Everclear (band)
Encyclopedia
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon
in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis
(vocals & guitar
), Craig Montoya
(bass guitar
& vocals), and Greg Eklund
(drums, percussion & vocals). Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994. Montoya and Eklund departed the band in 2003, but Alexakis continued the band with Dave "Davey" French (rhythm guitar), Josh Crawley (keyboards), Sam Hudson (bass guitar), and Tommy Stewart (drums, percussion). However all members except for Alexakis left the band in July 2009 to be replaced with a 4th lineup of Everclear.
In the late 1980s, Alexakis played in a short-lived rock band in Los Angeles called Shakin' Brave, where he began to hone his songwriting skills. Frustrated by the inattention of the L.A. music scene, Art relocated to San Francisco, where he fell into the then-burgeoning cowpunk
scene.
Art founded a label called Shindig Records, which attempted to document the SF cowpunk scene. He began recording material of his own for a solo album, but it eventually evolved into a group project called Colorfinger
. Art Alexakis utilized the pseudonym "A.D. Nation" while writing/recording with Colorfinger. While involved with Colorfinger, Art wrote several songs which would later find success as Everclear songs, including "The Twistinside", "Heartspark Dollarsign", and "Why I Don't Believe in God".
In a single month in 1992, Shindig failed (when its distributor went bankrupt), Colorfinger broke up, and Art learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. Seeking a change of location, Art and his girlfriend moved to her hometown, Portland, Oregon. There, he placed an ad in local music weekly The Rocket, which earned two responses: bass player Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert. The name Everclear was chosen as a reference to the infamous grain alcohol. In an interview with The Discovering Alcoholic, Alexakis called it "pure, white evil" for its deceptive nature. The new band began recording in a friend's basement, essentially bartering for recording time with musical gear and whatever limited funds they could scrounge up. The sessions culminated in two releases: the Nervous & Weird
EP and the band's first full-length release World of Noise
, both released by Portland's Tim/Kerr
Records in 1993. Frustrated by Tim/Kerr's limited resources, Alexakis hired independent promoters to help push the album. Eventually, it became obvious that Everclear needed to find a bigger player to help them reach their audience.
by Gary Gersh, who was responsible for signing Nirvana
, Sonic Youth
, and Counting Crows
to DGC Records
. Just before their signing, Everclear parted ways with drummer Cuthbert, citing personality conflicts, and brought in former Jollymon drummer Greg Eklund. In May 1995, the band released their first album for the label, Sparkle and Fade
.
Initially, the album didn't find an audience. The albums first single, "Heroin Girl", received some modest airplay via MTV's 120 Minutes
, but was generally missed by the mainstream. However, near the end of 1995, the second single "Santa Monica
" found a strong audience via the burgeoning alternative
radio format, which eventually carried over to mainstream success. The album subsequently was certified platinum
. However, two ensuing singles, "Heartspark Dollarsign" and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore", failed to find a wide audience, and the band ended 1996 fast at work on their second full-length album.
As Sparkle and Fade reached its audience, Everclear had to endure consistent comparisons to Nirvana
, particularly given the album's subject matter and drug references. Following a show with the Foo Fighters
at the end of 1995, Dave Grohl
told MTV News
that he genuinely didn't think that Everclear sounded like Nirvana, noting that Bush
sounded more like Nirvana than any other band.
. The songs "The Swing" and "Otis Redding" were cut from the Pure White Evil Sessions and were not on So Much For The Afterglow. Eventually they were released: the former on the soundtrack album for Scream 2
and the later on Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
. So Much for the Afterglow was released in October 1997. The first two singles from the album, "Everything to Everyone" and "I Will Buy You a New Life" performed modestly, but helped begin a slow build for the album, while "Local God" was featured in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in 1996 as well as on the soundtrack. The band completed a US tour at the end of the year, and started 1998 with a tour of Australia.
The Australian tour, however, was an unexpected disaster. At a show in Wollongong, someone threw a shoe at Alexakis, knocking loose a few of his teeth. Two nights later in Melbourne, someone threw a lit explosive on stage, which exploded and burned a stagehand. Tensions erupted backstage, with touring guitarist Steve Birch refusing to continue, and Montoya getting into a heated argument with Alexakis. In interviews for VH-1's Behind the Music
, the band related that they nearly broke up that night. The band decided to cancel the remainder of their tour following a final show on the Gold Coast, during which Alexakis was hit with a shoe (while the crowd was singing him "Happy Birthday") and Montoya's acoustic bass guitar was stolen. Montoya declined to join the band for the ensuing tour of the United Kingdom, with then-bass-tech David LoPrinzi filling in. To date, Everclear has not returned to Australia, although Art has recently mentioned that he has no bad memories of the country and would return if a tour was viable.
