You, Me and Everyone We Know has a special place in my pop punk heart. The easiest way to describe my love for this band would be that my little brother and I have deemed the song “Do It Again” from their first EP Party For The Grown and Sexy  as our song. Not because the song is meaningful to our siblinghood, but simply because it is the song we jammed to every morning when we drove to high school together and nothing makes me feel quite as nostalgic as shouting the lines “have another!” What better music is there for going through a rough time than a band that went through a rough time?
You, Me and Everyone We Know has been through it all, yet they somehow still manage to put out fantastic music. Their music is real. That is the best way to put it. They sing about things that everyone can relate to over catchy guitar riffs and addicting drum patterns; the perfect formula for a road trip with the windows down vibe. The band put out two EP’s and a full length before calling it quits due to personal issues of the lead singer Ben Leibsch. After the split the band managed to squeeze out one final EP Things are Really Weird Right Now before going on an indefinite hiatus. At the time I was thankful to have Something’s Just Don’t Wash Out to play on repeat for the rest of my life. This story has a happy ending. Ben decided to focus on some solo work for a bit while remaining under the alias of You, Me and Everyone We Know. He released two EPs, A Great Big Hole and I Wish More People Gave a Shit. These songs were so great that I drove three hours to watch Ben play a handful of songs in a smoky bar for eight people. However, the climb to success doesn’t stop there. Since then, Ben grew his hair back out, gained a couple tattoos and recruited an entire new line up of very talented individuals to complete You, Me and Everyone We Know. Ben Roth, Joe Fuscia, Blain Herman and Kory Gable now accompany Ben Leibsch in creating some of the most tongue-in-cheek and honest music of the genre.
The band recently signed to South By Sea records where they released a brand new EP Dogged that came out in March of this year. The album sounds like a more mature version of the band with songs such as “Raise Them Bones” and “Eat My Hands” taking on more serious topics than previous works such as “Happy Birthday” and “…Because I Spit Hotfire” but nonetheless they are all ear candy. I was lucky enough to see them play at New Brookland Tavern this summer alongside Future Crooks and Daisyhead. I can say that not only are these guys talented musicians, but they are also excellent people. Although they are the kings of releasing EPs, it is rumored that a new full length is in the works. I look forward to anything new they put out, because they have yet to disappoint me. They just wrapped up a tour supporting Forever Came Calling with Seasons Change and Like Pacific and will hopefully be back on the road soon.
Tune into “It’s All Happening!” Wednesdays from 2pm-4pm or listen live at wusc.sc.edu to hear a compilation of favorites from all of their albums.
