Back in 2010, Jessica and Jeff were just two people torturing audiences at open mic nights for kicks—a little side project from Jeff's rock band Deleveled. Deleveled also inflicted themselves on unsuspecting crowds, usually as a duo featuring Jeff and Matt Biddle on bass. Jeff had been deep in a She & Him and Alison Krauss phase (plus some Robert Plant because why not), so naturally he wanted to try the whole guy-girl duo thing.

 

Jessica had recently moved to town with an actual music degree, which instantly made Jeff sound way classier than he had any right to. Jeff and Jessica were starting to gain some actual momentum—still playing for beer money and applause—when Hoss, the bartender at Columbia's legendary dive Kelly's (RIP to a real one), decided he wanted to book them for an actual paying gig. There was just one problem: they had no name and were completely stumped.

 

Hoss, who'd seen Deleveled play plenty of times, took one look at the situation and delivered the perfect solution: "She's Prettier Than Matt." Because really, when you think about Jeff's acoustic lineup options—Jeff and Matt versus Jeff and Jessica—the observation was pretty hard to argue with.

 

The name stuck because it was ridiculous and true, and Matt's been a good sport about it ever since. No shots fired, just an honest assessment from a wise bartender. Plus, in Jeff's mind, it keeps Matt in the band forever—before Jessica came along, Matt was his longest-running musical partner. It's all love, just with a healthy dose of Hoss's unfiltered honesty.