Following an extensive tour of the United States with Marcy Playground
and Fastball
, the band released Afterglows third single, "Father of Mine". The song catapulted the album and the band to mainstream success.
Afterglow provided the band their only Grammy nomination to date, a Best Rock Instrumental nod in 1998 for "El Distorto de Melodica". Later that year, the band won Billboard's Modern Rock Band of the Year Award. Though Afterglow never charted higher than #33 on the Billboard album chart
, the album reached double-platinum status at the end of the year.
Songs From An American Movie series Following the success of So Much for the Afterglow
, Alexakis decided to step back from the Everclear sound and record a solo album of more pop-influenced songs, and brought in Everclear touring musicians David LoPrinzi, Brian Lehfeldt, and James Beaton to perform on the recordings. Unhappy with the results of the initial sessions, Alexakis decided to bring in Montoya and Eklund and transform the effort into an Everclear album. The results were released as Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
in July 2000. The album yielded the band's most successful single, "Wonderful", and eventually reached platinum status. The song "Wonderful" was also notably used as the graduation song for the Columbine High School class of 1999, who had months before suffered from the Columbine High School massacre
.
Rather than tour for the release, the band arranged with their label to release a second album in 2000. Alexakis believed he had enough of a catalog of unreleased songs at the ready, and was eager to show the opposing sides of Everclear's sound. However, delays in the mixing process of Learning How to Smile had pushed its initial April release to July, limiting the amount of recording time for the follow-up in order to meet Capitol's demands of an end-of-the-year release.
Proclaimed as a "return to rock", Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude
was released just four months after Vol. 1 in November 2000. Unfortunately, the promotional push for Vol. 2 while still in the throes of supporting Vol. 1 confused much of the music-buying public. Learning How to Smiles second single "AM Radio" was released barely weeks before the release of Vol. 2, leaving some stores to mistakenly label the song as the first single from Vol. 2. The confusion was amplified by the band's decision to accept an opening slot for Matchbox 20
in the months after the release of Vol. 2, a somewhat awkward billing for a band who was trying to support a hard rock album.
By the late spring of 2001, both albums had stalled. Capitol attempted a final push by re-releasing Learning How to Smile with "Out of My Depth" and "Rock Star" from Good Time for a Bad Attitude as bonus tracks. A cover of Van Morrison
's "Brown Eyed Girl
" received some modest airplay as a result, but couldn't help revive the momentum. A tour of the United Kingdom for what would have been the band's first extensive tour out of the country since 1998 was cancelled shortly before its start.
That summer, the band decided to license "Rock Star" to the movie of the same name
. Fortune seemed to finally be turning around for the band, as the promotional push behind the movie helped the song find an audience at radio and VH-1. However, the push ended following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
, released in March 2003. Both band and label were excited about the effort prior to its release. Everything looked positive until Alexakis and Capitol came to odds over the album's first single. Capitol was thrilled about one of the last songs added to the album, a somewhat 9/11
-influenced "The New York Times". Alexakis, however, had previewed a tongue-in-cheek ode to suburbanite housewives, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom", during a solo tour in 2002, and had received a fair amount of media attention. Capitol eventually relented to Alexakis' demands and released the song and video, but didn't put much effort into the song and album's promotion. "The New York Times" was released shortly thereafter as the second single with even less support from the label, and the album stalled after selling 100,000 copies.
At the end of the tour support for Slow Motion Daydream in August 2003, Montoya and Eklund decided that it was time to move on, and departed the band to pursue other interests. The following summer, Everclear ended its relationship with Capitol Records
. Capitol compiled a Greatest Hits album reflecting the band's tenure at the label, titled Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004
, which was released in October 2004.
During the last couple of years in Everclear, Greg Eklund quietly recorded demos of his own material in his garage. In 2004, Eklund formed The Oohlas
with his brother Mark and vocalist Olivia Stone. After self-releasing an EP of their first six demos, the band entered the studio in late 2005 to record their debut album. The completed album, Best Stop Pop, was released on September 26, 2006, on Stolen Transmission, an imprint of Island Records
.
's "This Land Is Your Land
", that summer. Alexakis, an Oregon delegate, performed the song (as well as "Everything to Everyone") with an acoustic guitar during a CNN interview at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A self-released EP of performances recorded for XM Satellite Radio
called Closure was given out at shows in the fall of 2004.
