Rarely at TeaParty Boston do we have the opportunity to document a band’s formation and its subsequent first shows, but that’s exactly the case with The Future Everybody.  After watching them deliver a set drippin’ with pop sugar and nerd rock sweat Upstairs at the Middle East back in August, one thing became very clear: This Boston band is excited to just hit the stage, crank the volume and get people moving.  Made up of the likes of musicians who’ve earned their keep as local indie rock mainstays, this project, initially headed up by former Scamper members Nate Rogers and Mike Mirabella, is a group of people who look forward to experimenting with music that wouldn’t necessarily work for the bands they’ve previously been in or the other acts they’re currently affiliated with.

A month or so passed before we were able to catch up with Nate, Matt, Mike, Morgan and the lovely Veronica before their set at Boston Band Crush’s Rock Lecture Series, What’s Your Major? They were dressed to the nines for the evening as the event had a collegiate feel to it, so it was an added bonus that Nate was rocking a nutty professor-type ensemble, Matt had a tartan plaid vest that you’d probably see on a pimply, trombone-wielding seventh grader in jazz band, and Veronica was rocking the Catholic school girl wardrobe like nobody’s business. It was an especially festive evening, as it was also Morgan’s birthday, and we put forth our onslaught of Boston music/breakfast cereal-infused questions while indulging in a cake bearing a puppy face made out of frosting that the band had gotten for their lead guitarist.  Read on for a proper, uncensored and guffaw-inducing look at a new Boston band with some respectable local roots.

-Hilary Hughes

OPENING ACT: THE FUTURE EVERYBODY AND THE TEAPARTY TEN

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

Morgan: Cookie Crisp!  There was this independent film about a store that sold collectible cereals and it came out a few years ago.  It was awesome.  Weirdos would come in and be like, “Do you have the 1967 ___?”

Nate: I once decorated an entire apartment with cereal box fronts.  There was a cereal in the mid-90s called Spiderman Cereal, and it was essentially frosted Rice Chex with marshmallows.  This was the most brilliant cereal in the entire world, and it disappeared promptly thereafter.

Matt: I’m a big fan of Flutie Flakes and I actually have a box of Flutie Flakes in my apartment because they re-released ‘em! He’s in a generic uniform.  I was waiting for which uniform he would wear, and he wore a GENERIC ONE.  I was upset by that.

Mike: I’ll go with a bacon, egg and cheese croissant.  I don’t eat cereal, but I eat that almost every day.

Veronica: Blueberry pancake cereal.  That’s what they need.  If they made a blueberry pancake cereal, that would be my favorite.

Matt: Why don’t you just get Boo Berry, then?

Nate: Ugh, of all the monster cereals, you know which one everyone always forgets?  Yummy Mummy.

Matt: WAIT A SECOND.

Morgan: HEY NOW.

Nate: Okay so I guess everyone else forgets about it except for my band.

Who would you rather punch in the face: Long Duk Dong from “Sixteen Candles”, or Mouth from “The Goonies”?

MM: Long Duk Dong.

MG: Yeah, Long Duk Dong.

M: What?!  You can’t go with Dong, he’s awesome!  I love that dude.  I’ll go with the Goonie.

N: No, you can’t punch the Dong-er.

V: I’m a lover, not a fighter.

N: I’m gonna go with Matthew McConaughey from “Contact.”

If you were a kitchen appliance, what would you be?

V: Eggbeater!

MG: My friend was telling me about this meat grinder she has that she uses to grind up her cat food.  The patent is from like, 1857, and she says the meat grinder smells like really old, bad metal.  I’m going with the metal smelly 1857 meat grinder.

MM: I’d go with coffee maker.

N: I want to be one of those big lemon slicers with six razorblades.

M: I’m a waffle iron, I guess.

N: We would make a HELL of a kitchen, guys.

You go to bed, wake up, walk into the bathroom to brush your teeth, and you look in the mirror and you realize that you’ve turned into one of Jim Henson’s Muppets overnight.  Which Muppet are you?

N: Burt.  Obviously.

MG: I’m going with Super Grover.

V: I’m gonna say Rolf!  He’s my favorite!

MM: I’m going with the Swedish Chef.

M: I’m sad to say it, but the first Muppet that popped into my mind was Scooter…

Say you have a crazy night, you black out, and you wake up feeling like crap the next morning and you realize… you got a tattoo.  What’d you get inked?

V: ROLF.

MM: Whatever.  When we were in New Orleans we were walking past a tattoo parlor, and I wanted to get something to commemorate the trip but I couldn’t think of anything, so we joked around that I should get the following text: “Mike Mirabella was in New Orleans on this date in…” and it’d be a whole sleeve.

MG: They can’t tattoo you if you’re intoxicated. COME ON.

Okay, Matt, stop trying to sabotage my interview.

MG: It’s not like you’re going to write this out anyway.

Oh, really?

MG: Well, you can tell Jessie that I didn’t see a lot of Matthew Girard quotes in the last interview I did!

WHOA.  Hold the phone.  Are you seriously calling out Jessie’s transcribing skills?

