Remember being in college and going to see your favorite local band?  Remember the energy, excitement, and intimacy the band and its crowd would share—with everyone singing, dancing, and raising their glass to each and every song?  This was the atmosphere at Spaceland where You, Me, and Iowa played their final show.

Sprung out of a music theory class six years ago, You, Me, and Iowa have rounded up a devoted following in Los Angeles that love their mix of rock, funk, and jam-band instrumentals—with lyrics that sound as if they have been ripped straight from journal entries. Andrew Carroll’s vocals were complimented by a powerful rhythm section. Bassist, Ryan Julio, and drummer, Tony Benedetti, made sure that every song had a dance-able feel to it while favoring odd time signatures and exotic counter-rhythms. Keyboardist, Ryan Ross, and guitarist, Tizoc Estrada,  spent the whole night feeding off each others’ distinct melodies that drew from a heavy jam-band influence.  They opened the night with fan favorites, but quickly moved into tracks from their new album, Aquarium, which they officially released that night.  The only constant of the evening was the diversity and eclectic mix of genres that the band incorporated, which included everything from anthemic pop-punk to disco dance beats and Latin guitar lines—sometimes all in the same song.

The casual community atmosphere was apparent in everything from the legion of devoted fans singing along to every song in the front row to Julio’s lack of shoes onstage. Midway through the show, Carroll punctuated the communal mood by launching himself into the crowd and finishing the song in the arms of his devoted fans.

It was apparent that the band’s sudden break up was an amicable one.  On stage the members of You, Me, and Iowa treated the show more like a victory lap than a funeral.  Each song was played with the enthusiasm and confidence of a band that had been together long enough to be comfortable in its own skin.  The night was bittersweet and everyone in the room knew they were watching a band that was going out at the top of their game.

—Katie Montgomery