till:07/10/2005 color:Bass bar:JCa from:01/01/1995 till:01/03/2001 color:Drums bar:JCa from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Drums bar:AF from:01/03/2001 till:31/08/2001 color:Drums bar:JW from:01/09/2001 till:07/10/2005 color:Drums LineData = color:album layer:back at:24/04/1996 at:03/06/1997 at:23/02/1999 at:10/10/2000 at:26/03/2002 at:22/10/2002 at:15/06/2004 at:25/01/2005 at:06/11/2012

Discography

Studio albums *'' Adventures of the O.C. Supertones'' (1996) *''

'' (1997) *'' Chase the Sun'' (1999) *'' Loud and Clear'' (2000) *''

Hi-Fi Revival ''Hi-Fi Revival'' is the sixth studio album released by The O.C. Supertones. It was the first of three sessions the Supertones recorded in Franklin, Tennessee at Dark Horse Studios. Matt Morginsky and Ethan Luck lived together at this time and d ...

'' (2002) *'' Revenge of the O.C. Supertones'' (2004) *''

Faith of a Child ''Faith of a Child'' is the ninth CD released by the O.C. Supertones. The first five tracks are unreleased worship recordings, while the remainder of the album consists of previously released material. This was the first album to be recorded bac ...

'' (2005) *''

'' (2012) Live albums *''

Live! Volume One ''Live! Volume One'' is the first live album released by the O.C. Supertones. It was recorded during four different shows on the Loud and Clear tour in 2001: Casper, Wyoming, Spokane, Washington, Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Adam Fer ...

'' (2002) *''Live! Vol 2'' (2017) Compilations *''Absolute Favorite Christmas'' *''Any Given Day'' *''

Veggie Rocks! The following is a list of albums released with songs from or based on the animated series ''VeggieTales''. 1990s ''VeggieTunes'' (1995) ''VeggieTunes'' is the debut album by Big Idea, originally released in 1995. Track listing #VeggieTales The ...

'' *''Tooth and Nail 4th anniversary Box Set'' *''Tooth and Nail 10th anniversary Box Set'' *''Art Core Vol.2'' *''Cheapskates Vol. 2'' *''Cheapskates Vol. 3'' *''Cheapskates Vol. 4'' *''

X 2003 The X series is a collection of compilation albums and DVDs released by BEC Recordings promoting Christian rock music from bands signed to Capitol Christian Music Group, specifically Tooth & Nail Records, Solid State Records, Gotee Records, Fore ...

'' *''Moms Like Us Too Vol. 1'' *''Happy Christmas Vol. 1'' *''Happy Christmas Vol. 2'' *''Seltzer Vol. 1'' *''Seltzer Vol. 3'' *''

WOW 1999 ''WOW 1999'' is a compilation album of 30 contemporary Christian music hits that was released on October 20, 1998. It also featured three bonus tracks from new artists. WOW 1999 peaked at the 51st position on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 2 ...

'' *''

WOW 2000 ''WOW 2000'' is a compilation album of 30 contemporary Christian music hits and four bonus tracks that was released on October 26, 1999. The album hit No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 1999, and No. 1 on the Top Contemporary Christian c ...

'' *''Dominate in 98'' *''Steady Sounds From The Underground'' *''BEC Sampler Vol. 1'' *''Songs from the penalty box Vol. 2'' *''

'' (2005) *''No Lies'' *'' The O.C. Supertones: The Ultimate Collection'' (2008)

Charts

(North America)

Video compilations

*''Supertones at the Movies'' *'' Hi-Fi Revival DVD'' *''See Spot Rock''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:O.C. Supertones, The American ska musical groups Christian rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Musical groups from Orange County, California Third-wave ska groups Tooth & Nail Records artists Christian ska groups