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Written by Molly Hayden Tuesday, 16 May 2006 07:40

MU330: A high school music class that generated an institution of the St. Louis music scene. After eight full-length CDs, over 1,500 shows worldwide, and a short sabbatical, MU330 has made their way back home for a sold-out show at the Creepy Crawl. PlaybackSTL sat down with Dan Potthast (lead vocals, guitar), Ted Moll (drums), Chris Diebold (bass), Gerry Lundquist (trombone/chainsaw), and Rob “Voo-Doo” Bell (trombone) to talk about success, friendship, and 14 long years of musical talent.


1. How did MU330 get started?

Ted: We started small, with no ambition.

Dan: I’ve known Ted since I was in the first grade. Then I met Chris in high school. We were all best friends and just decided to play music together.

Ted: We started playing in my grandma’s basement, which is where we still practice. We’ve gotten various members over the years. There was really no plan for our music.


2. How has the band progressed over the past 14 years?

Rob: We grew up.

Ted: We’ve toured a lot and met a lot of people. It’s colored our experience, so to speak, as how we see music. It shows in how we now write and play.

Dan: Our lyrics are stronger, our music, overall, is better. You do anything enough times, hopefully you get a little better. I have done things that I would have never gotten to do had it not been for my best friends and this band. We went from playing back yard parties and grade schools in south St. Louis to playing in Japan, Europe, Korea, and Brazil.


3. Out of all the places you’ve performed, which is your favorite?

Dan: There’s so many.

Gerry: St. Louis is great…

Rob: …at the Creepy Crawl.

Gerry: But there are a lot of places overseas we like. Japan is always a good time.

Ted: St. Louis is fun because it’s hometown. We run into people that might have seen us play many years ago.



4. You went on a short hiatus after Ultra Panic came out. Where have you been?

Gerry: While we were touring the U.K., I got sick. I was in an infirmary in Edinburgh, Scotland, for 12 days with circulation problems in my left leg. I couldn’t go back to the States with the band, but we got it straightened out. I’m having surgery in September.

Dan: That kind of put us in a holding pattern for a while. I’ve been working on my solo projects, and in our downtime we still write.

Ted: My wife and I are recording for our band, Bagheera.


5. How do you define your success?

Dan: Monetarily, we have never been what a lot of people consider a success. We still, after 14 years, are climbing out of debt. But we are all still friends, and that is a huge gauge of success.

Chris: If we are all having fun playing music, we have a successful gig.

Ted: We are doing what we want by being persistent. Getting to tour and meet all kinds of people is just icing on the cake.


For tour dates, info on the band, and solo projects, check out www.mu330.com.