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by erin thursby
scopes1925@msn.com
WHAT:
Everybody Else
WHEN:
June 5th @ 8 pm
WHERE:
Jack Rabbits
I’ve fallen in love with a band again, and that band is Everybody Else. In a sea of “original” screamo-esque bands that work hard to kill catchy hooks and every scrap of melody, it’s refreshing to find something different on the horizon. It’s not that I don’t like screamo; sometimes I do, but in their quest to be completely different, they generally end up sounding the same.
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At some point, pop became a dirty word, and I don’t think it should be. But the pendulum is swinging back, and even the bands with an indie/hardcore/emo tinge are beginning to inject melody and tunes reminiscent of pop oldies. That’s why I think genres like rock-a-billy and throwback bands like the Rewinds and Everybody Else are gaining ground in the music world. Melody never left the bleeding-edge scene, but it’s been shunted to the side so many times that those in the independent scene, who crave the different and new, are now finding catchy melodies are new again.
That’s the same sentiment the trio of Everybody Else (Carrick Moore Garety, Mikey McCormack and Austin Williams) expressed when I spoke to them for an EU interview.
“There’s this idea…among the elite community that you can’t sound too ‘good’ it all has to sound to thrown together…There’s this feeling among the hipster-elite that no-one can relate to the music and therefore it’s great because only a select few can understand it…We hope to reach a lot more people than that…There used to be a time when pop music was what everyone listened to…The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, the Pretenders, I mean even Blondie, the Talking Heads. These are bands that were considered punk in their time, but really, they were pop music.” said Mikey McCormack.
Carrick, who started the band, wrote most of the lyrics for their current record, but, he says, “It’s starting to be more collaborative as we grow as a band and play live together.” He and Mikey got together because they knew each other when they were in two different bands touring the same venues. The big push for the two joining musical forces came from a mutual friend (named Taylor) who played matchmaker and was insistent about them playing together. “We gotta give him props for that,” Carrick said.
The latest member to join the band, Austin Williams, who harmonizes with the other two members and plays the bass guitar, was the server for Carrick at a restaurant and as Carrick was walking out the door, Austin stopped him because he recognized Carrick from Everybody Else.
“He was very rude, certainly, you could tell he wanted to be on stage playing music.” Carrick added a mite gleefully.
“The rest was history, as they say.” finished Mikey
Songs like ‘Meat Market’ on Everybody Else’s self-titled CD will remind you of the Beatle’s pop-rock flavor during their early days. And, like the Beatles, these boys are a little counter-culture and political
“A lot of bands don’t realize how much power they have. People are afraid of voicing their political views…because they’re afraid of alienating the kids, but the truth is…they’re probably going to care more about what a band thinks than what their parents think, or at least as much,” said Carrick.
To that end, on the liner notes the band lists a number of organizations (some of which will receive proceeds from the CD sales) whose causes they support, such as the Freedom from Religion Foundation (ffrf.org) and the League of American Bicyclists (bikeleague.org) to name a few.
And the band endeavors to live what they believe. While they were recording their album, instead of wasting fuel and taking a car to the studio, the whole band biked there, every day.
At the Sandlot Recording Studios they recorded a crisp, clear sound. While I love multi-layered tracks, there is something to be said about being able to hear each instrument.
“We really tried to stay as far away as we could from editing and over-dubs. We really tried to keep the spirit of the track alive by not cutting them up,” said Mikey.
“That way,” Carrick chimed in, “you can really hear the character of the various instruments.”
You catch the clean, rock-pop, but somehow indie sound of Everybody Else at Jack Rabbits on June 5th at 8 pm.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
