diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby.rb b/lib/jam_ruby.rb
index 044c639ea..94d641d67 100644
--- a/lib/jam_ruby.rb
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby.rb
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ require "jam_ruby/version"
 require "jam_ruby/message_factory"
 require "jam_ruby/models/music_session_client"
 require "jam_ruby/models/user"
+require "jam_ruby/models/musician"
+require "jam_ruby/models/band"
+require "jam_ruby/models/connection"
+require "jam_ruby/models/friendship"
 require "jam_ruby/models/music_session"
 
 include Jampb
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/message_factory.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/message_factory.rb
index a6e1d8468..11ac5ff0b 100644
--- a/lib/jam_ruby/message_factory.rb
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/message_factory.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-module JamRuby
+  module JamRuby
   # creates messages (implementation: protocol buffer) objects cleanly
   class MessageFactory
 
@@ -115,6 +115,12 @@ module JamRuby
       return Jampb::ClientMessage.new(:type => ClientMessage::Type::HEARTBEAT, :route_to => SERVER_TARGET, :heartbeat => heartbeat)
     end
 
+    # create a friend update message
+    def friend_update(user_id, online)
+      friend = Jampb::FriendUpdate.new(:user_id => user_id, :online => online)
+      return Jampb::ClientMessage.new(:type => ClientMessage::Type::FRIEND_UPDATE, :target => CLIENT_TARGET, :friend_update => friend)  
+    end
+
     # is this message directed to the server?
     def server_directed? msg
        return msg.route_to == MessageFactory::SERVER_TARGET
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/models/band.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/models/band.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a26f47b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/models/band.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module JamRuby
+  class Band < ActiveRecord::Base
+
+  	self.primary_key = 'id'
+
+    has_and_belongs_to_many :musicians
+
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/models/connection.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/models/connection.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7d6f4382c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/models/connection.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+module JamRuby
+  class Connection < ActiveRecord::Base
+
+    self.primary_key = 'id'
+    belongs_to :user, :class_name => "JamRuby::User"
+
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/models/friendship.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/models/friendship.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..021014ca4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/models/friendship.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+module JamRuby
+	class Friendship < ActiveRecord::Base
+
+	    self.primary_key = 'id'
+
+	    belongs_to :user
+	    belongs_to :friend, :class_name => "JamRuby::User"
+
+	end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/models/musician.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/models/musician.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1cc55a29d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/models/musician.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module JamRuby
+  class Musician < JamRuby::User
+
+    self.primary_key = 'id'
+
+    has_and_belongs_to_many :bands
+
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/jam_ruby/models/user.rb b/lib/jam_ruby/models/user.rb
index f9a0bf67c..b9eca6713 100644
--- a/lib/jam_ruby/models/user.rb
+++ b/lib/jam_ruby/models/user.rb
@@ -2,11 +2,21 @@ module JamRuby
   class User < ActiveRecord::Base
 
     attr_accessible :name, :email, :password, :password_confirmation
-		attr_accessor :updating_password
+    attr_accessor :updating_password
 
-		self.primary_key = 'id'
+    self.primary_key = 'id'
+        
+    # re-visit later (used for multiple table inheritance w/ Musician model)
+    # belongs_to :biz, :polymorphic => true
     
-		has_many :music_session_clients, :class_name => "JamRuby::MusicSessionClient"
+    has_many :connections, :class_name => "JamRuby::Connection"
+
+    has_many :friendships
+    has_many :friends, :through => :friendships
+    has_many :inverse_friendships, :class_name => "JamRuby::Friendship", :foreign_key => "friend_id"
+    has_many :inverse_friends, :through => :inverse_friendships, :source => :user
+    
+    has_many :music_session_clients, :class_name => "JamRuby::MusicSessionClient"
     has_many :created_music_sessions, :foreign_key => "user_id", :inverse_of => :user, :class_name => "JamRuby::MusicSession" # sessions *created* by the user
     has_many :music_sessions, :through => :music_session_clients, :class_name => "JamRuby::MusicSession"
     
@@ -21,23 +31,27 @@ module JamRuby
               uniqueness: {case_sensitive: false}
     validates_length_of :password, minimum: 6, maximum: 100, :if => :should_validate_password?
 
-		validates_presence_of :password_confirmation, :if => :should_validate_password?
+    validates_presence_of :password_confirmation, :if => :should_validate_password?
     #validates :password_confirmation, presence: true
-		validates_confirmation_of :password, :if => :should_validate_password?
+    validates_confirmation_of :password, :if => :should_validate_password?
 
-		def should_validate_password?
-			updating_password || new_record?
-		end
-
-		def to_s
-			return email unless email.nil?
-			return name unless name.nil?
-			return id
-		end
-
-		private
-    def create_remember_token
-      self.remember_token = SecureRandom.urlsafe_base64
+    def should_validate_password?
+      updating_password || new_record?
     end
+
+    def friends?(user)
+      return self.friends.exists?(user)
+    end
+
+    def to_s
+      return email unless email.nil?
+      return name unless name.nil?
+      return id
+    end
+
+    private
+      def create_remember_token
+        self.remember_token = SecureRandom.urlsafe_base64
+      end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/jam_ruby/models/connection_spec.rb b/spec/jam_ruby/models/connection_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b66ffc16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/jam_ruby/models/connection_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Connection do
+
+end
\ No newline at end of file