Is this band unhinged? It's a fair question. The songs of You, Me and Everyone We Know seem to emerge from the shadows, alternating monologues of spite and discontent with rhapsodies of inordinate joy. But peer through the veil of havoc, and it's clear this band seeks a new, if unnerving, way to rock its way to the truth.
"A lot of the stuff is a mix of what sits in the back of your head," says singer/songwriter Ben Liebsch. "We're insistent on really weird wild things to put in the songs." Until recently, the band was seriously DIY, releasing a self-made indie CD and touring the eastern half of the country, especially in and around their homebase of Washington, D.C. But happily, drive-thru records' co-founders Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines heard them, loved them and offered to manage them. And with their CD, "Party for the Grown and Sexy," impressing fans and critics alike, You Me and Everyone We Know is getting pretty well-known themselves.
What does Liebsch mean by weird and wild? For one, the band explores taboo subjects – stealing a friend's girlfriend ("I'd Be More Interested If You Were Already Spoken For"), skipping out on all responsibilities ("The Rent is Due") – with a minimum of judgment and a maximum of emotion. More often than not, Ryan Sherrill and Noel Milford construct an impenetrable wall of guitar while Liebsch spins out shockingly elegant lines, or just ropes in his bandmates for a shouted chorus. "Most of the songs," adds Liebsch, "are more cautionary tales then anything else. In the end we're trying to write exciting music that's catchy and throws you for a loop at the same time. "
While Liebsch cites influences as diverse as Joe Cocker, Andrew W.K. and Skylar Croom, he started out like any other ADD-addled middle schooler in Dundalk, MD, ("I just want to stare at girls and sleep"). Then he discovered the local club scene and began fawning over "lots of crappy bands I absolutely adored." Liebsch formed his own band on a dare after teaching himself ever Sublime tune on the guitar.
He also began writing songs, but not in any conventional style. Through his series of start-up bands, he met with the same vacant stares from colleagues who didn't get what he was trying to do. Then he met guitarist Ryan Sherrill, who had been in the D.C. band Underscore along with drummer Paul Martinez. They did get what Liebsch was trying to do, and by the end of 2006, with Noel Milford as second guitarist, a new band was born. Bassist Mike O'Rourke rounded out line-up.
So far, YM&EWK has spread itself far and wide, touring across the country from Chicago to Maine, on their own or sharing the bill with bands like I Am The Avalanche, Piebald and the Spotlight. "Basically, we like to create a bit of a party," says Liebsch of the band's live performances. "We prefer to break down the self-consciousness of people, let loose and try to encourage everyone else to. We come off a little crazy."
Which reignites the question: could You, Me and Everyone We Know be unhinged? Maybe, but that's a good way to knock down doors. As Ben Liebsch says, "We want to do everything we can to get your attention." |
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