MG: You know what?  I bet that Jessie is trained in the martial arts and that she knows how to use them, but that is a risk I am willing to take.

M: Well, I’d get a tattoo of Burt on my ass?  I guess?

N: I would have to go with Matthew McConaughey from “Contact”, all over my WHOLE BODY.  And then I’d have to punch MYSELF in the face.

Would you rather be a rodeo clown or a sumo wrestler?

V: Rodeo clown.

N: Rodeo clown.

MG: Sumo wrestler!

M: Sumo wrestler.

MM: Rodeo clown.

If you were a particular style of facial hair, what would you be?

MG: An imperial mustache!

M: Fu Manchu!

V: A reverse flavor-saver.

N: A standard pedophile mustache.

MM: Handlebar mustache!

If you were a type of cheese, which cheese would you be?

MG: I’d be a cheddar so sharp you’d cut your tongue on it.

V: No one can top that.

N: Velveeta.

MM: Provolone.

M: Mozzarella!

V: Actually, I’d be Manchego.

What’s your quintessential “I’M GONNA DANCE AROUND MY APARTMENT IN MY SKIVVIES AND LOVE LIFE!” song?

N: The Beach Boys’ “Kokomo.”

M: “Let’s Get Physical”, Olivia Newton John.

V: Anything by The Future Everybody!

MM: “Against All Odds.”

What’s your favorite word?

N: Douche-canoe.

MG:  Yeah?  Well mine’s douche-kayak.

V: Sisigy.

M: Idiots.  Plural.

MM: Douchebaggery.

THE MAIN EVENT: THE FUTURE EVERYBODY TPB INTERVIEW

Hey guys!  Let’s get some names, ages and hometowns for the record.

N: I’m Nate, and I’m 32 years old!  I live in Somerville now but I’m originally from upstate New York.

M: I’m Morgan, and today’s my birthday!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

M: – But a man’s gotta have some secrets so I’m not telling you how old I am.  I’m originally from Pennsylvania, though.

V: I’m Veronica.  I’m 30.

MG: I’m Matthew Girard and my age is also an undisclosed secret.  I’m originally from Maine.

MM: I’m Mike, I’m from Revere and I’m 30.

Okay.  So no Reveeee-yah jokes for you, then.

MM: I’ve heard ‘em all before, it’s okay.

So, how did you all come to make music together?  You’re a Boston band, but you guys are from all over the place!

N: I always intended to move to Boston with a former bandmate after living in California and playing solo there for a while.  I came out here and was in Scamper, and both Mike and Brendan Boogie were in that band with me too.  When that band dissolved, that’s when I came together with these guys to form The Future Everybody.

How does the creative process go for The Future Everybody? Do you head up the majority of the songwriting, Nate, or is it more of a collaborative project?

MG: This band started, originally, with Nate and Mike working on songs that didn’t necessarily work for Scamper.  We all kind of joined in piece-meal, and we’ve been working on the songs that were originally presented.  It’s been a lot of, “Well, what parts do we put in here?”  After that, we started working on some new material and it’s a fairly collaborative process where we all approach practice with ideas of our own.  Right now, most of the song’s are Nate’s, but we’re all looking to bring riffs and pieces of ideas into the mix.  We’ve been really successful working together in the practice space.

M: Nate comes in with a puzzle, and then we pick it up, and then we smash it, and then we rearrange the pieces.

N: It’s true.  They like to smash my songs.

The Future Everybody sounds like a pretty destructive creative group, then.

V: And there’s dancing!

MM: Yeah.  A lot of parts require dancing, especially during practice.

So, what’s the signature dance move of The Future Everybody, then?

N: I’d say it’s Morgan’s stutter step.  I’m going to be introducing a running man this evening.

MM: I’m going to be introducing a very over-exaggerated snare drum hit.

MG: There’s a lot of guitar swinging, actually.

N: Yes.  Watch your head.

V: I don’t do much, because I’m hiding behind a keyboard.

You can totally headbang, though….

V: Oh, yeah!  There’s definitely some headbanging going on.  I need to grow my hair out a little bit for that, though-

N: And THIS is where the interview turns into talking about Veronica’s hair once again.

V: Yeah.  It happens a lot.  There was a 27-email Gmail thread about it once.

MM: The ones about shows, where we’re gonna play, if we’re gonna record, those emails elicit maybe one or two responses. The outfits and haircuts threads seem to stretch for MILES.

Of the songs that you guys have played for us so far or that you’re currently writing, do you have any favorites?  What songs of The Future Everybody stand out?

MG: I’m a big fan with “Running With The Devil” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”

MM: We’re actually only playing “Freebird” tonight and we are going to extend it so that it’s twenty minutes long.

N: I’m actually a big fan of the Kelly Clarkson tribute nights we’ve done.  Why are you laughing?

(Edit: Hil wasn’t laughing.  She was giving Nate the eyebrow of judgment.)

N: Ultimately, we love all the songs that we’re playing, so we don’t really pick favorites, you know?

