American Motel is a band 20 years in the making. Seth Peagler and Sam Wu met as seven year olds on a school field trip. They both began playing music at young ages, Sam starting with piano and trombone, Seth playing the french horn. At the age of fifteen they both took up the guitar and spent several years learning the instrument. At twenty one they joined the informal Concord Collective, formed by old friend Shawn Fullington. It was a varied group of instrumentalists meeting regularly to jam and collaborate. From out of that experience came a band called the Promethean Tones with brothers Arsenio and Gustavo Gonzales. The band played several styles including rock, afro-cuban, latin and fusion but ultimately only lasted for a few years. Several years passed without any collaborations between Seth and Sam, though each progressed as instrumentalists and songwriters. In 2005 the two reunited for several shows as a duo, playing mostly original instrumentals along with a few covers. The majority of 2006 was spent writing and recording new material for solo work, with both often guesting on each other's songs. The year also brought the first collaborative songwriting efforts between the two. At some point it was decided that a formal name was necessary, and the two chose it from the title of one of their original songs. A key ingredient in the duo is the desire to tell stories, and that occurs in the balance between the melodic instrumentals of Sam and the lyric-driven songs of Seth. Stylistically, the two dip into several different genres but retain a sense of originality in the process. The debut EP "New Grist for the Old Mill" is available now. This album offers a little bit of range, incorporating subtle elements of rock, blues, folk, jazz, funk and world music. In early 2008 the duo became a trio with the addition of Travis Kale on drums and percussion. Work on a full length record is underway, with the songs less mellow than any on the "Grist" EP. If fortune smiles upon us, the new record should be completed by spring of 2008. A few small live shows have happened since late '07, but will hopefully be a more frequent occurrence throughout '08.