Bringing together five different personalities and five different musical backgrounds, it's the Everymen! (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Eve•ry•man or eve•ry•man (ěv’rē-man’)
n. An ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances.

It’s not too often that one stumbles upon great new music and until Halloween, I thought the days of discovering great new local acts were far behind us. But on that Saturday night, me and the rest of Moonfest 2009 were introduced to an underwear-clad (it was Halloween after all) Delray Beach-based quintet called Everymen.

After loving every minute of their all too short set at Respectable Street, I decided I needed to learn more about the group that had just stunned me.

We met up with the Everymen men at the sight of their latest show at the Firefly house in Miami. And upon meeting Serg (vocals, banjo, and harmonica), Tristan (guitar and vocals), Tim (bass and vocals), Cowboy (guitar), and Jordan (percussion), the only thought running through my mind was, “This is the most mismatched group of musicians I have ever met.”

There is the tattooed bad boy, the ordained minister, the serious one, the joker, and the shy one. But no matter how different each member is, the passion to create good music is the magnet that draws them to one another.

Everymen play the Firefly house in Miami. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Band members Serg and Tristan have been playing together for nearly eight months, and only in the last four have Jordan, Tim, and Cowboy been added. Even though it’s hard to believe that a group of musicians that have been together for such a short period of time has meshed in a way that is usually only apparent in acts that have been together for many years, Tristan quickly says that “we’ve only recently gotten to a point where we are all really comfortable with each other.”

Well that’s hard to believe. The fact that these guys have only been a unit for a short time should be a clear indication of their talent. And talent is something they are certainly not lacking.

Everymen’s music does not fit into any one specific genre, and each member has his own musical influences that play into their own individual styles. As Jordan put it, “It’s amazing that a band with such different likes in music can work so well. Me, I am old school punk. And Tim, he loves Tom Waits.”

“Yeah, Tim only smokes Winstons because Tom Waits sings about them in one of his songs” Tristan chimes in.

Kate Dingle is a writer for Rhythm Scene.

So instead, Tristan came up with his own genre, “Gypsybluesfolkrockfunkabilly”. And even though that is a near perfect description of their style, they are not afraid to throw in some punk, doo wop, and jazz. Musical risk taking is obviously something that is standard operating procedure for Everymen, and it definitely pays off.

Just like their personalities, Everymen’s music is diverse. They take some not so common combinations of music, and manipulate them to become tunes that will be stuck in your head for days. The desire to “just play music whether we get paid or not” is clear with each chord played, and can be felt in those who watch them perform. When watching the fivesome on stage, their passion and raw talent are on display for everyone to see. And while you’re watching, they are robbing you of all you ever knew music to be and replacing it their own hybrid brand that you’ll never be able to be without again.

You can catch Everymen at these upcoming shows:
11.13.09 @ Radioactive Records, Fort Lauderdale 7pm
11.14.09 @ Hell Bound City Tattoos, Miami 8pm
11.20.09 @ Phunky Buddah, Boca Raton 8pm
11.27.09 @ Churchills, Miami 8pm

Learn more about them @ http://www.myspace.com/everymensounds