Free of a major label, Alexakis spent the ensuing year and a half slowly recording material for a new Everclear release in Biloxi, Mississippi under the direction of his new band instructor who moved from the northern part of the state where she worked at a music store. He admitted that the time after the breakup of the original lineup served as a "wake up call", during which he suffered his third divorce and filed for bankruptcy and did not retain sole custody of his family pet, a dog named Scooby. The new lineup was signed to Eleven Seven Music
. Everclear released Welcome to the Drama Club
on September 12, 2006, the title being in honor of their affection for the stage. Two songs were released from the album, "Hater" and "Glorious".
In January 2008, Alexakis posted on the band's Myspace that they were working on a cover album, and a new album, which should be released in 2008. In addition, two unreleased songs from the Drama Club sessions, "Downtime" and "Here Comes the Darkness", were posted.
The Vegas Years
, a collection of cover songs was released April 15, 2008 by Capitol Records. It contains a mix of newly recorded, previously released, live, and remixed older covers. To celebrate the release, Art and the band hosted a live video chat. They confirmed they will be touring in the summer of 2008 including a possible UK tour in autumn. They also plan to release a series of singles for download online in the summer.
In August 2008 former Godsmack
and Fuel
drummer Tommy Stewart
replaced Brett Snyder on drums. While guest hosting on Sirius radio station 24, Lithium, Art Alexakis debut on August 28, Alexakis debuted "Jesus Was a Democrat". The song can now be downloaded for free off the band's official website, or Myspace with free artwork and lyrics.
In November 2008 the band traveled around Iraq
in support of the troops and the USO. They stopped at Camp Liberty
, Camp Shield and Camp Slayer
, FOB Echo
and many other FOB
s around the country. The sets were primarily done acoustically and consisted of most of the band's hits. In March 2009, Art Alexakis went on a solo acoustic tour, playing Hard Rock Cafes around the US. The tour was a benefit for the Musicians on Call charity.
On October 6, 2009 the band released In a Different Light, a collection of re-recordings of old Everclear songs in a more acoustic fashion. The collection also featured two new Everclear songs, "Here Comes the Darkness," which was actually a leftover track from Welcome to the Drama Club, and "At the End of the Day," which Alexakis had written and performed with Marion Raven
.
On September 13, 2009, Alexakis posted a blog on Myspace that all of the current members had left the band, and were replaced by all new musicians. This included Freddy Herrera who was the bassist of The Exies
, who had previously toured with Everclear. This new version of Everclear toured for two months in support of In a Different Light.
On December 28, 2009, Alexakis again posted on Myspace that former guitarist Davey French, was back on guitar, and Johnny Hawthorn was exiting the band. In the same blog, Alexakis said the band would be recording the next album in March and April 2010, for a 2011 release. On May 7, 2011, Alexakis announced on the band's Twitter page that keyboardist Josh Crawley had rejoined the band.
The band entered the studio in 2011 to record both a new forthcoming studio album and to record cover songs and re-recordings of past hits album entitled "Return to Santa Monica." Furthermore Extended Versions
was released, which contains 10 live recordings of a show taken place on October 15th, 2010 in Seattle, WA at the Historic Columbia City Theatre.
Everclear was featured in the 2000 film Loser
. The main character goes to see the band in concert, and the songs "So Much for the Afterglow" and "I Will Buy You a New Life
" can be heard.
Alexakis played a music teacher in a 2006 episode of the TEENick television series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
and performed the song "Rock Star" along with the rest of the band.
The song "I Will Buy You a New Life
" by Everclear is featured in the 2011 horror film "Final Destination V".
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis
Art Alexakis
Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis is best known as the American singer, composer, and lead guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists...
(vocals & guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Craig Montoya
Craig Montoya
Craig Montoya is the American bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear.-Early life:...
(bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
& vocals), and Greg Eklund
Greg Eklund
Greg Eklund was the American drummer for the rock band, Everclear, until 2003.Eklund attended high school at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, graduating in 1988...
(drums, percussion & vocals). Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994. Montoya and Eklund departed the band in 2003, but Alexakis continued the band with Dave "Davey" French (rhythm guitar), Josh Crawley (keyboards), Sam Hudson (bass guitar), and Tommy Stewart (drums, percussion). However all members except for Alexakis left the band in July 2009 to be replaced with a 4th lineup of Everclear.
Early years
Art Alexakis suffered through a troubled youth, beginning with his father walking out when Alexakis was a child. Financial hardships pushed his family into the slums of Los Angeles, where Alexakis fell to the lure of heavy drug use. During his teenage years, Alexakis was shuttled around the country between various family members (including a brief period in Houston living with his father's new family), but the drug addiction persisted. Eventually, Alexakis suffered a near-fatal cocaine overdose, which finally pushed him to clean up.In the late 1980s, Alexakis played in a short-lived rock band in Los Angeles called Shakin' Brave, where he began to hone his songwriting skills. Frustrated by the inattention of the L.A. music scene, Art relocated to San Francisco, where he fell into the then-burgeoning cowpunk
Cowpunk
Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of punk rock and New Wave that began in the UK and California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New Wave with country music, folk music, and blues in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style...
scene.
