The members of the band Everybody All The Time didn’t sit down one day and think, “We should totally start a band.”

Instead, the band evolved, transitioning through members as it began to attract more fans and play more gigs. It also went through an identity change: Originally, the band was called Turnt. 

Medill junior Tommy Carroll, the band’s percussionist, and McCormick graduate student Blake Johnson, its guitarist and vocalist, met through a mutual friend and began jamming together. McCormick graduate student Madison Fitzpatrick, an upright-turned-electric bass player, joined the band after its original bass player, who also happened to be Fitzpatrick’s ex-boyfriend, moved away.

“It’s like the least awkward ex-girlfriend/former bassist replacement that could happen,” Carroll said.

The name Everybody All The Time was finalized after a fifth round at World of Beer in celebration of Carroll’s birthday. Each person came up with his or her own suggestion, and after considerable thought, the group decided to poll the WOB waitresses. Everybody All The Time came out as the winner. The phrase itself harkens to a prior gig last spring when, with a pile of musical instruments and equipment to deal with, Tommy said, “We’ve got the drum bay, we’ve got the congas, the bongos, everybody all the time, let’s go!” The phrase stuck in their memory, and Turnt was a goner.

The band was ready to go.

Everybody All The Time’s first gig as a group was a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser in Fisk Hall.

“That was borderline a meeting,” Johnson said. “I think we opened for an a cappella group.”

But you’ve got to start somewhere, even if that somewhere is a fairly small lecture hall in Fisk. Plus, all the group’s members enjoy performing no matter the venue.

“I love this s–t,” Fitzpatrick said. “I love being on stage.”

“It’s just this instant rush of performing and engaging with people, which is great,” Johnson added.

The band also likes to keep it close to home. Their performances are generally in Evanston, and they often cater to the Northwestern student body.

“The demographic at Northwestern responds well to our music,” Johnson explained. “It’s been a very supportive community.”

One of the band’s most recent gigs was at Dance Marathon’s Battle of the Bands, where their set garnered attention and some social media clout.

“People sought out our Facebook page and liked it independently, which was pretty sick,” said Carroll.

The band is looking to build on that Battle of the Bands momentum with their next show, Rock for REU, a benefit concert for a medical supplies mission Feb. 27 at Silvie’s Lounge.

Performing live is one thing; recording an album is a different experience all together. Fitzpatrick joined the band after they recorded the album, but Carroll and Johnson were there for every track and every tweak.

“I think recording is definitely a delayed gratification thing,” Johnson explained. “You put yourself through really uncomfortable hours of loud music in your ear, but when it’s done, you feel really great about it.”

The band’s first single, “Girls,” has already been released, in part because the group had actually finished mixing it and also because of its general popularity among their fans. “Girls” and the other songs on the album are written by Johnson — and often about Johnson.

“They’re largely autobiographical,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of cool to see the progression of my life on this album.”

Once he writes a song, he presents it to the rest of the band.

“Me playing it with them will change how the song gets written. They’re part of the creative process in this call-and-response way,” Johnson said.

And thanks to the band’s diverse interests, it’s likely that Everybody All The Time’s sound will cater to a wide range of musical tastes. The members describe the band’s sound as “indie pop with some rock sensibilities,” but each individual member brings his or her own preferences to the music. Fitzpatrick listens to jazz and the blues, Johnson gravitates towards indie pop and rock and Carroll is all over the place, filling his playlist with anything from obscure African disco to Blake Shelton.

“I think it’s interesting that nothing has to be a pure anything,” said Carroll.

And Everybody All The Time plays what it wants to play.

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Twitter: @Sarah_Rense