Andre and the Giants are a three piece blues-rock group hailing from all corners of Missouri, but formed in Columbia, MO . Andre and the Giants consists of singer and bassist Rob Bratney , guitarist Nick Friedman , and drummer Andrew Fialka . Andre and the Giants have roots in traditional blues, funk and rock stylings - though they got their start backing up a local hip-hop artist named Steddy P. The band cites among their influences: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Against Me!, Jimi Hendrix. Though it has been said that they sound like a mixture of The Black Keys, Cold War Kids and Tom Waits. Bratney and Fialka started playing together in high school and have played music on and off with each other, while Friedman joined early in 2009 after having met Bratney at school. While originally backing Steddy P., the band decided to venture out on their own. They added a rap front-man named Andre who left the group after a very brief time, though his namesake remains. They released their That's the Jam EP in early 2010 and the band continues to write and record a full-length record that will be released in the Fall.