California avant-garde/post-punk/country outfit that formed while the members were students at the University of California at Santa Cruz. This university consists of several colleges, each with a different style of living facility and academic focus. College V (which was later renamed Porter College) has always been the home to the more artistic/weird/misfit students; the band Camper Van Beethoven was named by the members to match the initials of the College V B-dorm (C.V.B.).