Me and Other People

Formed in late 2004 under the tentative title "The Fifth Floor Project", Me and Other People was originally the collaborative effort of four college freshmen on the 5th floor of Mark Twain Hall at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After jamming some Dave Matthews Band tunes acoustically in a time-honored collegiate icebreaking ritual, guitarists Alex Braun and Owen Skoler decided to team up with floormates Bob McMahon and Jeremy Goldmeier to make a bunch of random and terrifying noise in the basement practice room. Quickly realizing the two new additions' general disdain for the DMB, and his own inability to grasp even basic musical terms and instructions from his veteran counterparts, Alex was forced to write two or three original songs to keep the jamming alive. The fledgling band spent much of 2005 developing new material, amassing enough of a catalogue by winter to perform its first show in the residence hall lobby to an audience that was mostly there for snacks. Unfortunately, by this time lead guitarist Owen Skoler had left to pursue unimportant things like work, school, and having a fiance. In 2006, the slimmed-down trio started hitting the open mic circuit, becoming weekly staples at The Blue Fugue and Mojo's, where they accidentally received their current and highly descriptive name. Around this time, Alex stole his little sister's guitar and began working in some electric tunes, while Bob began penning some of his own ideas in greater number. The band's diverse and sometimes completely opposite tastes in music has led to material that consciously jumps from one genre to the next. All three current members have been primary writers for songs either completed or in development, and the songwriting process is often democratic and slow. Like a fine scotch, the music is distilled … uh … yeah we're basically just kinda lazy. Me and Other People is currently in the process of recording its first demo through a mix of live performances and a quasi-studio setup. As of December 2006, Me and Other People have found themselves in an unfortunate situation. Alex will be spending his next semester studying in London and as he writes the majority of songs for the band, Jeremy and Bob will be left to their own to form a group in his absence. Jeremy however will have graduated from Mizzou by the time Alex returns for the fall semester of 2007. He may take graduate school at Mizzou and continue with the group or head to another destination. While Jeremy's potential loss would be a mighty blow, Me and Other People will continue in some form upon Alex's homecoming. - From www.myspace.com/meandotherpeople