me like a bee is an indie rock band from Joplin, Missouri, who performed as part of Fossil Cove’s 2026 Frost Fest last month. While in town, Me Like Bees visited the Carver Center for Public Radio and recorded a KUAF Live session with Ozarks at Large’s Daniel Carruth. The group began the session by discussing the process behind one of their recent viral songs, “Bless My Bones.”
A: Thanks to the internet, the longevity of a song can be very different than it used to be. We always talk about which songs we really believe in and which songs we like best. And it was certainly something that the band felt had a very visceral energy. It’s essentially very, very Me Like Bees. So we thought of a way to promote it, and Pete said, “Hey, why don’t we do a ‘Big Lebowski’-type, like, swirly video?” So I thought, “Okay, how can I make that happen?” And we did it. Please take it out. I think about 12 people saw it. When we put out the video for the record, my mother didn’t watch it. I’m really disappointed.
And these days, we’re talking about the rise of AI, especially in the arts. So we got some behind the scenes footage of us making that video and some other lyric videos. And we frame them like, “Hey, guys, everything you see is what we’re doing.” I simply captioned it, “Instead of letting the AI do it for me, I decided to do the hard work.” And they were fighting Luke. And then we cut to a shot that we actually put out about eight months ago, and no one cared. And it looks like he’s singing every word in the tank. Then, to tag along, I included some footage of his actual reaction after he did it the last time.
I woke up one day and had about 700,000 views on Facebook and Instagram, and I had 2,000 followers on Facebook in one day. And it was just all that stuff because people were really drawn to the message behind it. So we talk a lot about how you can come up with something cool like that, but if the song isn’t good, you’re not going to attract people. And the great thing is that that opinion has been translated for you to actually hear. People listened to it, saved it, added it to their playlists, and listened to more of our music. It was truly amazing. It was a great thing that made us think, “Oh, the music did its job.” This video is just a vessel for people to hear a song that we really believe in and it’s almost a year old. And I’m having the best week of my life so far.
Q: You guys have been doing this for a while, but formed in 2010. How has going viral changed things? How has that audience changed and grown? And how has it changed the way you interact with fans and the music industry in this digital age?
A: I don’t think that has changed much. We always want to gain new fans and that’s what we can do. But to be honest, we survive because of our regular fans who have been listening to us since day one and have been listening to us for years since our first album, The Ides. To be honest, that’s what’s kept us going. And we had our little moments of growth. This is probably the biggest growth we’ve seen in a short period of time from an Internet perspective. But really, ultimately, what we want to do is – the internet is great, and that’s great, but the reality is that our regular fans keep coming to our shows and supporting us, and when we put out a record because it’s so expensive to make, they buy it, and they come to our shows.
Q: You’ve said that “Bless My Bones” sounds very Me Like Bees-like. What is the typical Me Like Bees sound? When you’re writing a song, what are the elements that really appeal to you and make it your song?
A: I don’t know the answer to that. I think it’s like, if you listen, you’ll understand. And you know what you’re not. It’s like we learn through experience and trial and error what is similar to us and what feels too far away. it’s not. So we’re pretty eclectic. But I think we’ve always liked writing songs that have a punchy, driving feel to them while also talking about real things. So, in a very broad sense, it’s probably something like that.
Yeah, I mean, I think there’s some changes in things that we used to do more in the early days of the band. Things are coming out of the left side and at first glance they don’t seem to fit, but we’re trying to shoehorn them into a fit and make it into a song. For me, it’s like — I think Luke was in the bag when he was writing this. For example, there is a lot of wordplay: “Omen, totem of omens, on which is carved the day of Delirium and Gloria.” That’s actually what he actually sings on that song. And people like the song. Isn’t that insane just thinking about it? I don’t even know what I just said. I mean, I think it’s all very intentional that he’s in the bag, in that it’s poetic but no nonsense. I think that’s very typical of Me Like Bees. Despite their seemingly superficial meaning, nearly every song on Me Like Bees actually has a foundation of ideas that embody this seemingly simple thing. I think that’s certainly in the DNA of Me Like Bees.
