Spring Break
Local band rises, stands out from the rest
Rachael Hara
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Lately, a lot of music seems to go unnoticed. Countless bands are forming, and most of them can hardly develop a fan base. But one West Philadelphia band seems to be achieving the opposite results.
Liam and Me's unique post- punk and vintage '80s music style is catching the eyes and ears of audiences all over North America. Since 2000, the band has created artful, mature rock, and performed hundreds of energetic shows in the United States and Canada combined.
Their previous album and EPs make people want to dance for hours alone in their bedrooms, and their upcoming album is no different.
The band's name comes from the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski." Matt O'Dowd, lead vocalist and keyboardist, describes the band's name as a "trite reference" to the movie.
"We decided we were going to stand outside on a freezing night in T-shirts and shorts until we could figure out the band name," "O'Dowd said.
In 1999, guitarist and background vocalist Dan Larkin formed his punk rock band Mad Mardigan while in his early years of high school. Larkin enlisted bassist Kevin Mackenzie, and Mackenzie brought O'Dowd into the mix soon after. Liam and Me was then formed in 2000.
"We had recently parted ways with the drummer from Mad Mardigan, and were looking to start fresh," Larkin said. "New drummer, new songs, new name."
Liam and Me recorded demos in 2001, but decided to take a break when Larkin chose to go to college in Florida, as maintaining a band from that distance would have been difficult. A few songs and demos had been recorded by this point in time, so the band decided to play during Christmas breaks and summers off from school.
When the band won a contest and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour in summer 2002, their dreams began to overtake their more conventional career plans. Ernie Ball, a guitar strings company, was holding a contest to find new faces in music to perform on the tour.
"The funny thing was that I didn't even know Matt had entered us in the contest," Larkin said.
Liam and Me's unique post- punk and vintage '80s music style is catching the eyes and ears of audiences all over North America. Since 2000, the band has created artful, mature rock, and performed hundreds of energetic shows in the United States and Canada combined.
Their previous album and EPs make people want to dance for hours alone in their bedrooms, and their upcoming album is no different.
The band's name comes from the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski." Matt O'Dowd, lead vocalist and keyboardist, describes the band's name as a "trite reference" to the movie.
"We decided we were going to stand outside on a freezing night in T-shirts and shorts until we could figure out the band name," "O'Dowd said.
In 1999, guitarist and background vocalist Dan Larkin formed his punk rock band Mad Mardigan while in his early years of high school. Larkin enlisted bassist Kevin Mackenzie, and Mackenzie brought O'Dowd into the mix soon after. Liam and Me was then formed in 2000.
"We had recently parted ways with the drummer from Mad Mardigan, and were looking to start fresh," Larkin said. "New drummer, new songs, new name."
Liam and Me recorded demos in 2001, but decided to take a break when Larkin chose to go to college in Florida, as maintaining a band from that distance would have been difficult. A few songs and demos had been recorded by this point in time, so the band decided to play during Christmas breaks and summers off from school.
When the band won a contest and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour in summer 2002, their dreams began to overtake their more conventional career plans. Ernie Ball, a guitar strings company, was holding a contest to find new faces in music to perform on the tour.
"The funny thing was that I didn't even know Matt had entered us in the contest," Larkin said.
Be the first to comment on this story