A failed ska group turned alternative popsters, Save Ferris was originally formed as a ska-punk band named Los Pantelones. After the group broke up in 1995, guitarist Brian Mashburn and saxophone player Eric Zamora began writing songs, together with former bandmates Bill Uechi (bass) and José Castellaños (trumpeter). The quartet later recruited drummer Mark Harismendy, vocalist Monique Powell and trombone player T-Bone Willy.