You, Me, and Everyone we Know is a band I first discovered in 2008. Their music, specifically the song “The Next 20 Minutes”, helped me through a lot of personal turmoil.
I received a lot of strength and catharsis through YM&EWK’s music. Maybe that’s why I gravitated toward it in the first place. I definitely felt a commonality with lead singer Ben (Liebsch) and could tell that this was someone who could articulate my own feelings better than I could.
I think anyone who has enjoyed previous YM&EWK records will not only really love their new album, Something Heavy, but feel comforted by it. There’s a level of confidence in the vocal delivery that sounds refreshed.
As has been the case throughout the band’s history, there are no filler songs on this LP. Every track has a purpose and could stand alone as a single.
The album is a fair mix of the punk and indie pop elements that have always existed within the band’s music. That balance makes it easy to listen to the project as a whole.
The execution on this record is flawless. Every single emotion shines through in a way that makes sure you feel them through the headphones.
The extremely descriptive nature of the lyrics and overall feel of the album led to many moments that remind me of one of my all time favorite bands; Say Anything.
To celebrate the release of Something Heavy, Ben Liebsch took the time to answer a few of my questions:
Nick Teal: How does it feel to finally have this album out?
Ben: “I have always wondered the feeling one is supposed to have at this point. It’s as if I climbed Everest months ago, but I’m just now sharing photos from the trip. I feel excited by the prospect that my ever-deepening understanding of my suffering in life could bring about for others a deeper understanding of their own. I was never allowed to have or communicate my feelings, if I had been I probably never would have learned to communicate this well through song. So, go listen to the record. It does a better job than I can here.”
N: I keep seeing people referring to a “10-year hiatus” of the band. Does it feel like they’re ignoring the handful of EP’s/singles that were released during that time?
B: “Silly, don’t you know guitar music only counts if you release full-lengths? I’m fine with it, if anything it’s a sign that people that haven’t been paying attention once again are and it will be a pleasant surprise for folks who missed some steps along the way.”
N: The first track, “I Don’t Care Anymore, I’m Enough Now” is a strong intro. Is it fair to say you’re at a point in your life where you’re no longer letting fears/worries hold you back?
B: “Just one quick note about your wording of this question. Nobody LETS their fears hold them back. You’re “HELD back” because the force is involuntary in nature. One of the biggest detours I see us having to take in the mental health conversation is unlearning that the state of your mental health is mostly determined by you. Anyways, these days I feel a lot like Lieutenant Dan in that storm on the shrimping boat in Forrest Gump. “I Don’t Care Anymore” is at times ironic in a “they doth protest too much” kind of way but in a frustrated resignation sense. “I’m Enough Now” is paradoxically wholly earnest and affirming in nature. I was never treated as anything other than a problem in my upbringing, so the fears/worries you’re talking about have just generally been working assumptions of what people think of me in general after so much effective conditioning to that effect. My secret is my body is always afraid to some extent, but that also means I’m always brave.”
N: You’ve always been extremely open about your struggles with substance abuse and mental health. Was that hard to open up about or did it come naturally with the music?
B: “The band’s whole brand aside from quirky undeniable excellence is uncomfortable levels of vulnerability. I was forced to out myself as an alcoholic maybe 2 weeks after having my moment of clarity. You know everything I know about myself if you’re paying attention. I just write about my life and that was a thing in my life.”
N: What has helped you the most in your journey of self-improvement?
B: “Ending my journey of self-improvement upon the realization that there was nothing that actually mattered to improve. Self improvement is an industry that is predicated upon the premise that you are “less than” but you could be better if you buy this book, class, webinar, retreat package, etc.”
N: When you played that farewell show in 2016, did you really think that was the end of the band at that point?
B: “Yes.”
N: It was good to see you draw a line in the sand about touring. I agree that musicians should be paid enough to live for touring full time. Was it hard to set that boundary?
B: “The industry infects artists with greed and paradigms of scarcity. Those who are actually interested in sustaining a community need to not be paying their support bands $100/night on tour. You picked the bands. The tour’s draw is your responsibility at that point. It’s just the right thing to do.”
N: Do you have any goals you’d still like to achieve with YM&EWK?
B: “I’d like it to pay for itself. That would be an achievement. I never had anything to prove from the start, so I don’t have anything to prove now. The Industry can keep ignoring me as it crumbles.”
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