When the band People Like You was first starting out two years ago, one of their first live shows was at a restaurant in Hampton. They’d only officially been a band for a few months, vocalist and guitarist Andrew Polakow recalls — “We weren’t that good, but we weren’t that bad, either,” he says.
The gig got off to an ominous start, though. As they were bringing their equipment inside, the restaurant’s host told Polakow, “Just so you know, the owner hates bands.”
But, they went with it, and 30 minutes into their set, the crowd seemed into the music. And that’s when the owner appeared in the crowd and started giving the universal sign for the band to kill the music.
“We just ignored him,” says Eli Elkus, who also handles vocals and guitar for the band. “So then he started screaming at us: ‘You call this music!?’”
And then he literally pulled the plug on the band. And kicked them out. As first shows go, it wasn’t one of the best.
“It took a while for people to get into our sound, and for us to get into our sound,” says Justin Sheriff, the band’s keyboardist.
In the two years since, People Like You has built up a loyal following on the Seacoast. You’ve probably seen their signature purple bus around downtown Portsmouth, or seen them at venues throughout the region. They’ve also become regular players at Barnstormers, a traveling festival next appearing at The Stone Church in Newmarket on Saturday, Jan. 23. People Like You will be joined by Rick Rude, Amulus, The Landladys, and a host of others.
People Like You’s sound is eclectic. The description of their music depends on who you ask. During an interview with three of the band’s members at Portsmouth Book and Bar, Polakow described the band as “rooted in a lot of folk music.” They play only a few covers during their sets, usually their take on Woody Guthrie and Loudon Wainwright tunes. Elkus says they’re a “folk band with a prog-rock rhythm section.”
Whatever you call it, it’s a unique sound, fun and freewheeling and a little messy. Elkus and Polakow write many of the band’s songs, but both say making music is a collaborative process for People Like You. Sheriff has a small studio at home and acts as the band’s producer, while Rob Littlefield plays bass, Elkus’ brother Max plays drums, and Graham Duval plays percussion.
“It’s layered music,” Elkus says. “People might get caught up in the chaotic nonsense, but there’s always something underneath that’s very real.”
People Like You has had its share of successes in the last two years. They won the New England Music Awards’ “Last Band Standing NH” battle of the bands contest last November and were recently nominated for NEMA’s “best live act” award for 2016.
The band released its first album, “The Yellow Ones,” last spring. They’re “deeply in the trenches” of the second album, Sheriff says. “What we love most is playing live — it’s what we’ve always just loved doing.”
And that includes what Sheriff calls “character building” shows the band has played, like the business expo where they had to keep turning down the volume until finally someone told them to stop playing. But, they keep in good humor about it. “It’s always fun, no matter what it is,” Elkus says.
Mostly, they’re happy to be playing music in the Seacoast. Those early gigs are fond memories, and People Like You frequently play venues like The Press Room and the Blue Mermaid. “I’m really grateful for this town and its music venues,” Polakow says.
What’s next for People Like You? “World domination,” Polakow says, laughing. After he says this, Elkus doesn’t miss a beat.
“And since People Like You will be dominating the world, and we’re already people like you, that means we’ve already accomplished world domination,” he says. “At least through our name.”
People Like You perform at Barnstormers Music & Art Festival, Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Visit stonechurchrocks.com.