MM: It’s still in the early stages of the band and everything is still new and exciting, so there are definitely a couple of songs that have come together, and there are some that are easier to play or a lot more fun because we have them down, but I think that the songs are all equally great.

N: It’s a set full of hit singles. (Laughs)

MG: We’re going straight to the top. Like a BULLET.

MM: Yeah, I’d say our favorite song is always the new song.

N: In terms collaboration, we have been working on this new song, and it’s the first time that we’ve really brought it in kind of fresh and opened it up to everybody’s interpretation.  I’m super excited about the way it’s going.  I was in Scamper for all my life, now it’s a whole new group of people, and it’s exciting.

MG: You should have seen him when he was a little baby playing in Scamper.  Back then, the guitar was kind of big, but he could still do the jumps with the diaper and everything!

M: Don’t forget about the time he shocked himself when he drooled on his guitar…

N: Thanks guys.  Moving forward, I do think that the songs will be more exciting once we all have a hand in it.  I don’t have any intention to be the dictator front man, or anything.

Now, Nate and Mike, you guys were in Scamper.  Matt, you play in eight gajillion different Boston bands on any given weeknight.  How does The Future Everybody compare, on artistic and personal levels, to other projects you’ve been a part of?

MM: I feel like Nate and I have a formula and we know what we want to do, but everybody adds something to the music and that’s the most exciting part of The Future Everybody.  Not only has every idea been a good idea, but it’s changed the production of the song and it wouldn’t necessarily have changed had it just been the two of us.

N: The Future Everybody is definitely full of fresh perspective.  Things definitely got a little stale with Scamper.  I’m not gonna talk trash about that band, but we kind of ran out of ideas, you know?  It’s nice to break out of that mold and write stuff that fits outside of that mold, and that’s what this band is about for me.

Let’s talk about Boston.   Who are some of your favorite Boston bands or acts on the Boston music scene that you make sure to see live when you can?

N: Kelly Clarkson. (Laughs) All of my absolute favorite bands in Boston broke up, to be perfectly frank!

MM: We’re trying to rediscover the Boston music scene.  I like The Motion Sick; I like the Brendan Boogie Band…

It sounds like you’re listing bands that you’re billing with for this BBCU event.

MM: I really do love them though!  And I like The Lights Out a lot.

V: Yeah, they’re great guys.

M: I like Pretty Nice there’s this frantic kind of Of Montreal meets Punk thing I’ve seen a couple of times.  They’re awesome and they blow my mind consistently.

V: I love MEandJOANCOLLINS. They’re great, too.

M: Hallelujah the Hills!

MM: Aloud, gotta love Aloud.

N: Yeah, Scamper had a great history with Aloud.  I honestly don’t know if Baker is still a band-

They are, actually!  Conan, Andy and Steve are now together as The Frosty Pines.

N: We absolutely adore them.  We love those kids.  Steven Lord’s last name is very appropriate as he is a god.

We’ve talked about your favorite Boston bands, but what about your favorite Boston venues?  Where do you love playing in Boston and where do you like to see shows here?

N: The Middle East is home for me, both Upstairs and Downstairs.  Great memories in both rooms.

MG: I like Church, The Middle East and TT’s, even if the sound can be weird at TT’s occasionally.

MM: I absolutely love playing The Lizard Lounge.  Every time we played there, I just loved that intimate feel.  It’s a great spot to play.

V: I like The Middle East!  Church is also probably one of my favorite venues in Boston.

N: You know what?  The list of favorite Boston venues is shorter than it used to be.  Shout out to the Abbey Lounge!

MM: Yeah, there’s some sort of diner going in it’s place now…

In terms of your fans in Boston, how has it been for you so far?

N: We’ve played one show, and it’s hard to tell: You draw a great crowd because everybody’s curious.  We had a great show and we’ll find out in an hour how we do at the second show, and we’ll go from there!  I mean, hopefully people like it, but who knows.

If we were to steal your iPods right now and look up your “Recently Added” or “Recently Played” lists, what bands and artists would we find?  What songs can’t the members of The Future Everybody get out of their heads?

MG: For better or worse you’d see a lot of Guns N’ Roses because I’m playing a Guns N’ Roses tribute show with Morgan.

M: Yup.  I was just complaining that I had “Nitrate” stuck in my FREAKIN’ head for like, eight days.

MG: Also, Joy Division for me.

M: I like Sondre Lerche a lot and Bon Iver, too.  I’ve been listening to a lot of Beirut lately as well.

N: Kelly Clarkson, absolutely.  I’m drawing a blank.  I don’t even know what I’m listening to right now.  I’m listening to The Beatles.  I’m ALWAYS listening to The Beatles.

MM: I recently discovered a band called The Morning Benders.  I followed iTunes Genius, of all things, and I clicked every song and I just think they’re amazing.  I downloaded the whole album immediately.

So, what’s next for The Future Everybody?

N: We’re beginning to start turning the wheels about recording, probably in the new year and after the holidays are over.  We absolutely want to record the record in Boston.  We’ll see where the road takes us.