One week after Rachel Taylor started working at a record store she met Trevor Kelley. He was into hardcore music, wore skinny jeans and was not someone Rachel ever imagined she would befriend or have change her life so drastically.
I was like ‘who is this kid… he’s weird… he’s skinny’
It wasn’t long after Trevor started working with Rachel that they became friends and started jamming in the back room. They soon became He is We. They put out their music on all of the popular websites for aspiring musicians: YouTube, MySpace and Pure Volume. They were still not aware as to what they had started. A growing local and online fan base got them named the #1 unsigned band of 2009 on PureVolume.com and not long after they were picked up by Universal Motown and FrameworkNY. 
Here are all of the juicy details from a PopWreckoning interview Q&A style with singer Rachel Taylor:
PopWreckoning, Andrew Dunlap: Your band’s philosophy, per your website, is: “The idea that someone who you pass by every day can influence the rest of your life and you would never know. It’s the thought and power one person can have over their surroundings.” Elaborate on this ideal and how it’s applied to your life/your story…you and Trevor both worked together and this all just fell into place…
Rachel Taylor, He Is We: We’re all judgmental and prejudice without even realizing… like me with Trevor, I shouldn’t have done that. You never know who’s really going to impact your life. Don’t have those preconceived notions. It’s all about those connections we make and being open because you never know if this person you meet is going to pop back in your life or if you will impact someone, and because of that they impact someone. It’s kind of like the whole butterfly effect.
PW: What sort of response are you getting at your shows? Are you finding people come out who knew you from the web or are you winning over new fans right then and there?
RT: It’s been interesting; we go into every show not expecting anything. We had no idea what to expect because we have never toured over here before. Each night we get surprised… every single time we’re surprised of all the random people who show up and already know our music.
We had a show that got canceled and we had to rebook it for this café that had an open mic night that same night and there was a tornado warning, flash floods; traffic lights were going out. We still had 15 people show up. They came out of their way to see us and it was one of the most incredible moments.
PW: What are your thoughts about how much the web and your online fans played such a large role in getting you guys to where you are now? What does this mean for you and what do you think it means for the music industry?
RT: I don’t like to think about that. I want to stay focused on fun. Once I start thinking about numbers and labeling things it becomes a job and it won’t be fun anymore. 
If you aren’t aware of that stuff then you won’t put yourself on a pedestal. Stay humble, keep true to your music
PW: I have found several “remixes” floating around online, especially for the song “Pardon Me,” what is that all about?
RT: I have NO idea! That surprised me. Though I listen to this one by (jco?) every morning when I brush my teeth. I don’t know how they did this, they are smart. Like, they didn’t even have any of the original files to put something like that together.
PW: Anything out of the ordinary or unexpected or just completely random happen while on tour?
RT: We have a lot of fun with Frisbee I guess…. We discovered Steak n’ Shake, which is this really cool restaurant that we had never been to before, and near every Steak n Shake there happens to be an incredible parking lot and we’ll play Frisbee. All of our band mates- they dress very, metro I guess? Very clean cut, skinny jeans and all that jazz, and the neighborhood we were in was full of college guys.
Any way, we were all playing Frisbee and our drummer, who is the nicest guy in our band, and he throws a Frisbee right at this car. It literally hits this car and it’s full of bros-just like bros galore! I just remember seeing his face: his jaw dropping and being like ‘Ohhh Myyyy God.’ He just booked it. It was the funniest thing in the world, he was just terrified. He kept saying ‘it’s not worth it, it’s not worth it’ you know to go back for the Frisbee.
They have been made fun of in every state that we’ve been in, except for Indiana – Indiana was the nicest state and no one made fun of them, at all.
PW: What is something that you would like to put out there for every one to know?
RT: Actually, I am asked this a lot by other musicians “How can I get my stuff known?” 
I say, put it out there and it will come. You shouldn’t have to push your music onto anyone, hand out flyers or sell yourself. Stay true to who you are and people will catch on. Do what you love.
He is We finished recording their debut album before going on their summer tour with Bobby Long and Trouble Over Tokyo (which if you ever get the chance to see Trouble Over Tokyo live… you HAVE to see him).
They played the RecordBar in Kansas City on June 30 and they delivered a performance that upheld their PureVolume and MySpace reputation. The fans seemed to come from all over. I sat by a group of girls who drove from Oklahoma City just to see this group perform at a small, yet amazing venue in Kansas City.
I anticipate that we continue to hear a lot from this group of young, talented yet humble artists and they are currently on tour with The Rocket Summer, click here to view tour dates. Their album is still being finished (or it might be done already. According to their Facebook page, we should expect a release date soon). We will look forward to listening to it!
