Liam and Me
Encyclopedia
Liam and Me is a four-piece rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The band creates "concise, melodic, rhythmic, emotional pop rock" and is made up of Matt O'Dowd on vocals and keyboard
, Dan Larkin on guitar
and vocals, and Kevin McKenzie on bass.
Liam and Me has over 31,000 fans online and nearly one million plays. Several of their songs have been featured in television programs including Oxygen's Campus Ladies
, which used "Say It Out Loud," and The World Series, which used "Pretender". The band was also chosen to contribute a song to the Purevolume
Holiday Sampler. Liam and Me has toured the United States and Canada and shared a stage with Kill Hannah
, The White Tie Affair
, The Spill Canvas
, Ludo
, Steel Train
, Under the Influence of Giants
, Young Love
, PlayRadioPlay, Shiny Toy Guns
, and The Sounds
. They have also performed at numerous large festivals including Bamboozle
, V Festival
, South by Southwest
, CMJ and Warped Tour
. Liam and Me was featured as the first track on a Music Saves Lives
compilation alongside other notable artists like Relient K
, Mae
, Jack's Mannequin
, and New Atlantic
The band has been featured in the Philadelphia City Paper
, Spin
, and All Access Magazine. A review in All Access described a performance as "ethereal keyboard hooks, catching guitar accompaniment, and luminous vocals, poetic lyrics, heartfelt harmonies, and an overall crisp sound". A Today Show survey listed Liam and Me as one of Today's viewers' favorite indie bands describing their songs as "undeniably catchy" and their show as "an outstanding live performance that is guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing". Their music video for "Say It Out Loud" has been featured on MTVU
, MTV
Online, and VH1
Online. Their forthcoming record was produced by Wired All Wrong
(Hellogoodbye
, White Tie Affair, Beck
) and mixed by Mark Endert
(Maroon 5
, The Fray
, Fiona Apple
) and Kyle Black.
and the band began to refocus on music. After struggling to find a suitable name to accompany the new direction of the band, they decided one cold winter night to stand outside wearing only shorts and t-shirts until they had picked a name. After about thirty minutes of discussion, Liam and Me, an allusion to The Big Lebowski
, was chosen, though their music makes no reference to the Coen brothers
film. From there, Liam and Me continued to develop its sound, added keyboard to its arrangements, began playing a lot of shows, and eventually self-released a ten song album entitled There's A Difference. The record sold out in about a month. In 2006, Liam and Me garnered attention from several major labels and influential indies including Virgin Records
, Decaydance Records
, Thrive Records
, Atlantic Records
, Columbia Records
, Capitol Records
, and Epic Records
. Initially, they decided on Virgin but, as O'Dowd explains Virgin, “tried to put a clause in our contract allowing them to buy us out if they didn’t like the CD" So, unwilling to take that risk after all of their hard work, they decided against it. “It was a tough decision for us, but we went with a smaller label that would hopefully focus on us more as a band, not just an investment” explained Larkin. The band then spent several months in studios in Los Angeles working on the record and a release was scheduled for fall of 2007. Instead, the release was pushed back. Thrive no longer had enough money to provide the funds promised in the contract and, claiming bankruptcy, pushed the record back indefinitely. This led to a legal battle between the label and the band as the band sought to get its music back. Eventually, Liam and Me got their record back and have been working on completing the mixing and mastering in order to release it in the near future.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The band creates "concise, melodic, rhythmic, emotional pop rock" and is made up of Matt O'Dowd on vocals and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Dan Larkin on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals, and Kevin McKenzie on bass.
Liam and Me has over 31,000 fans online and nearly one million plays. Several of their songs have been featured in television programs including Oxygen's Campus Ladies
Campus Ladies
Campus Ladies is an American sitcom that premiered on Oxygen on January 8, 2006. It stars Christen Sussin and Carrie Aizley as two 40-something women who decide to go enroll at the fictional University of the Midwest...
, which used "Say It Out Loud," and The World Series, which used "Pretender". The band was also chosen to contribute a song to the Purevolume
PureVolume
PureVolume was the first independently run website of its type, allowing for the upload and stream of music files. It was created in 2003 by Jennifer Welch , in conjunction with the Unborn Media team; Brett Woitunski, Nate Hudson, and Mitchell Pavao; all from the University of...
Holiday Sampler. Liam and Me has toured the United States and Canada and shared a stage with Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah is a rock band formed in 1993 in Chicago. The band has released six studio albums, seven EPs, and two compilation albums as well as three DVDs.-History:...
, The White Tie Affair
The White Tie Affair
The White Tie Affair is a pop rock/electronica band from Chicago, Illinois. The members consist of: Sean-P , Chris Wallace , Tim McLaughlin and Ryan McLain . In early 2007, the band signed with Epic Records/Slightly Dangerous and released their debut album, Walk This Way in April 2008...
, The Spill Canvas
The Spill Canvas
The Spill Canvas is an alternative rock band from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.-Career:The Spill Canvas started as a side project for lead singer, Nick Thomas, who at the time, was guitarist and backup vocalist for Metalcore outfit Nodes of Ranvier ....
, Ludo
Ludo
Ludo may refer to:* Ludo , a board game of the Cross and Circle game family* Luděk Mikloško Czech football goalkeeper.* Ludwig II of Bavaria, nicknamed 'Mad King Ludo', a king of Bavaria who reigned between 1869 and 1886...
