[YM&I was active from roughly late 2002 (in inception) to 10/2009]

In a city known for its silicone, soy lattes, and off-duty actors, it is no secret that Los Angeles is a city drenched in the unreal.

For You Me & Iowa, it is from this environment of artifice that their songs emerge. “This town has imaginary spotlights/ everyone thinks that they’re center stage” Andrew Carroll sings on “Runways and Freeways,” his voice reaching over the musical traffic bustling underneath. Carroll’s vocals wander from manic and vulnerable to powerfully loud while drummer Tony Benedetti deals out quick beats with dizzying precision.

Combining the raw intensity of Pinkerton-era Weezer, with the percussive chops of The Dismemberment Plan, and the melodic, pop meanderings of Death Cab for Cutie, You Me & Iowa is a force to be reckoned with.

Since their beginnings in 2003, You Me & Iowa played their dues around the West, performing with their up-and-coming peers: The Velvet Teen, Midnight Movies, Mellowdrone, Monsters are Waiting, and Rx Bandits. It is their vivacious live show that not only keeps their loyal fanbase fixated, but even won them “Best Alternative Rock Band” at the 2005 L.A. Music Awards.

You Me & Iowa build their songs upon a skeleton of pop sensibility filled with the flesh of experience. Tizoc Estrada holds an MFA in guitar and bassist Ryan Julio is trained in operatic performance, while multi-instrumentalists Ryan Ross and Ryan Marx man the keys and horns. With a resume like this, it would be easy to fall into the musical masturbation of prog-rock, but the band seamlessly juxtaposes musical technicality with the accessibility of unabashed ass shaking.

With the success of their remastered debut EP, “Bigger Than Boston,” behind them, the band is looking to the future with big plans. “Our latest material marks a new stage in the band's development,” Carroll says, “We're becoming much more cohesive, while maintaining our experimental approach to songwriting.”

The dynamic range of their latest demo has landed You Me & Iowa into the shoes of musical titans. And it’s clear that with their upcoming full-length, they’ll be taking strides of gargantuan proportion. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.