Everybody Else

by Mark Deming

A California three-piece that has taken the sound of classic power pop and coaxed it into the 21st century, Everybody Else feature Carrick Moore Gerety on guitar and lead vocals, Austin James Williams III on bass and vocals, and Mikey McCormack on drums, vocals, and sometimes keyboards. Named for the classic Kinks song "I'm Not Like Everybody Else," the group traces its beginnings to the meeting of Gerety and McCormack after each had moved to Los Angeles. Gerety had come to California from Massachusetts with his band, the Push Kings, while McCormack's group, the Waking Hours, had decided to give the West Coast a try after establishing themselves in Virginia. Their two bands didn't fare well in Los Angeles, but Gerety and McCormack quickly struck up a friendship and working relationship, and decided to put together a power trio. After playing with a handful of bassists who didn't fit the bill, Gerety and McCormack met Williams when he pulled up stakes from Fresno, CA, and found new digs in the Silverlake district. With a sympathetic bass player at last, Everybody Else began playing out along the West Coast in 2003, and had soon won a loyal fan following in California. After selling out a self-released single and subsequent EP, Everybody Else signed with the independent label The Militia Group, and went into the studio with producer Rick Parker to record their self-titled debut album. Everybody Else was released in the spring of 2007.