The Urge

The St. Louis-based ska-punk outfit the Urge was formed in 1987 by vocalist Steve Ewing and bassist Karl Grable, who together remained the nexus of the group throughout the many roster changes which followed. The original Urge lineup debuted in 1989 with the cassette-only Bust Me Dat Forty, followed a year later by the LP Puttin' the Backbone Back. After the additions of saxophonist Bill Reiter and trombonists Matt Kwiatkowski and Todd Painter, the group released 1992's Magically Delicious; guitarist Jerry Jost and drummer John Pessoni joined a year later, and this lineup recorded the 1993 live LP Fat Babies in the Mix. A tour with 311 helped the Urge win any number of new fans, and 1995's Receiving the Gift of Flavor was so successful that it brought the band to the attention of Epic's Immortal imprint, which reissued the LP in 1996. Master of Styles followed in 1998. Too Much Stereo came in mid-2000.