The students at Saint Louis University are truly blessed. With last Friday’s Spring Fever, students witnessed three of the finest St. Louis bands perform just for them. This Saturday, another St. Louis stalwart, MU330, will perform in the lower level of the Busch Memorial Center, free to SLU students.
MU330 has been delivering their own brand of South St. Louis ska since 1988, when a couple of teen-age boys adapted their high school band experience to the raucous spirit of rock `n’ roll.
With the release of their debut album Press in 1994, MU330 joined the Urge as leaders of St. Louis’ third-wave ska movement.
Through numerous personnel changes have occurred since then, the band has remained true to the high energy “psycho-ska” that made the band famous.
MU330 is touring in support of Oh Yeah!, their new live album recorded on their most recent tour. Over the years, the band has racked up over 1,300 concert performances, all of which are impressively listed in the album’s liner notes.
While MU330 has recorded a number of respectable studio albums, Oh Yeah! finds them in their natural element: the stage.
While no live album can completely capture a band’s concert performance, Oh Yeah! comes awfully close.
It contains some of MU330’s best songs played with a fervor matched by few other acts. Sure, a lot of the songs are simple and mindless, but they deliver high levels of energy and release.
MU330 may not be the most complex or verbose band around, but they could be the most fun.
Included on the disc are classics like “Stuff,” “Rok,” and “Shortlong,” perhaps the first song dedicated to the pinnacle of hoosier hairstyles, the mullet.
Alongside the tunes are snippets of between-song dialogue and some of MU330’s famous stage acts. The finest of these is trombonist Gerry Lundquist singing the praises of professional wrestling before attacking the crowd with a bladeless chainsaw.
Oh Yeah! concludes with the anthem “Hoosier Love,” MU330’s classic ode to life and love on the South Side of St. Louis.
The album is a fine example of MU330 at their finest, and one listen leaves the listener hungry for the real deal. This Saturday’s concert will hopefully deliver.
The show in the BMC this Saturday marks MU330’s only St. Louis show on their tour, the last United States stop before heading to Japan, where they are bonafide international rock stars.
The band chose to forgo playing in a traditional music venue in favor of the independent spirit of SLU’s campus. The concert is sponsored by KSLU and community radio station KDHX, adding to the do-it-yourself nature of the show.
Also performing are Lawrence Arms and Big D & the Kid’s Table. Opening the show will be local alt-country outfit Jenny Kavanaugh and Her Band of Outlaws.
One of the Outlaws is Jenny’s brother John Kavanaugh, who was the original lead singer for MU330. Perhaps John can be persuaded to join his former bandmates for a mini-reunion and reassume his former role as “John Skavanaw.”
Take this opportunity to stop studying for exams and come enjoy some top-notch music. The show is free for SLU students and $7 for public admission. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. End the school year with a bang and come “rok” out with St. Louis’ finest.
