The Mae Shi is an American art punk and experimental pop band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002.

[9] The band was formed by Tim Byron and Ezra Buchla, who had known each other for years, having spent time growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Claremont together—Jeff Byron and Buchla were classmates at Claremont High School and close friends.

Soon after, they released their first EP, To Hit Armor Class Zero, on the label Byron runs, Join Or Die.

In Olympia, WA, they met Kill Rock Stars/5RC founder Slim Moon, with whom they kept in touch after the show.

[10] Through the fall of 2003 and winter of 2004, they worked on their debut LP, recording songs in their living rooms and bedrooms using borrowed gear.

They sent a CD-R of the record to Moon in April 2004, and one week later in an Instant Messenger conversation, he offered to release it on Kill Rock Stars' sister label 5 Rue Christine.

Corey Fogel, who joined the band in the middle of their European tour as a mid-tour replacement for Breeck when he suffered a family emergency, joined the band full-time as drummer, with Breeck switching to guitar, keyboards and drums.

On December 2, 2007 the band debuted Bill Gray and Marcus Savino in their live line up to replace bassist Tim Byron and drummer Brad Breeck, who continued on with the Mae Shi, but stopped touring with them.

[19][20][21] In 2009, Jeff Byron started a band with rapper Busdriver called Physical Forms.

[22] Breeck and formed a band called Skull Tape; its 2011 album The Invisible Hand and the Descent of Man, features Jon Gray on synths.