Art founded a label called Shindig Records, which attempted to document the SF cowpunk scene. He began recording material of his own for a solo album, but it eventually evolved into a group project called Colorfinger
Colorfinger
Colorfinger is best known for being Art Alexakis' last band before being in Everclear. Although starting out as a solo project, Alexakis decided to make it a full band. They were a part of the San Francisco cowpunk scene, which involved a form of rock music with elements of country music and punk...
. Art Alexakis utilized the pseudonym "A.D. Nation" while writing/recording with Colorfinger. While involved with Colorfinger, Art wrote several songs which would later find success as Everclear songs, including "The Twistinside", "Heartspark Dollarsign", and "Why I Don't Believe in God".
In a single month in 1992, Shindig failed (when its distributor went bankrupt), Colorfinger broke up, and Art learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. Seeking a change of location, Art and his girlfriend moved to her hometown, Portland, Oregon. There, he placed an ad in local music weekly The Rocket, which earned two responses: bass player Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert. The name Everclear was chosen as a reference to the infamous grain alcohol. In an interview with The Discovering Alcoholic, Alexakis called it "pure, white evil" for its deceptive nature. The new band began recording in a friend's basement, essentially bartering for recording time with musical gear and whatever limited funds they could scrounge up. The sessions culminated in two releases: the Nervous & Weird
Nervous & Weird
Nervous & Weird is an EP by Everclear, released in 1993. It was the first official release by the band. In addition to the CD, there was also a 7" release, which featured the title track on side A and "Electra Made Me Blind" on side B.-Song information:...
EP and the band's first full-length release World of Noise
World of Noise
World of Noise is the debut album recorded by the band Everclear. It was recorded in a friend's basement for $400 with Art Alexakis on vocals/lead guitar, Craig Montoya on bass, Scott Cuthbert on drums and was released in 1993 by Tim Kerr Records....
, both released by Portland's Tim/Kerr
Tim/Kerr
Tim/Kerr was a record label in Portland, Oregon, run by Thor Lindsay and Tim Kerr, who closed the business in Spring of 1999. Some of the better known bands that were on the label include Everclear and The Dandy Warhols. The label also released a collaboration between Kurt Cobain and author William S...
Records in 1993. Frustrated by Tim/Kerr's limited resources, Alexakis hired independent promoters to help push the album. Eventually, it became obvious that Everclear needed to find a bigger player to help them reach their audience.
Sparkle and Fade
The band spent much of 1994 seeking out a major label deal. After a modest bidding war, they were signed to Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
by Gary Gersh, who was responsible for signing Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, and Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
to DGC Records
DGC Records
DGC Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and currently operates as an auxiliary label of Interscope Records.-Company history:...
. Just before their signing, Everclear parted ways with drummer Cuthbert, citing personality conflicts, and brought in former Jollymon drummer Greg Eklund. In May 1995, the band released their first album for the label, Sparkle and Fade
Sparkle and Fade
Sparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released on May 23, 1995. It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr...
.
Initially, the album didn't find an audience. The albums first single, "Heroin Girl", received some modest airplay via MTV's 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
, but was generally missed by the mainstream. However, near the end of 1995, the second single "Santa Monica
Santa Monica (song)
"Santa Monica" is a rock song by the band Everclear, from their 1995 album Sparkle and Fade. The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis...
" found a strong audience via the burgeoning alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
radio format, which eventually carried over to mainstream success. The album subsequently was certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
. However, two ensuing singles, "Heartspark Dollarsign" and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore", failed to find a wide audience, and the band ended 1996 fast at work on their second full-length album.
As Sparkle and Fade reached its audience, Everclear had to endure consistent comparisons to Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, particularly given the album's subject matter and drug references. Following a show with the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
at the end of 1995, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that he genuinely didn't think that Everclear sounded like Nirvana, noting that Bush
Bush (band)
Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
sounded more like Nirvana than any other band.
So Much for the Afterglow
By the end of 1996, the band had nearly completed the album, which they planned to release under the title Pure White Evil. Alexakis, however, was dissatisfied with the results, and decided to work on more songs for the effort, including "One Hit Wonder" and the eventual title-track to the album, So Much for the AfterglowSo Much for the Afterglow
-Personnel:* Art Alexakis - Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Guitar , Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, Cover Art Concept, Cover Design, Toy Piano...
