Box Elders, a self-described "Cave Pop" band, began initially in 2005 as a goof-off project of sixteen-year-old Clayton and his fourteen-year-older brother Jeremiah McIntyre. The brothers' mother originally sang in the band, but soon quit. Eventually they started to play shows around Omaha, Nebraska. After seeing a free show, Dave Goldberg was enlisted to join and simultaneously play organs and drums.