As a new member, when you think of beads, you think of layers. It has to have a great melody, both lyrically and musically. And there’s always something underlying it. However, I think the great thing about this work is that it’s not a front-on approach. And I would argue that it reaches everyone.
Q: You live and work from Joplin. What’s it like living in a place like Joplin? How does that affect your music, what you write, how you produce music, and how you interact with the industry? I’m sure there are drawbacks, but there’s also probably some really fertile ground out there. What about musically?
A: From a location standpoint, it’s a great tour. It’s a central location, so to speak, where you can go north, east, or west. So it’s a big blessing for us. And it doesn’t cost much to live there, so it’s very helpful to us.
I think being in a band requires a lot of time. And living in a city inherently means you have less time. It takes time to go anywhere. I have to work more to buy it. Therefore, what living in a small place gives you is your most precious resource: time. I think that’s an advantage. So, for all its drawbacks, if you move to, say, Nashville, you’re a whisper in a city of screams. In my opinion, it’s not as easy to stand out if you live in Nashville versus Joplin.
The biggest drawback is that you have to use the internet, which I don’t necessarily like. But you can’t just rub elbows with a booking agent you met on the internet. We didn’t rub elbows with him at the coffee shop, but that’s not happening. So we had to look for his elbow and say, “Please.” Cameron is great and tried to rub elbows with us on the internet, which is great. But I think that’s another drawback. It’s hard to convey your personality and the strength of your band on the internet. That’s the great thing about the Internet. You can meet anyone you want to meet if you are intentional about meeting them.
Q: Creatively, is there anything about Joplin and being in this area, the people you interact with on a daily basis, that influences the music you make?
A: My personal answer is probably no.
I don’t agree with that. I think in this field, especially when we first started out, there were a lot of Joplin bands that we looked up to and played with. Also, guys like Randall Shreve and Benjamin Del Shreve here, they used to come to Joplin all the time. It was a huge source of inspiration for us. Because they were, and still are, important in Joplin. So I think seeing people on stage doing what they love is a constant source of inspiration to try it out, at least for me. It gives you motivation: OK, yeah, you’re going to need some songs to go out and play. Then all kinds of bands from the area that we grew up playing with. It’s more of a relationship issue. And their music inspires us too.
Q: You have a new single “Misery Machine” out. Can you tell us a little bit about that and where you’re going sonically?
A: What this song means to me is that it’s about someone who looks at their external circumstances and blames other people for their actions and even the things they do to others. To me, it’s about blaming something outside that maybe you can take some responsibility for. Most of it was written by Pete, so it’s better for him to do the talking. Sonically, we’re just trying to write the best songs we can. Part of the reason for releasing singles rather than albums is that it’s easier from a financial standpoint and a time standpoint. Once I like the sound and the way it’s coming out, I try to push it as far as I can with what I feel is needed. But I don’t know if there’s actually a sense of “something needs to happen this way sonically.” We’re all good at making adjustments and being able to say, “I think this is the best fit for this song.” This has a 90’s feel to it. It’s very Pixies inspired. It’s a spoon. It’s a lot of things. I want it to sound a little bit like those if I can, and that was kind of the motivation behind it.
Q: How has the reputation been so far?
A: The customer service was very good. Anyone who hears it thinks it’s great. The music video has been released, so please take a look. We worked with an amazing team to make it happen. It’s part of the whole ethos of building your own world and working hard, and people will find value in that. It was good.
Q: Where can people find you? What happens next?
A: You can find us wherever you listen to music, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Find tour dates in your city. Please come and see us. Please come and see us live.
It was a conversation with Daniel Carruth of Joplin-based indie rock bands Me Like Bees and Ozarks at Large. The interview is KUAF live session series.
The Ozark at Large transcript was created under tight deadlines and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please contact us at kuafinfo@uark.edu To report a problem. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