. The songs "The Swing" and "Otis Redding" were cut from the Pure White Evil Sessions and were not on So Much For The Afterglow. Eventually they were released: the former on the soundtrack album for Scream 2
Scream 2
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
and the later on Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile is an album by Everclear, released on July 11, 2000. The album is a loose concept album based around lead singer Art Alexakis' second divorce...
. So Much for the Afterglow was released in October 1997. The first two singles from the album, "Everything to Everyone" and "I Will Buy You a New Life" performed modestly, but helped begin a slow build for the album, while "Local God" was featured in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in 1996 as well as on the soundtrack. The band completed a US tour at the end of the year, and started 1998 with a tour of Australia.
The Australian tour, however, was an unexpected disaster. At a show in Wollongong, someone threw a shoe at Alexakis, knocking loose a few of his teeth. Two nights later in Melbourne, someone threw a lit explosive on stage, which exploded and burned a stagehand. Tensions erupted backstage, with touring guitarist Steve Birch refusing to continue, and Montoya getting into a heated argument with Alexakis. In interviews for VH-1's Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
, the band related that they nearly broke up that night. The band decided to cancel the remainder of their tour following a final show on the Gold Coast, during which Alexakis was hit with a shoe (while the crowd was singing him "Happy Birthday") and Montoya's acoustic bass guitar was stolen. Montoya declined to join the band for the ensuing tour of the United Kingdom, with then-bass-tech David LoPrinzi filling in. To date, Everclear has not returned to Australia, although Art has recently mentioned that he has no bad memories of the country and would return if a tour was viable.
Following an extensive tour of the United States with Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak , Dylan Keefe , and Shlomi Lavie . The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".-Early years:...
and Fastball
Fastball (band)
Fastball is an American rock band that formed in Austin, Texas in the 1990s. The band originally called themselves "Magneto U.S.A." but changed their name after signing with Hollywood Records....
, the band released Afterglows third single, "Father of Mine". The song catapulted the album and the band to mainstream success.
Afterglow provided the band their only Grammy nomination to date, a Best Rock Instrumental nod in 1998 for "El Distorto de Melodica". Later that year, the band won Billboard's Modern Rock Band of the Year Award. Though Afterglow never charted higher than #33 on the Billboard album chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the album reached double-platinum status at the end of the year.
Songs From An American Movie series Following the success of So Much for the Afterglow
So Much for the Afterglow
-Personnel:* Art Alexakis - Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Guitar , Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, Cover Art Concept, Cover Design, Toy Piano...
, Alexakis decided to step back from the Everclear sound and record a solo album of more pop-influenced songs, and brought in Everclear touring musicians David LoPrinzi, Brian Lehfeldt, and James Beaton to perform on the recordings. Unhappy with the results of the initial sessions, Alexakis decided to bring in Montoya and Eklund and transform the effort into an Everclear album. The results were released as Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile is an album by Everclear, released on July 11, 2000. The album is a loose concept album based around lead singer Art Alexakis' second divorce...
in July 2000. The album yielded the band's most successful single, "Wonderful", and eventually reached platinum status. The song "Wonderful" was also notably used as the graduation song for the Columbine High School class of 1999, who had months before suffered from the Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
.
Rather than tour for the release, the band arranged with their label to release a second album in 2000. Alexakis believed he had enough of a catalog of unreleased songs at the ready, and was eager to show the opposing sides of Everclear's sound. However, delays in the mixing process of Learning How to Smile had pushed its initial April release to July, limiting the amount of recording time for the follow-up in order to meet Capitol's demands of an end-of-the-year release.
Proclaimed as a "return to rock", Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude is an album by Everclear, released on November 21, 2000. They recorded Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in the same year and released them only a few months apart. Both albums are loose concept albums based around Art Alexakis' second divorce...
was released just four months after Vol. 1 in November 2000. Unfortunately, the promotional push for Vol. 2 while still in the throes of supporting Vol. 1 confused much of the music-buying public. Learning How to Smiles second single "AM Radio" was released barely weeks before the release of Vol. 2, leaving some stores to mistakenly label the song as the first single from Vol. 2. The confusion was amplified by the band's decision to accept an opening slot for Matchbox 20
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
in the months after the release of Vol. 2, a somewhat awkward billing for a band who was trying to support a hard rock album.
By the late spring of 2001, both albums had stalled. Capitol attempted a final push by re-releasing Learning How to Smile with "Out of My Depth" and "Rock Star" from Good Time for a Bad Attitude as bonus tracks. A cover of Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's "Brown Eyed Girl
Brown Eyed Girl
"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Written and recorded in 1967 by Van Morrison and produced by Bang Records chief Bert Berns, it was first released in May 1967 on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. When released as a single, it rose to number eight on the...
