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IT'S MADNESS I TELL YOU! MAAAAADNESS!!!!!!!!
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am Everclear obsessed! With the band that is. Along with my brother and sister! I have been in love with them since 1994! My brother and sister have been probably one or two years more than me. And if you didn't know I was Everclear obsessed then SHAME ON YOU! You call yourself my relative/friend! I call you, "POOPHEAD!!!" Anyways, back to matters at hand! Everclear has always been music that could make me smile or take me away from it all! There was always one song that I could relate to my situation at the time, and they ALWAYS helped me cope! I know it was the same for my brother and sister! Everclear brought my sister and I closer! We would listen to them EVERYTIME she would come get me school! It was our bonding method! And we all were able to bond when a concert would come around, because we would all three go and experience the wonder and awe together! You know a band is your favorite, when you can't help but smile everytime you listen to them! Does that sound corny? Perhaps. Do I care? No...not really! Well, officially they broke up a few days ago, in May 2004!They're been together since the late 80's, early 90's. They broke up once before and got back together, but I think it's for good this time! The lead singer Art will still have the band and bring in a new bass guitar and drummer to tour with! He wrote all the songs and produced them anyways, but it's still REALLLLLLYYYYY SAD!!!! He's gonna start a new band! *sigh* I'm devastated to all extents of the word! Anyways, here are some biographys! And at the very bottom of this page, is the actual news excerpt, where I found out they had broken up!
For all your everclear needs, visit http://whitelightning.org/
I STILL LOVE THEM!!!!
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The pre-everclear years
The first band on my list is probably the least known of the 5 of Art's bands past and present. They were called The Medium. The Medium were basically a high school rock band that art played guitar in. The only thing ever recorded by the band is a half hour long jam tape of instrumental covers, so it's not even known who the lead singer was.
After a stint in college, Art formed a new band called Shakin Brave in L.A. They had a sort of classic rock feel to them and recorded a 7 song demo in 1987. The demo can be found on the Neverclear bootleg. Art moved the band to San Francisco where they broke up a short time later.
The very night the band broke up, Art and his first wife, Anita attended a cowpunk show and Art fell in love with the music. A month later, he formed the Easy Hoes. A short time after the band was formed in 1987, Art became manager and A&R of Shindig Records, a label that was started by him and a silent partner. Two years later, after constant gigging of the Hoes, getting the label together, looking for other acts and recording, the Hoes released their 1989 debut, "Tragic Songs Of Life". It was the first record off the Shindig label and to support it, the band went off on their 1989 "Tragic Tour". It was pretty long, encompassing a good deal of the U.S. But on the tour, Art got himself caught up in a bit of a supposed love triangle with bassist Kim Rohrbach and lead singer Jeff Krebs. After the tour the band quietly disbanded.
After the band broke up, Art formed Colorfinger, Jeff Krebs formed Molehill before eventually going off on his own and God only knows what happened to Kim and the drummer Kyle Statham.
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Everclear Beginnings
Art Alexakis (vocals, guitars) Craig Montoya (bass) Scoot Cuthbert (drums)
Formed by Art Alexakis (born April 12, 1962, West Los
Angeles, CA) in 1992, Portland, Oregon.
Art was raised to a middle class family and upon
overcoming the drug-related deaths of his girlfriend
and brother, Art cleaned himself up and formed a
country band. By 1992 Art met up with future Everclear
members, Craig Montoya and Scott Cuthbert. They would
record and release their debut EP, World Of Noise in
1993. The following year they would tour clubs and
events with the inclusion of new drummer, Greg Eklund.
In 1995 they would release the full-fledge album,
Sparkle and Fade and the single release, "Santa
Monica" caught on to the Los Angeles music scene,
securing the band a deal with Capitol Records. Soon to
follow would be the hit releases, So Much For The
Afterglow in 1997 and Songs from an American Movie,
Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile in Fall 2000 (along with
the partnered CD, Songs from an American Movie, Vol.
2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude in Late Fall 2000).
