diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 8526b35f2..f5a1d3c16 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ gem 'gon' # for passthrough of Ruby variables to Javascript variables
 gem 'eventmachine'
 gem 'amqp'
 gem 'logging-rails', :require => 'logging/rails'
+gem 'tire'
 
 group :development, :test do
   gem 'rspec-rails', '2.11.0'
diff --git a/app/controllers/api_genres_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api_genres_controller.rb
index 74de97234..4c56f33f0 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api_genres_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api_genres_controller.rb
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
-class ApiGenresController < ApplicationController
+class ApiGenresController < ApiController
 
   # have to be signed in currently to see this screen
   before_filter :signed_in_user
 
-  #respond_to :json, :xml
-  respond_to :html
+  respond_to :json
 
   def index
     @genres = Genre.find(:all)
diff --git a/app/controllers/api_instruments_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api_instruments_controller.rb
index a9d860063..3b644956e 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api_instruments_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api_instruments_controller.rb
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
-class ApiInstrumentsController < ApplicationController
+class ApiInstrumentsController < ApiController
 
   # have to be signed in currently to see this screen
   before_filter :signed_in_user
 
-  #respond_to :json, :xml
-  respond_to :html
+  respond_to :json
 
   def index
     @instruments = Instrument.where('instruments.popularity > 0').order('instruments.popularity DESC, instruments.description ASC')
diff --git a/app/controllers/api_music_sessions_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api_music_sessions_controller.rb
index 00988d5d8..0cb5c6e3c 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api_music_sessions_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api_music_sessions_controller.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ class ApiMusicSessionsController < ApiController
   def initialize
     @mq_router = MQRouter.new
     @message_factory = MessageFactory.new
-
   end
 
   def index
@@ -88,7 +87,7 @@ class ApiMusicSessionsController < ApiController
       raise ActiveRecord::RecordNotound
     end
 
-    @music_session.delete
+    @music_session.destroy # required to make 'tire' integration work
 
     respond_with @music_session, responder: ApiResponder
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/api_search_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api_search_controller.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e22dfdbaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/controllers/api_search_controller.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+class ApiSearchController < ApiController
+
+  # have to be signed in currently to see this screen
+  before_filter :signed_in_user
+
+  respond_to :json
+
+  def index
+    @search = Search.search(params[:query])
+  end
+
+end
diff --git a/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
index 110091cf6..09db4e923 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class ApiUsersController < ApplicationController
 
   def delete
     @user = User.find(params[:id])
-    @user.delete
+    @user.destroy # required to make 'tire' integration work
     respond_with @user, responder: ApiResponder
   end
 
diff --git a/app/views/api_search/index.rabl b/app/views/api_search/index.rabl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..05a954b28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/api_search/index.rabl
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+object @search
+
+child(:bands => :bands) {
+    attributes :id, :name, :location, :photo_url, :logo_url
+}
+
+child(:musicians => :musicians) {
+    attributes :id, :name, :location, :photo_url
+}
+
+child(:fans => :fans) {
+    attributes :id, :name, :location, :photo_url
+}
+
+child(:recordings => :recordings) {
+    attributes :id, :name
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/application.rb b/config/application.rb
index 0a34552b6..49fc0de3e 100644
--- a/config/application.rb
+++ b/config/application.rb
@@ -71,7 +71,15 @@ module SampleApp
     # Add the assets/fonts directory to assets.paths
     config.assets.paths << "#{Rails.root}/app/assets/fonts"
 