" received some modest airplay as a result, but couldn't help revive the momentum. A tour of the United Kingdom for what would have been the band's first extensive tour out of the country since 1998 was cancelled shortly before its start.
That summer, the band decided to license "Rock Star" to the movie of the same name
Rock Star (2001 film)
Rock Star is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek and starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. It tells the story of Chris "Izzy" Cole, a tribute band singer whose ascendance to the position of lead vocalist of his favorite band was inspired by the real-life story of Tim...
. Fortune seemed to finally be turning around for the band, as the promotional push behind the movie helped the song find an audience at radio and VH-1. However, the push ended following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Slow Motion Daydream
The band regrouped a year later to record their sixth album, Slow Motion DaydreamSlow Motion Daydream
Slow Motion Daydream is an album by Everclear that was released by Capitol Records on March 11, 2003 . Recorded in 2002...
, released in March 2003. Both band and label were excited about the effort prior to its release. Everything looked positive until Alexakis and Capitol came to odds over the album's first single. Capitol was thrilled about one of the last songs added to the album, a somewhat 9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
-influenced "The New York Times". Alexakis, however, had previewed a tongue-in-cheek ode to suburbanite housewives, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom", during a solo tour in 2002, and had received a fair amount of media attention. Capitol eventually relented to Alexakis' demands and released the song and video, but didn't put much effort into the song and album's promotion. "The New York Times" was released shortly thereafter as the second single with even less support from the label, and the album stalled after selling 100,000 copies.
At the end of the tour support for Slow Motion Daydream in August 2003, Montoya and Eklund decided that it was time to move on, and departed the band to pursue other interests. The following summer, Everclear ended its relationship with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Capitol compiled a Greatest Hits album reflecting the band's tenure at the label, titled Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004
Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004
Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994–2004 is a 'Best of' album by Everclear. It was released on October 5, 2004. It includes tracks from all of their albums up to 2003, as well as two tracks not previously released on any album...
, which was released in October 2004.
Montoya and Eklund post-Everclear
After leaving Everclear, Craig Montoya formed a band called Tri-Polar with Sweaty Nipples members Scotty Heard and Brian Lehfeldt. After completing the recording of their debut album, Scotty Heard left the band for personal reasons. Heard was then replaced by former Red Sector guitarist Kevin Hahn. The band's self-titled debut album was released on May 27, 2005. The band spent several months on hiatus in late 2005 and early 2006, but recently reformed, including former guitarist Scotty Heard. Montoya has decided to pass bass guitar duties and focus on singing.During the last couple of years in Everclear, Greg Eklund quietly recorded demos of his own material in his garage. In 2004, Eklund formed The Oohlas
The Oohlas
-History:The Oohlas consist of Olivia Stone , Mark Eklund , Hayden Scott and Greg Eklund . Stone moved to Los Angeles from Phoenix and met met Mark, who was working for Stone's aunt. Mark introduced her to Greg, who had recently left Everclear...
with his brother Mark and vocalist Olivia Stone. After self-releasing an EP of their first six demos, the band entered the studio in late 2005 to record their debut album. The completed album, Best Stop Pop, was released on September 26, 2006, on Stolen Transmission, an imprint of Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
.
The new Everclear
After a solo tour in the fall of 2003, Alexakis decided to continue with Everclear, organizing a new band that made its debut in March 2004. The new lineup consisted of bassist Sam Hudson, guitarist Dave "Davey" French, and drummer Eric Bretl. In the summer of 2004, the band added keyboardist Josh Crawley, and swapped Bretl for former Everclear drum tech Brett Snyder. The new lineup released its first recording, a cover of Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
's "This Land Is Your Land
This Land Is Your Land
"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on...
", that summer. Alexakis, an Oregon delegate, performed the song (as well as "Everything to Everyone") with an acoustic guitar during a CNN interview at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A self-released EP of performances recorded for XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
called Closure was given out at shows in the fall of 2004.
Free of a major label, Alexakis spent the ensuing year and a half slowly recording material for a new Everclear release in Biloxi, Mississippi under the direction of his new band instructor who moved from the northern part of the state where she worked at a music store. He admitted that the time after the breakup of the original lineup served as a "wake up call", during which he suffered his third divorce and filed for bankruptcy and did not retain sole custody of his family pet, a dog named Scooby. The new lineup was signed to Eleven Seven Music
Eleven seven music
Eleven Seven Music is a record label founded by Allen Kovac, who is the CEO of 10th Street Entertainment.Eleven Seven has recently enjoyed success with the rejuvenated Buckcherry, whose label debut has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M...
