MU330

All Music Guide:

Named after the section number of the high school jazz class where many of the group's members first met, the self-described "psycho-ska" band MU330 was formed in St. Louis, MO, in 1988. Originally comprising vocalist/guitarist Dan Potthast, vocalist/trumpeter John Skavanaugh, bassist Chris Diebold, saxophonist Matt Knobbe, keyboardist Matt Struckel, and drummer Ted Moll, MU330's lineup changed regularly, and by the release of the 1994 debut Press (issued via Asian Man Records), Struckel had already exited. Skavanaugh and Knobbe soon left the group as well, with vocalist Jason Nelson, trumpeter Nick Baur, and saxophonist Traygen Bilsland all joining long enough to record 1996's Chumps on Parade before all three again went their own way. The core trio of Potthast, Diebold, and Moll were joined by trombonists Rob Bell and Gerry Lundquist in time to record the third MU330 record, 1997's Crab Rangoon. Winter Wonderland followed two years later. Live Oh Yeah! appeared in spring 2001; Ultra Panic was released a year later.

Wikipedia:

MU330 (pronounced "em-you-three-thirty") are a ska punk band from St. Louis, Missouri.

Formed by students of St. Louis University High School in 1988, MU330 played a self-described brand of music called "Psycho Ska", high energy ska punk marked by manic performances and humorous, often strange lyricism. Since 1997, however, the band's musical direction has shifted towards a more melodic and lyric-driven ska/indie rock sound, a combination that's been described as "Weezer meets The Specials".

Dan Potthast (guitar/vocals), Ted Moll (drums), Chris Diebold (bass) and Robert Bell (trombone) have remained with MU330 since the band's inception, while trombonist Gerry Lundquist has been a member for over a decade. Though several different frontmen have been featured in the past, Potthast has always acted as the band's principal songwriter and lyricist.

Biography [edit]

The original members met in St. Louis University High School music class 330 (hence the name of the band).

Singer Dan Potthast has released solo work and has also started a second band The Stitch Up with former Slow Gherkin frontman James Rickman. He also started a ska/rocksteady group called "Dan P and the Bricks" along with former MU330 saxophonist, Matt Knobbe. Drummer Ted Moll has a side project band called Bagheera.