How I Won The War began at the dawn of the new millennium when McKee would hole up in his bedroom and bang out two songs a week on a 12 string guitar (with only 6 strings, no less) or on a borrowed keyboard (with missing keys, no less). Sharing all songwriting, singing, playing, lyric, and producing duties, McKee/ White quietly assembled an arsenal of tunes in White's home studio where McKee lived for over a year. All they needed to do was to find an army that could help them unleash it. And that happened in summer '05. Michael Mez Dilauro has been playing bass in bands for over a decade now, including the now-defunct Beautiful 2000. It's his even keel and creative playing that holds down the low end and perfectly bisects McKee and White.s right and left brains. He met McKee through mutual friends who had tipped him onto a new musical act. Described as falling somewhere between The Beatles of Rubber Soul, Bends-era Radiohead, and Coldplay at their most soaring. That he needed to hear. Now only needing someone on the skins to bash out the beats, enter from stage gauche Patrice.