. Everclear released Welcome to the Drama Club
Welcome to the Drama Club
Welcome to the Drama Club is the title of an album from rock band Everclear. It was released on September 12, 2006 by Eleven Seven Music. It was the first album to include the new line-up of Everclear, established following the departure of Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund after Everclear's previous...
on September 12, 2006, the title being in honor of their affection for the stage. Two songs were released from the album, "Hater" and "Glorious".
In January 2008, Alexakis posted on the band's Myspace that they were working on a cover album, and a new album, which should be released in 2008. In addition, two unreleased songs from the Drama Club sessions, "Downtime" and "Here Comes the Darkness", were posted.
The Vegas Years
The Vegas Years
The Vegas Years is a compilation of cover songs by American rock band Everclear. It was released on April 15, 2008, via Capitol Records.The album features tracks recorded throughout the band's career, including a few tracks that were previously released as B-sides. "American Girl" was recorded in...
, a collection of cover songs was released April 15, 2008 by Capitol Records. It contains a mix of newly recorded, previously released, live, and remixed older covers. To celebrate the release, Art and the band hosted a live video chat. They confirmed they will be touring in the summer of 2008 including a possible UK tour in autumn. They also plan to release a series of singles for download online in the summer.
In August 2008 former Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
and Fuel
Fuel (band)
Fuel is an American rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994...
drummer Tommy Stewart
Tommy Stewart
Tommy Stewart is an American rock drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with heavy metal band Godsmack...
replaced Brett Snyder on drums. While guest hosting on Sirius radio station 24, Lithium, Art Alexakis debut on August 28, Alexakis debuted "Jesus Was a Democrat". The song can now be downloaded for free off the band's official website, or Myspace with free artwork and lyrics.
In November 2008 the band traveled around Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in support of the troops and the USO. They stopped at Camp Liberty
Camp Liberty
Camp Liberty is a large coalition military installation located northeast of the Baghdad International Airport and is part of the U.S. military's Victory Base Complex . It was formerly known as Camp Victory North and renamed in mid-September 2004, as part of an effort to give U.S...
, Camp Shield and Camp Slayer
Camp Slayer
Camp Slayer is part of the Victory Base Complex outside of Baghdad. On the southeastern corner of the Baghdad International Airport, it is part of the former Al Radwaniyah Presidential Complex and contains several man-made lakes, a man-made hill, the Ba'ath Party House, the Victory Over Iran and...
, FOB Echo
Forward Operating Base Echo
Forward Operating Base Echo is located in the vicinity of Diwaniyah, Iraq and the City of Najaf is nearby. It has served as a Polish, American, and Multinational Forces Iraq military base during different periods of Operation Iraqi Freedom....
and many other FOB
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
s around the country. The sets were primarily done acoustically and consisted of most of the band's hits. In March 2009, Art Alexakis went on a solo acoustic tour, playing Hard Rock Cafes around the US. The tour was a benefit for the Musicians on Call charity.
On October 6, 2009 the band released In a Different Light, a collection of re-recordings of old Everclear songs in a more acoustic fashion. The collection also featured two new Everclear songs, "Here Comes the Darkness," which was actually a leftover track from Welcome to the Drama Club, and "At the End of the Day," which Alexakis had written and performed with Marion Raven
Marion Raven
Marion Elise Ravn, born 25 May 1984 in Lørenskog, Norway, is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, and former child actress. Her surname is of Norse origin, with Ravn meaning Raven, which she adopted as her stage name Marion Raven as well as her trademark raven logo. She was one-half of the now defunct...
.
On September 13, 2009, Alexakis posted a blog on Myspace that all of the current members had left the band, and were replaced by all new musicians. This included Freddy Herrera who was the bassist of The Exies
The Exies
The Exies are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Their name, "The Exies", is short for "The Existentialists". Their two Virgin Records releases, Inertia and Head for the Door , have sold over 400,000 copies combined.-History:The Exies formed in 1997 when singer and...
, who had previously toured with Everclear. This new version of Everclear toured for two months in support of In a Different Light.
On December 28, 2009, Alexakis again posted on Myspace that former guitarist Davey French, was back on guitar, and Johnny Hawthorn was exiting the band. In the same blog, Alexakis said the band would be recording the next album in March and April 2010, for a 2011 release. On May 7, 2011, Alexakis announced on the band's Twitter page that keyboardist Josh Crawley had rejoined the band.
The band entered the studio in 2011 to record both a new forthcoming studio album and to record cover songs and re-recordings of past hits album entitled "Return to Santa Monica." Furthermore Extended Versions
Extended Versions (Everclear album)
Extended Versions is a live album by the American rock band Everclear, recorded at the Columbia City Theatre in Seattle WA on October 15, 2010. It was released in 2011.-Track listing:# Song From An American Movie Pt...
was released, which contains 10 live recordings of a show taken place on October 15th, 2010 in Seattle, WA at the Historic Columbia City Theatre.
