| MU330 | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genre: | Ska punk, punk rock, indie rock |
| Years Active: | 1988–present |
| Label: | Asian Man Records |
| Associated Acts: | Dan P & the Bricks, The Stitch Up, Spitzer, Bagheera, Skankin' Pickle, Orange Tree, Mikey |
| Current Members: | Dan Potthast Ted Moll Chris Diebold Robert Bell Gerry Lundquist |
MU330 is an American 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, the band's musical direction has changed towards a more melodic and lyric-driven ska/indie rock sound, a combination that has been described as "Weezer meets The Specials".[1]
Dan Potthast (guitar/vocals), Ted Moll (drums), Chris Diebold (bass guitar), and Robert Bell (trombone) have remained with MU330 since the band's inception, and the trombonist Gerry Lundquist has been a member for over two decades. There have been several different frontmen in the past, but Potthast has always been the band's principal songwriter and lyricist.[2]
The original members met in St. Louis University High School music class 330, hence the band's name.[3]
Potthast has released solo work and has also started a second band, The Stitch Up, with the former Slow Gherkin frontman, James Rickman. He also started a ska/rocksteady group called Dan P and the Bricks with former the MU330 saxophonist, Matt Knobbe.
In 2018, Potthast was part of Jeff Rosenstock's touring band. Moll, the drummer, has a side project band called Bagheera. Most members of MU330 have performed with Mike Park's Bruce Lee Band throughout the band's history, although Potthast is the only member who has played live with The Bruce Lee Band in the past few years. MU330 continues to perform live sporadically across the United States.
| Year | Title | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Salamander Stew | Self-released | |
| 1994 | Press[4] | Moon Ska Records / Asian Man Records | |
| 1996 | Chumps on Parade | Dill Records / Asian Man Records | |
| 1997 | Crab Rangoon | Asian Man Records | |
| 1999 | MU330[5] | Asian Man Records | |
| 1999 | Winter Wonderland![6] | Asian Man Records | |
| 2002 | Ultra Panic[7] | Asian Man Records |
| Year | Title | Label | Formats | Notes/Track(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Salamander Stew | Self-released | Cassette | Demo recorded and mixed at Profound Sound | |
| 1996 | "Jason" b/w "Now" 7" | Moon Ska Records | "Jason", "Now" | ||
| 1997 | MU330 / Blue Meanies Split 7" | Asian Man Records | "Vacation" (Caffey, Valentine, Wiedlin) | ||
| 1998 | Time Bomb EP 7" | H.Y.R. | "Hoosier Love", "LA", "Ireland" Split with Punishment Park. Released only in Norway. | ||
| 2000 | Doppel Pack soundtrack | "Better Than Pork" (Potthast) | |||
| 2000 | Metalliska: A Ska Tribute to 80's Metal | Too Hep | "Motorbreath" (Hetfield) | ||
| 2007 | Ska Is Dead Compilation CD | Asian Man Records | "Please Don't Run" | ||
| 2017 | Don't Worry Don't Stress[9] | Asian Man Records | Digital | "Don't Worry Don't Stress" |