Once upon a time, or maybe twice, there was an unearthly band called Woo and the Yellow Dubmarine. 80,000 leagues beneath the sea they played, or plied? I’m not too sure…

Woo and the Yellow Dubmarine is one of those bands that elude classification. Are they a reggae band? Are they a Beatles cover band? Do they play original songs? The answer to all of these questions is yes.

Woo and The Yellow Dubmarine takes Beatles tunes and fuses them with reggae influences to make a unique blend of Beatles reggae. And while the band is based in College Park, their tunes are straight out of Pepperland. The band boasts an impressive eight-member roster featuring: Robbie Cooper (Drums and Vocals), Mario D’Ambrioso (Tenor Saxophone), Jon Drye (Auxiliary Percussion), Aaron Glaser (Bass and Vocals), Greg Whetle (Keys), Luke Schuster (Guitar and Vocals), John Sloane (Lead Guitar), and Brian Shapiro (Trumpet).

In addition to their Beatles covers, the band performs a number of original tunes. Cooper, Schuster and Glaser write most of the band’s songs, but they also play songs written by all of the band members.

“We have a very cooperative feel in our writing and style,” Glaser said. “Having the Beatles songs along side our original tunes has helped us grow as musicians and helped us get our songs out to the public.”

So how did the idea for Beatles reggae come up? According to Glaser, it was a long process that started with his informal after-school jam sessions with

Cooper, Schuster and Wheltle. They eventually named themselves Woo after a character from The Big Lebowski. Later on, Glaser jokingly suggested they try to play Beatles tunes in a reggae style.

“We did ‘Strawberry Fields’ and it was really fun, so we kept going, learning new songs,” said Glaser. “Greg came up with the name Yellow Dubmarine.”

The band then combined the two names and became Woo and the Yellow Dubmarine. The band played their first concert in December 2007 at a memorial they arranged for a close friend who had passed away. According to Glaser, the show went very well, which inspired the band to continue playing, and over time they assembled their present-day lineup.

Interested in checking out Woo and the Yellow Dubmarine? You’re in luck. The band has several shows coming up in the area. On March 6 they will play at the 8×10 in Baltimore with Basshound, March 10 at Santa Fe Café with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and March 20 at the Austin Grill in Rockville, Md. Rest assured, there will be no blue meanies at any of the shows. In addition, you can check out some tunes and videos here, at http://www.myspace.com/wooyellowdubmarine.

Glaser has high hopes for the future of the band, and said, “We’re hoping to keep playing as much as possible. The goal is to go on the road and play music for a living.”

In the immortal words of Woo and the Yellow Dubmarine, “All you need is dub.”