Nearly six years later, we finally get to hear the golden-throated strumming songwriter's first official release with Everybody Else, a band he's been tinkering with for years. Preserving the sparkling Davies-meets-Tilbrook harmonies of the Push Kings, Moore Gerety and his new accomplices -- Austin Williams on bass and Mikey McCormack on drums -- mop the sticky garage floor with their pop, leaving it a tad tangier and grittier. It's great stuff, but what the hell took so long?
Carrick Moore Gerety: In L.A., all the good musicians are already in good bands, and the rest are horrendous musicians, have horrendous taste or are just horrendous in some other way. Trying to find a good musician in L.A. is like trying to find good information on the Internet.
But now you have a lineup you're happy with?
This lineup kicks ass in terms of musicianship, personality, and the fact that we all look similar and are all good singers. I've never been in a band where everybody can sing.
What keeps you making pop music?
I'm a populist -- I don't like anything to be elite. Anything I like, I want to be consumable by the masses. I want to make something that's artistically satisfying but can also be appreciated as just something that's catchy. Of course, if you're a music nerd, you'll like it even more. I studied painting at Harvard, and there are a lot of analogies between music and visual arts. There are certain art movements, like minimalism, where if you don't understand the concept and theory, you cannot appreciate the art. I always like stuff that I could get into just glancing at it. It's a bonus if it has some conceptual stuff behind it and tickles my brain. I think about music in the same vein. You can listen to it once and you'll like the song, but after ten listens, you'll discover more.
You're an East Coast kid at heart. How do you survive in L.A.?
It's a weird city, because most people know the stereotypes of the Strip or Beverly Hills, but if you come to Silver Lake, it's more like Portland, Oregon. It's easier to improvise here. Everyone I know in New York has day jobs, but everyone I know in L.A. doesn't. People are able to be complete slackers and follow whatever dreams they have. I've been able to live solely off my music for the past two years. Also, it's sunny.