Current members
- Art AlexakisArt AlexakisArthur Paul "Art" Alexakis is best known as the American singer, composer, and lead guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists...
– lead vocals, lead guitar (1992–present) - Dave French – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–2009; 2009–present)
- Josh Crawley – keyboards, backing vocals (2003–2009; 2011–present)
- Freddy Herrera – bass guitar, backing vocals (2009–present)
- Sean Winchester – drums, percussion (2010–present)
Former members
- Craig MontoyaCraig MontoyaCraig Montoya is the American bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear.-Early life:...
– bass guitar, backing vocals (1992–2003) - Greg EklundGreg EklundGreg Eklund was the American drummer for the rock band, Everclear, until 2003.Eklund attended high school at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, graduating in 1988...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–2003) - Brett Snyder – drums, percussion (2004–2008)
- Scott Cuthbert – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1992–1994)
- Eric Bretl – drums, percussion (2003–2004)
- Sasha Smith – keyboards, backing vocals (2009–2011)
- Sam Hudson – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–2009)
- Johnny Hawthorn – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009)
- Tommy StewartTommy StewartTommy Stewart is an American rock drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with heavy metal band Godsmack...
– drums, percussion (2008–2009) - Jordon Plosky - drums, percussion (2009–2010)
Touring members
- David LoPrinzi – bass guitar (1998); rhythm guitar (1998–2002)
- Mike "Basil" Ternyik – percussion (1999–2002)
- James Beaton – keyboards (1998–2001)
- Brian Lehfeldt – percussion (1998–1999)
- Steve Birch – rhythm guitar (1997–1998)
- Jeffrey Trapp – rhythm guitar (2003)
- Robbie Gennett – keyboards (2001)
Studio albums
- World of NoiseWorld of NoiseWorld of Noise is the debut album recorded by the band Everclear. It was recorded in a friend's basement for $400 with Art Alexakis on vocals/lead guitar, Craig Montoya on bass, Scott Cuthbert on drums and was released in 1993 by Tim Kerr Records....
(1993) - Sparkle and FadeSparkle and FadeSparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released on May 23, 1995. It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr...
(1995) - So Much for the AfterglowSo Much for the Afterglow-Personnel:* Art Alexakis - Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Guitar , Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, Cover Art Concept, Cover Design, Toy Piano...
(1997) - Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to SmileSongs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to SmileSongs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile is an album by Everclear, released on July 11, 2000. The album is a loose concept album based around lead singer Art Alexakis' second divorce...
(2000) - Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad AttitudeSongs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad AttitudeSongs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude is an album by Everclear, released on November 21, 2000. They recorded Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in the same year and released them only a few months apart. Both albums are loose concept albums based around Art Alexakis' second divorce...
(2000) - Slow Motion DaydreamSlow Motion DaydreamSlow Motion Daydream is an album by Everclear that was released by Capitol Records on March 11, 2003 . Recorded in 2002...
(2003) - Welcome to the Drama ClubWelcome to the Drama ClubWelcome to the Drama Club is the title of an album from rock band Everclear. It was released on September 12, 2006 by Eleven Seven Music. It was the first album to include the new line-up of Everclear, established following the departure of Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund after Everclear's previous...
(2006)
Television and film appearances
The song "The Swing" by Everclear is featured in the movie, "Scream 2".Everclear was featured in the 2000 film Loser
Loser (film)
Loser is a 2000 American romantic comedy film starring Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Greg Kinnear. It is about a small town teenager who is accepted into New York University and must cope with the pressures of college life and the big city...
. The main character goes to see the band in concert, and the songs "So Much for the Afterglow" and "I Will Buy You a New Life
I Will Buy You a New Life
"I Will Buy You a New Life" is a rock song by the band Everclear from their 1997 album So Much for the Afterglow. It peaked at number three on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, number 20 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart, and number 31 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart...
" can be heard.
Alexakis played a music teacher in a 2006 episode of the TEENick television series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, commonly called Ned's Declassified for short, is an American live-action situation comedy on Nickelodeon that debuted in the channel's Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The series' actual pilot episode aired on September 7, 2003...
and performed the song "Rock Star" along with the rest of the band.
The song "I Will Buy You a New Life
I Will Buy You a New Life
"I Will Buy You a New Life" is a rock song by the band Everclear from their 1997 album So Much for the Afterglow. It peaked at number three on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, number 20 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart, and number 31 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart...
" by Everclear is featured in the 2011 horror film "Final Destination V".