NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The Supertones are known for their high octane, sweat-inducing dance numbers and ear-jarring performances. But life off stage is a little different for some of the ‘Tones. Instead of juggling instruments, group members Darren Mettler and Tony Terusa are juggling family life.
“Yeah, life at home is a lot different from life on the road,” said Terusa, who has been happily married to Emy for 22 days. “This is the second day away from my wife and I’m a little sad. It was hard leaving.”
Terusa, a member of the popular California based ska band, not only got married, but became a father, too. “She has a three year old daughter and now I am a dad, too. I am kind of freaking out, but it’s all good.”
Terusa said having a new family has changed his perspective as a Christian musician.
“Any time we can, if there is a break, we try to get home,” Terusa said. “It’s really important. Actually that’s the most important thing to us, finding refuge in home and family. If there is a four day break, we scrounge up enough income to go home. If we don’t have contact with our families it really makes it hard to be on the road.”
Mettler, who has a 10 year old daughter and another baby on the way, agreed. “We love what we do, but we love our families, too,” he said.
For Mettler, being a father has had a major impact on the way he perceives ministry.
“There is definitely a different focus for me,” he said. ‘I’ve noticed driving in the car with my 10 year old and she’s listening to our music. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is she really getting this? Is she understanding what we are saying? Do you understand what we are saying?'”
“A few months ago we were listening to a Switchfoot in the car,” he said. “It was the song A New Way to Be Human. She wanted to know what they meant in their lyrics. These are great opportunities to share.”
Going into their new project, Mettler said he has become a lyric conscious musician.
“My daughter and her friends love the Supertones and I want to make sure that we are writing songs that her friends understand,” he said. “It’s a huge responsibility for us not only as Christian singers, but Christian parents.”
“Are we writing songs that her friends understand? Are we writing songs that you have to be in college to understand? I’m definitely more sensitive now than when I was single,” Mettler said.
Family life also has financial responsibilities and contrary to popular belief, Christian artists aren’t millionaires, Terusa said.
“It’s not just about me anymore,” he said. “We’ve got mouths to feed and 100 more bills that we never had.”
But for Mettler and Terusa it’s about stepping out in faith.
“We believe that God is doing a great thing through the Supertones and we know that he will provide for us,” Metter said.
With their wives and children as their biggest fans, the Supertones said they are anxious to remain true to their calling.
“There is this temptation to get into a rut but we really work hard to remain true to Jesus,” Terusa said. “My fingers know the notes, my mouth knows the words and the temptation is to go through the motions. For us, we try to build in things that remind us why we are doing what we are doing. Whether it’s prayer times, Bible studies or pastors coming on the road with us.”
Besides, Terusa said, traveling in a bus with 12 other guys brings built-in accountability.
And a little humor.
Their hilarious onstage antics are spontaneous and sometimes the group members have a difficult time remaining focused.
“Hey, when you are playing Little Man for the three millionth time, we do things that try to make each other laugh. It’s just part of who we are,” Terusa said.
Regardless of what happens in their lives, the Supertones said that in the end, it’s all about Jesus and their lyrics will remain true to the cause.
“Let me tell you that we don’t have the ‘God is my girlfriend,’ personal pronoun lyrics,” Mettler said. “Our lyrics aren’t ambiguous. You don’t have to wonder if they are talking about God or a girl. We are talking about God. We are very clear. We are singing about the Lord and we want people to be encouraged by that.”
“You know, when kids come to our concerts they will break a sweat, the kids will walk out exhausted and the band will play and dance hard,” Mettler added. “And I hope that when we all go home, we walk out saying, the Lord is good.”
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