But the chart break-through would come in the form of
their 2001 release White Trash Hell and the single "AM
Radio"
Everclear could claim much the success to the media
figure, Art. His frequented appearences on political
ventures, including MTV's Rock The Vote, made
headlines.
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EVERYONE LOVES THE EVERCLEAR
BIOGRAPHY
Slowly, ever so slowly, Everclear built up a following with their sardonic rock, until it became clear that they just weren't going to go away. The Portland trio formed in 1992 when San Francisco transplant Art Alexakis (vocals, guitar) hooked up with Craig Montoya (bass, vocals) and Scott Cuthbert (drums). They recorded their World Of Noise demo for a reported in a basement; the "demo" became their 1993 debut album on local indie label Tim/Kerr Records. Considering the recording conditions, the album isn't that bad--though how it was able to snag the band a major-label deal is questionable (the album was re-released on Capitol). However, "Fire Maple Song" was a keeper and was thankfully remixed for an EP by the same title, which also included an acoustic version of the song. The additional tracks on the six-song EP benefitted slightly from new drummer Greg Eklund, who replaced Cuthbert.
Attention came with Everclear's first big studio record, Sparkle And Fade, which was once again produced by Alexakis. It took some time, but eventually radio played the hell out of the poppy single "Santa Monica," finally became "overnight" superstars.
In between albums, the band contributed songs to the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack ("Local God") and a Cheap Trick tribute compilation ("Southern Girls"). Alexakis also played a few solo shows to debut new material. Everclear's next (and most successful) full-length effort was So Much For The Afterglow (initially titled Pure White Evil), which appeared in October 1997. Though Alexakis's songs and production boasted a broader range of influences this time around, the end product was still pretty much typical Everclear. But obviously, if it ain't broke, don't fix it: Afterglow yielded several hits, including "Everything To Everyone," "Father Of Mine," and "I Will Buy You A New Life."
Everclear waited three long years to release new material, but they made up for lost time by simultaneously issuing two albums, Songs From An American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile and Songs From An American Movie Vol. 2: Good Time For A Bad Attitude. Both albums originally began as Alexakis solo projects, but eventually became full-fledged, official Everclear albums, and, once again, both featured the band's signature sound. While neither Songs From An American Movie disc fared as well commercially as So Much For The Afterglow, they solidified Everclear's status in the rock world and contained the minor hits "AM Radio" and "Rock Star," the latter of which appeared on the soundtrack for the movie of the same title.
Another three years passed before Everclear returned with their sixth album, 2003's Slow Motion Daydream. With song titles like "How To Win Friends And Influence People," "I Want To Die A Beautiful Death," and "Volvo-Driving Soccer Mom," it was obvious that the album didn't veer from Everclear's trademark ironic-rock formula. But their longtime fans probably wouldn't have had it any other way.
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MAY 23: CURRENT EVERCLEAR NEWS
If you haven't been following the day to day affairs in the Everclear world, here's a quick rundown of what's been going on.
Craig and Greg have officially departed the band. Both, however, have given their full blessing to Art continuing to perform and record as Everclear.
Craig has formed a new band with Scotty Heard (formerly of Sweaty Nipples) and one-time Everclear touring percussionist Brian Lehfeldt (also formerly of Sweaty Nipples). After months of debates, the band has finally settled on the name Tri-Polar, and have a preliminary website at TripolarMusic.com.
Art has recruited drummer Eric Bretl, guitarist Dave French, and bassist Sam Hudson as the new touring line-up for Everclear. They made their live debut in Long Beach in early April, and will play Harborfest in Racine, Wisconsin, on June 19th.
Art is still hosting Blackjack Radio on KNRK 94.7 FM in Portland every Sunday night, and has been making occasional appearances for the station. Check the KNRK website (knrk.com) for appearance information. (KNRK does not have a webcast at the moment, and Blackjack Radio is not available online.)
At the moment, there are no plans for new Everclear material. But an Everclear Greatest Hits is tentatively scheduled for an early fall release.
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