Me Like Bees

“They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!” Psalm 118:12 No, this isn’t a Sam Jackson quote from the latest grindhouse inspired Tarantino film; it’s the impetus behind the Joplin, MO band Me Like Bees. Formed on the heels of the 2000s indie rock scene, the band was started by college dropout, Pete Burton and former gas station clerk, Luke Sheafer in 2009. The duo shared a mutual affinity for the music of the aughts. Bands like The Strokes, Modest Mouse, The White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand, would serve as the catalyst to the danceable, guitar-driven rock that Me Like Bees would become known for: “I remember the way I felt when I first heard Ball and a Biscuit by the White Stripes” Sheafer says, “That’s the moment I decided that yeah, this music thing is what I want to do with my life. I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.” Notably, the band released their first full length album The Ides through Loveway records in 2013. In 2014, they won first prize at the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands in Hollywood California, beating out 20,000 other bands and securing a coveted spot on the Vans Warped Tour. They worked alongside Goldfinger frontman and well known producer, John Feldmann for their EP There Will Be Time released in 2016. In 2018, they partnered with Image Comics and artist Jeremy Haun for the release of their graphic novel inspired EP, The Realm.