Biog. Sam and Rowan started playing music together when they met at college in Brighton. "It must have been during the summer months, around 1997." "We formed a close friendship and understanding and it lead to us writing some songs, forming a band (The Lemon Tree Escape) and playing the local pubs/clubs around Brighton." Sam left for University in Manchester and they took a bit of a break. "Towards the end of Sam's time in Manchester we started writing songs together again and thought we'd give it another shot. We did a few gigs when we hooked up with Akoustik Anarkhy under the name Datura Dream." After moving in together in South London, they played a load of gigs as a duo, taking the name Sam and Me. They supported some decent bands along the way - Alfie, Feist, Lone Pigeon, The Longcut, Nine Black Alps, Art Brut, The Maccabees, The Kooks - and released their first single 'Sonic Boomerang' in 2005. At this point, the boys felt they needed a band to develop the songs in the way they imagined. "We started as a slim-line duo, expanded at one point to a bloated sextet, and finished up as a svelte and buoyant quartet, at which point we began work on the album." They invested in some equipment and met up with Dan through a mutual friend; he beguiled them with remixes and plausible but ultimately improbable advice, and eventually they joined forces. And Mitch was a chance MySpace meeting of kindred spirits via the Atlantic; "He loved our music, we loved his." "Although Mitchell is based in Minnessota, he comes to stay with us and write and record his parts." "We started putting more time into recording and less in to gigs and it started to pay off when we finally got some decent recordings with the arrangements we've always had in our heads but haven't been able to hear until now." Press Record Collector - aA label profile June 2006 Issue: Record Collector do a label profile on Akoustik Anarkhy - "The Country wisps and psychedelic sounds of Sam & Me are softly astounding." Record Collector - Top 10 singles of 2005 January 2006 Issue: Ali MacQueen picks Sonic Boomerang as one of the Top 10 singles of the year MOJO - Class aA - Beyond Entertainment Review November 2005 Issue: Sam and Me are mentioned in the aA album review from Mojo Record Collector - Sonic Boomerang Review October 2005 Issue: A great review of Sonic Boomerang from Record Collector NME - Class aA - Beyond Entertainment Review 10th September 2005 Issue: Ex's gets another good mention on the aA album Q Magazine - Class aA - Beyond Entertainment Review September 2005 Issue: Ex's picked out for special praise on the akoustik Anarkhy album Channel 4 Teletext - Sonic Boomerang Review 29th August 2005: Sonic Boomerang reviewed by John Earls who gives it 4/5 Manchester Music - Sonic Boomerang Review 29th August 2005: Sonic Boomerang gets 5/5 and single of the week from ManchesterMusic.co.uk Channel 4 Teletext - Ex's Review 14th February 2005: Ex's reviewed by John Earls who gives it 4/5 Candy Factory Lines - Ex's Review 13th February, 2005: Ex's reviewed by candyfactorylines.com City Life Demo Review 7th January 2004: Sam and Me demo chosen as Star Choice by City Life Channel 4 Teletext - Best of 2003 23rd December 2003: Sam and Me voted third best demo of the year on Teletext Channel 4 Teletext - Interview 2nd December 2003: the band are interviewed by Teletext AngryApe.com review of Demo 27th November 2003: A Demonstration reviewed by Jon Bailey who gives it 8/10 Channel 4 Teletext - Demo Of The Week 25th November 2003: Teletext make Sam and Me demo of the week and give it 4.5/5