Liam and Me is:

Matt O’Dowd – Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings
Dan Larkin – Guitar, Vocals
Kevin McKenzie – Bass, Guitar
Jon Briks – Drums, Percussion

Credits

Produced by Wired All Wrong (Matt Mahaffey and Jeff Turzo).

Additional tracking by Chris James.

“Pretender,” “Say It Out Loud,” “I Thought You Knew,” and “It’s A Shame” mixed by Mark Endert.

All other tracks mixed by Kyle Black.

Mastered by Kyle Black.

Cover photograph by Jon Stars.

Letters built by Dave Carlson and Matt O’Dowd.

“Pretty Black Dress” guitar solo played by Aaron Kipnis.

Additional backing vocals provided by Mikey Hines.

Additional percussion by Ryan Petrillo.

Management, Legal, Labels, Booking, Acknowledgements:
John Davis
Jonathan Koby
Ryan Ogren
Kerry Ogren
Jessie Rendell
Anna Drozdowski
Katie Reilly
Dave Stein
Gary Adelman
Peter Torres
Nora and Piper
Heather Peggs
The Dan Friedman Show (call your mother)
Mike Mori
Corrie Christopher
Megan Kessler
Meredith Peters
Cristen Penn
Don Rohr
David Wolter
Vineland and Franklinville, NJ
Jay “Persi-cutie” Persicetti

Sponsors:
The O’Dowd Family
The Larkin Family
The McKenzie Family
The Briks Family
Mr. Matt Canno
Mr. Patrick Reardon

Dedication

Primarily written and recorded from 2005 – 2007, Lives We Might Have Lived is oddly prophetic. Its about accepting a life that you’re never quite ready for, and all the weird adventures along the way. It is about transition, and all the highs and lows that come with it. There are moments of brilliance. Moments that make us cringe. We hope you enjoy them all.

We are releasing this album all across the internets, as bands do nowadays. You may buy it on iTunes and Amazon if you like, download it for free on our website, or listen anytime on Spotify. Please share it with anyone you think might like it.

This record is dedicated to everyone who celebrated with us when things were great, and supported when things were not. We feel very grateful. It was a wild, weird, and wonderful ride that we will never forget, even if we often wonder what might have been.

Thank you,
Liam and Me
The Story behind Liam and Me and Lives We Might Have Lived

Though the band members have been playing music together for many years, Liam and Me formally assembled in 2004 with its current lineup, sonic direction, and home base in Philadelphia. After releasing a few self produced EPs and the LP There’s A Difference in 2006, we were discovered by The Company Management and began showcasing for major labels with some degree of fanfare. It was a very exciting time.

But with the skyrocketing popularity of Mp3s, iPods, digital distribution, and file-sharing, the music industry was in a very strange place. Labels were merging and folding left and right, and everyone was concerned about the future. We passed on a great deal to pursue some potentially better offers, all of which fizzled during contract revisions. Liam and Me finally signed with Thrive Records, inking our names at the kitchen table. A smaller deal, but a promising and passionate label. The band headed to Los Angeles in 2007 to record with some of our favorite musicians ever. Ambitions were high and time was short, but we made an album we were all proud of.

After tracking was completed, we flew directly from the studio to start our first national tour, leaving the producers to finish the record. We played some epic shows and had some great adventures, but the real trouble was just beginning. Thrive was having financial issues, and could not afford to pay our producers, mixers, or even our advance. We continued to tour and waited, but the record was on hold.

It soon became clear that Thrive’s situation was not improving, and we could not wait forever. A clause in our contract allowed to exit the deal with the rights to our record if Thrive could not fulfill their financial obligations. When they bounced our advance check in 2008, we served them notice and started looking for other labels. There were several interested parties.

But while Thrive could not afford to pay our producers, they found the money to pay their lawyers. When we tried to leave, they fought. Our only options were to quit, wait, or fight back. We fought back.

The process dragged on for over a year, and with our record and band tied up in litigation, there wasn’t much else we could do. We spent a small fortune, and lost a lot of momentum. Finally Thrive offered a settlement. They would let us go if we bought our record back from them. The price was steep. After all we’d been through it was a pretty shitty deal, but we were confident another label would pick up our record. We emptied our savings, and raised the money from family and friends. It was 2009, and we were finally free.

World-renowned mixer Mark Endert did an amazing job on a few single mixes, and we started showcasing and playing again. But thinks were different. Our sound was not as exciting as it was when we signed, and many of our industry contacts had moved on or left the business. All the majors passed, but we still had an offer from Drexel University’s Mad Dragon records. It was not ideal, but we were happy to have an enthusiastic group behind us. As we were about to sign, they informed us they could not move forward with the deal.

After our quick and promising rise and long protracted fall, morale was at an all time low. We were sick of struggling, sick of each other, sick of the record. We all drank a ton. Some smart and enthusiastic supporters tried to help us get back on our feet, but the disappointment and inertia was too hard to overcome. We owed tens of thousands of dollars to our family and friends. We put the record aside, and started to move on with our lives.

Jon left to go work for our former booking agency and move in with a lovely lady. Dan went to Memphis to get a Ph.D in philosophy. Matt began working in advertising as a copywriter and composer, and moved to New York. McKenzie followed shortly after to work at Sony Music. We all found some success and happiness in other pursuits. But we all miss the music, the experiences, and our friends and fans. And regardless of how things play out for all of us, we’ll always wonder what might have happened if we said yes instead of no, and did a few things differently. The lives we might have lived.