, Steel Train
Steel Train
Steel Train is an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies, Fun and others...
, Under the Influence of Giants
Under the Influence of Giants
Under the Influence of Giants is a musical group from Los Angeles, California. They released their major label debut album in August 2006, which was a number one hit on the Top Heatseekers chart. Among their influences are the Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, Prince, WHAM!, Chicago...
, Young Love
Young Love
Young Love may refer to:Music*Young Love, Mat Kearney's fourth studio album*Young Love , the debut album of J.Williams, a New Zealand R&B artist...
, PlayRadioPlay, Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns is an American indie rock band that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles, California. They released their first studio album We Are Pilots in 2006, after recording it two previous times. It featured three singles that peaked inside the top 30 in the Alternative Songs Chart. We Are Pilots...
, and The Sounds
The Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
. They have also performed at numerous large festivals including Bamboozle
Bamboozle
Bamboozle! was a quiz game featured on Channel 4 Teletext in the United Kingdom. It was originally part of Teletext's "Fun & Games" category, though the rest of the category had been discontinued for some years before Bamboozle! ended...
, V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
, South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, CMJ and Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
. Liam and Me was featured as the first track on a Music Saves Lives
Music Saves Lives
Music Saves Lives is a not for profit 5013 organization and is listed in the IRS publication 78. Established in January 2006 by founder Russel Hornbeek in Seal Beach, California. Music Saves Lives has educated students and encouraged over 120,000 summer blood donations from youth under the age of 25...
compilation alongside other notable artists like Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
, Mae
Mae
Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
, Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
, and New Atlantic
New Atlantic
New Atlantic were an early 1990s British rave band from Southport, Merseyside. They were made up of Richard Lloyd and Cameron Saunders, and best known for their UK #12 hit "I Know" in March 1992. The CD single of "I Know" contained an alternate mix, which was performed by the group onstage on the...
The band has been featured in the Philadelphia City Paper
Philadelphia City Paper
Philadelphia City Paper is a free alternative news weekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in November 1981 as a spin-off of the now defunct WXPN Express newsletter. New issues are released every Thursday....
, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, and All Access Magazine. A review in All Access described a performance as "ethereal keyboard hooks, catching guitar accompaniment, and luminous vocals, poetic lyrics, heartfelt harmonies, and an overall crisp sound". A Today Show survey listed Liam and Me as one of Today's viewers' favorite indie bands describing their songs as "undeniably catchy" and their show as "an outstanding live performance that is guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing". Their music video for "Say It Out Loud" has been featured on MTVU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Online, and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
Online. Their forthcoming record was produced by Wired All Wrong
Wired All Wrong
Wired All Wrong is an electronic rock band formed by musician/producers Matt Mahaffey of Self and Jeff Turzo previously of God Lives Underwater. The two have been longtime friends since a mix-up of their bands on MTV. Partly due to the unfortunate deaths of David Reilly from GLU and Mike Mahaffey...
(Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye is a power pop band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP Hellogoodbye...
, White Tie Affair, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
) and mixed by Mark Endert
Mark Endert
Mark Endert is an American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician.-Biography:Since the early 1990s - present, he is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90...
(Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
, Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
) and Kyle Black.
History
The band's genesis was in the form of a high school punk band called Mad Mardigan, founded by Dan Larkin. He recruited Kevin McKenzie to play bass who enlisted long-time friend Matt O'Dowd. The band members parted ways to attend universities in different geographical locations but continued to reunite over breaks from school to write and record. Eventually, their sound grew into a more mature rock, replacing their punk origins. In 2002, a new song won them a spot on the famous Warped TourWarped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
and the band began to refocus on music. After struggling to find a suitable name to accompany the new direction of the band, they decided one cold winter night to stand outside wearing only shorts and t-shirts until they had picked a name. After about thirty minutes of discussion, Liam and Me, an allusion to The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
, was chosen, though their music makes no reference to the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
film. From there, Liam and Me continued to develop its sound, added keyboard to its arrangements, began playing a lot of shows, and eventually self-released a ten song album entitled There's A Difference. The record sold out in about a month. In 2006, Liam and Me garnered attention from several major labels and influential indies including Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records is a record label based in New York City. Originally founded as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen, it is now an independent record label owned by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and partners. The first band Wentz signed to the label was Panic! at the Disco...
, Thrive Records
Thrive Records
Thrive Records is a United States based independent electronic record label. It also operates as a part of ThriveDance label.-History:...
, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, and Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. Initially, they decided on Virgin but, as O'Dowd explains Virgin, “tried to put a clause in our contract allowing them to buy us out if they didn’t like the CD" So, unwilling to take that risk after all of their hard work, they decided against it. “It was a tough decision for us, but we went with a smaller label that would hopefully focus on us more as a band, not just an investment” explained Larkin. The band then spent several months in studios in Los Angeles working on the record and a release was scheduled for fall of 2007. Instead, the release was pushed back. Thrive no longer had enough money to provide the funds promised in the contract and, claiming bankruptcy, pushed the record back indefinitely. This led to a legal battle between the label and the band as the band sought to get its music back. Eventually, Liam and Me got their record back and have been working on completing the mixing and mastering in order to release it in the near future.