May 24 1999

ARTICLE TOOLS

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To preach or not to preach? That is the question that Reese Roper, lead vocalist for Five Iron Frenzy, asks each time the band does a concert. "Instead of saying we are going to preach every night, we just say, 'We'll be led by the Holy Spirit,' " says Roper, a "not very charismatic" Presbyterian. "Our band is about being obedient to God. And God doesn't want us to preach all the time."

The band's name, which comes from an offhand remark about how a golf club could be used as a weapon, reflects the band's less-than-straightforward approach to ministry. Songs like "My Evil Plan to Save the World" and "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera)" from the band's most recent album, Quantity Is Job 1, could be considered confusing and silly.

The eight-member band plays a style of music called ska, which uses horns to transform the music's edgy, punk energy into an upbeat, jubilant sound, like a nineties version of the band Chicago. Although ska has been around since the sixties, it has crept into mainstream music in the last five years.

Roper, 25, who writes most of the band's lyrics, is joined by bass player and best friend since eighth grade Keith Hoerig; a horn section of Nathanael Dun ham (trumpet), Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega (saxophones), and Dennis Culp (trombone); drummer Andy Ver decchio; and guitarists Micah Ortega and Sonnie Johnston.

Most people who come to the band's concerts are older teens, according to Hoerig. Five Iron Frenzy's performances often include goofy getups and Roper's bizarre facial contortions. All this has led to misunderstanding and criticism by some Christians who come to concerts expecting to hear the band preach and do "serious" ministry.

Why would God want a Christian band not to preach? Because God ...