My Life talks to Harrison Everett!
We had the opportunity to talk to Harrison Everett, the youngest member of Phoenix Rising. It’s well known that Harrison, or Rory to his friends, is the quietest member of the band, often eclipsed by his older brother. We were thrilled that he was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to talk to My Life today, and give us all the intimate details of his life that we can pass along to you!
So tell us, why are you called Rory?
Huh, well, you can blame Thorne for that. When I was born, my mom wanted to name me for her godfather, but she decided to make my name Harrison, which is a little different. But Thorne couldn’t pronounce it. So Dad suggested that Thorne could call me Harry, and Mom objected because that’s exactly what she didn’t name me. And Thorne started saying something but Dad couldn’t figure it out, then Dad realized it was Rory… except Thorne couldn’t say an R. So Thorne called me Dodo. And Thorne decided that since he named me, everyone else had to use it too, and it kind of stuck. I’m just glad that they all called me Rory and not Dodo. Besides, Harrison’s a mouthful and makes me sound stuck up.
And you’re not at all stuck up.
Not really, no. Give me a decent guitar, and a quiet place to make music, and my family and band, and I’m good. I don’t care about clothing labels or anything. If you want someone who likes that kind of thing, go talk to Stormy. She has a thing about expensive shoes. And watches. I really don’t understand the watch thing.
We’ll try to catch up with Stormy later on. Today’s all about you.
Yeah. I noticed that. Did you have questions for me?
What’s your idea of the perfect date?
I’m not supposed to quote a movie here, am I?
I’m not real big on going out. I like movies, I like dinner, obviously. But if you’re talking about a date, grand gestures and over the top romance make me cringe. I just want to be with someone and be comfortable. If we’re on the couch watching Netflix, that’s okay with me.
Do you get noticed when you go out?
Not really, and that’s okay with me. Everyone notices Thorne—he’s all red hair and effervescence. I kind of blend in, if you ignore the part where I’m 6’5”.
So tell us about your prom.
You’ve been talking to Thorne.
Thorne said I had to have all the typical high school experiences before I graduated, and he insisted that I should go to prom. So I took Stormy.
You weren’t dating anyone in your school?
No, I wasn’t. So Stormy and I went with a bunch of us from the drama and music department. There were only a couple of couples in the group—most of us were just going as friends. The funny part was when Stormy met this guy who was my friend Jessica’s cousin and date. He and Stormy hit it off. They ended up dating for a little while. He actually came with us on tour to help us out with the equipment. He’s a great guitar tech.
You play guitar in Phoenix Rising, right?
I play guitar, yes, and sometimes I do some keyboards or sometimes Thorne does. He doesn’t like to stand still, though, and he’s hell on the keys when he’s bouncing around. Rhythm guitar is a good thing for him to do. If it drops out because he’s distracted, the bass can take up the line.
How many instruments do you play?
How long do you have for me to figure this out? I mean, I played saxophone in fourth grade, and I tried Jessica’s flute, and that wasn’t horrible, and clarinet’s just the same concept. I can handle drums if I have to and don’t do anything fancy, definitely enough for figuring out the rhythm line of a song. I’ve been playing piano since I was four and Thorne started lessons. Wait, that wasn’t what I meant—clarinet’s the same concept as sax. Not flute, which is the only woodwind in a standard orchestra or concert band that doesn’t actually have a reed. Well, piccolo, but a piccolo isn’t exactly a standard instrument either.
Um. Anyway, Mom says I used to sit on Dad’s lap and pick out tunes on his guitar before I could even walk. Music’s in our blood. Well, not literally. But we were raised on the road during the summers, and we both just learned to pick things up.
Is it true that you and Thorne were on stage for the first time when you were two?
I had just turned two, yeah. I don’t remember it, but there are pictures of us getting up on stage with Dad’s band. Mom was kind of horrified.
I hear you’re going to college in the fall.
Uh, yeah, but I’d honestly rather not say where. Thorne did his freshman year there, then he took a year off to tour with another band before he came back to us for this summer tour. We’re leaving the tour early so we can get there in time for my orientation move in day.
What are you going to major in?
I have other ideas, but nothing that would be a big surprise. It’s no secret that Thorne and I are Mages—he does all of our fire effects on stage. So I want to keep working with that as well. It’s a big part of being a lineage Talent.
Is music part of your Talent?
I don’t think so. I’m just a typical Mage. Music’s something special to me, and I’m glad I have it. If I couldn’t write songs I’d probably go insane.
Who writes more of the songs for Phoenix Rising, you or Thorne?
I’d say me, he’d say him. It’s probably pretty evenly split.
Can you tell me one song you wrote?
“Summertime”. We’ve been playing it on tour as our opening number.
It’s about the way things are fleeting sometimes, like summer days disappearing into fall. Thorne says I write the deep songs, and he writes the fun things.
Rory’s fingers are tapping on the table in front of him, and his foot is tapping. We can see that he’s getting the urge to get up and move. He’s tall, but he’s folded almost in half in this chair like he can’t take up too much space in the small tent we’ve been given for interviews. There’s a light sheen of sweat, and when I offer him a water bottle, he drains most of it.
If you had to say one thing to the kids reading this, what would it be?
Don’t forget who you are. I mean, don’t forget your family—that might be your friends, your relatives—whoever you need most. It’s okay to need people, and it’s okay to dream. Let that carry you through. Because everything’s fleeting, even the bad things, and you’ll come out okay on the other side.
He stands as soon as he’s done talking, offers us his hand. His gaze skitters off to one side, and we can’t help but wonder if he’s already writing a new song. If we’re lucky, Phoenix Rising will find the time to record even with busy university schedules. We certainly hope to be seeing more of Harrison Everett in the future!
[All fan mail sent to Harrison Everett via the My Life mailbox will be forwarded to his agents. My Life always welcomes your comments and communications.]
** [A note from Tris: Rory is based on a previous version of the character created by eternaleponine, and I am thankful to have been allowed to borrow the character to live in my own brain, because Thorne needs his brother.]