+    # where is rabbitmq?
     config.rabbitmq_host = "localhost"
     config.rabbitmq_port = 5672
+
+    # where is elasticsearch?
+    config.elasticsearch_uri = "http://localhost:9200"
+    # or 'verify' or 'none'.  'autorepair will automatically rebuild the elasticsearch index on startup of rails,
+    # if an inconsistency is detected'
+    config.elasticsearch_verify_mode = "autorepair" 
+
   end
 end
diff --git a/config/initializers/tire.rb b/config/initializers/tire.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7bc8c9ef5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/initializers/tire.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+Tire.configure do
+  logger Rails.root + "log/tire_#{Rails.env}.log"
+  url Rails.application.config.elasticsearch_uri
+end
+
+User.create_search_index unless User.search_index.exists?
+Band.create_search_index unless Band.search_index.exists?
+
+# Verify elasticsearch integrity
+if Rails.application.config.elasticsearch_verify_mode == "autorepair"
+  unless TireTasks.verify
+    TireTasks.rebuild_indexes
+  end     
+elsif Rails.application.config.elasticsearch_verify_mode == "verify"
+    TireTasks.verify
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index dcf5c0eab..157c58185 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -85,5 +85,8 @@ SampleApp::Application.routes.draw do
     # invitations
     match '/instruments/:id' => 'api_instruments#show', :via => :get, :as => 'api_instrument_detail'
     match '/instruments' => 'api_instruments#index', :via => :get
+
+    # search
+    match '/search' => 'api_search#index', :via => :get
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/requests/music_session_pages_spec.rb b/spec/requests/music_session_pages_spec.rb
index f2afb17b4..cf1aa0c9f 100644
--- a/spec/requests/music_session_pages_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/music_session_pages_spec.rb
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ describe "Music Session API ", :type => :api do
 
       client = FactoryGirl.create(:connection, :user => user, :ip_address => "1.1.1.1")
       post '/api/sessions.json', { :description => "a session", :client_id => client.client_id, :genres => ["classical"], :musician_access => true, :tracks => [{"instrument_id" => "electric guitar", "sound" => "mom"}]}.to_json, "CONTENT_TYPE" => 'application/json'
+
       last_response.status.should eql(422)
       JSON.parse(last_response.body)["errors"]["connection_tracks"][0].should == "is invalid"
 
diff --git a/spec/requests/search_api_spec.rb b/spec/requests/search_api_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8ad5cc24c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/requests/search_api_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe "Search API ", :type => :api do
+
+  include Rack::Test::Methods
+
+
+  describe "profile page" do
+    let(:user) { FactoryGirl.create(:user) }
+
+
+    before(:each) do
+      Band.delete_search_index
+      Band.create_search_index
+      User.delete_search_index
+      User.create_search_index
+
+      post '/sessions', "session[email]" => user.email, "session[password]" => user.password
+      rack_mock_session.cookie_jar["remember_token"].should == user.remember_token
+    end
+
+    it "empty search" do
+      get '/api/search.json'
+      last_response.status.should == 200
+      JSON.parse(last_response.body).should eql(JSON.parse('{"fans" : [], "musicians" : [], "bands": [], "recordings" : []}'))
+    end
+
+    it "simple search" do
+      User.delete_search_index # so that the user created before the test and logged in doesn't show up
+      User.create_search_index
+      @musician = User.save(name: "Peach", email: "user@example.com",
+                                password: "foobar", password_confirmation: "foobar", musician: true)
+      @fan = User.save(name: "Peach Peach", email: "fan@example.com",
+                              password: "foobar", password_confirmation: "foobar", musician: false)
+      @band = Band.save(name: "Peach pit", website: "www.bands.com", biography: "zomg we rock")
+      @band2 = Band.save(name: "Peach", website: "www.bands2.com", biography: "zomg we rock")
+      User.search_index.refresh
+      Band.search_index.refresh
+
+
+      get '/api/search.json?query=peach'
+      last_response.status.should == 200
+      response = JSON.parse(last_response.body)
+
+      response["musicians"].length.should == 1
+      musician = response["musicians"][0]
+      musician["id"].should == @musician.id
+
+      response["fans"].length.should == 1
+      fan = response["fans"][0]
+      fan["id"].should == @fan.id
+
+      response["bands"].length.should == 2
+      band = response["bands"][0]
+      band["id"].should == @band2.id
+      band = response["bands"][1]
+      band["id"].should == @band.id
+
+      response["recordings"].length.should == 0
+      band = response["recordings"][0]
+    end
+  end
+end