The album was produced in Halperin's studio apartment on South Street, Meet Yr Acres began as a series of self-engineered home recordings.
[2] With most vocals, guitars, and percussion captured on a digital 4-track, Halperin connected with producer Thom Monahan who transferred the project to a 1/2-inch analog tape 8-track machine at a home studio in Northampton, Massachusetts north of Springfield.
Originally distributed on cd-r under the "Shai, Son of Eli" moniker, Meet Yr Acres found a proper home with Full Frame Records of San Francisco and was officially released under the band name "The Capitol Years".
It received positive marks from numerous press outlets including CMJ in addition to Magnet magazine where it landed on the "Top 10 Hidden Treasures" list for 2001.
After recording Meet Yr Acres, Halperin recruited Dave Wayne Daniels on bass, Kyle Lloyd on drums, and after a year performing as a three piece, Jeff Van Newkirk, on guitar and vocal harmonies.
The song soon became a staple of the band's live set and appeared in an online video featuring Yuri who is Shai, Son of Eli's cat.
Growing interest in the UK led to the release of a second single, "You Can Stay There", a tour of the country, and a performance at the Glastonbury Festival near Pilton, Somerset in June 2009.