Written By: Jim Markunas(Editor-In-Chief)
Photos By: Ed Hannigan
View all of Ed’s Everclear photos here.
10. Art Is Cool - He is, isn’t he? Yes! At 47, Art’s still got it, a rarity in a world of Fleetwood Mac and Eagles reunions that never seem to end when they should. Significantly less gay than Joe Perry, and more fun to watch than Frank Black, Everclear frontman, Art Alexakis makes this band what it is. The world loves a good frontman, and Art is one of the best – Take that Don Henley, you big ass!
9. Work Ethic - Everclear has never been a lazy band. They’ve toured incessantly since 1994, and aren’t afraid to start from scratch. Capitol drops them… Who cares? Band mates leave… no problem! Art is a working man, and much like B.B. King, he’ll be doing this until the day he dies.
8. They Treat Their Fans Well - Even when they were the biggest band in the world, Everclear always (and still do) made an effort to meet their fans after every show. In their arena days, they even went as far as letting some fans strap on a guitar and play with them. I managed to catch Art Alexakis on his “All By Mice-Elf” solo acoustic tour in 2003, and he actually brought audience members on stage to play various instruments. This quality is priceless - in a world of “we must treat our idols like they jump into their pants in the morning,” Art and Everclear remind us that they put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.
7. Street Cred - Most rock bands, musicians, and rappers get soft in their old age. Can I believe Dr. Dre is still shooting people and running drugs out of his mansion and cushy office at Interscope? Do I believe Bruce Springsteen is still a ‘working man’ suffering through poverty and bad economic times just like the rest of us? Fuck no! These old guys are major paid… and soft! Artists like this have forgotten what hardship feels like. Art, on the other hand, can never catch a break. Yes… This sucks for him, but is great for Everclear fans, as Art never runs out of painful shit to put on wax! In 1995, Art frequently wrote songs about loss, being poor and drug addiction (stuff he really experienced). In 2009, he’s writing about divorce, being poor once again, and more loss (again, things that he’s REALLY experiencing). “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” aside, you’ll never catch Art over-using his artistic license for the sake of staying credible – he’s 100% real.6. The Hank Williams Syndrome… Or… What’s Bad For Everclear Is Good For American Music - Once you see what’s happened to Art in his life, suddenly your problems don’t seem all that bad. Yes… Art has had a hard life (like a Hank Williams song on steroids), and he can’t seem to stop living a hard life. Because of this, Everclear will always be the “underdog,” the band we root for. We want to see Everclear succeed, because if they can make their lives and career work despite all the fuck-ups, we everyday folk feel like we can succeed and make our lives work. Remember, if Everclear wins, we all win!
5. There’s Still Demand - The Roxy was damn-near sold out last Thursday (see our review). People still want to see a band with a track record play live. Can you assume that bands like Papa Roach, Everclear, Dinosaur Jr., The Foo Fighters, etc. will always put on a good show? I’d say it’s a safe assumption. Everclear has a proven track record, and it hold more weight than the next indie/L.A. flavor of the month.
4. They Change Just Enough - Critics have busted Everclear’s balls for years on the notion that they sound the same on every album. Yes… Everclear will always sound like Everclear… How is this a bad thing? Someone please explain that to me! When I buy an Everclear album, I expect it to be consistent. Would I like it if Art put out a speed-metal album? Would I like it if he crossed the bullshit, overrated stylings of Sigur Rós with the whininess of Fallout Boy? Fuck no, I wouldn’t!!!! However, Everclear changes just enough from record-to-record to sound fresh. Were American Movie 1 & 2 re-hashes of So Much For The Afterglow? No! They were different enough to be great, just as Welcome To The Drama Club is different from Slow Motion Daydream . Basically, we expect Everclear to sound like Everclear; I wouldn’t bust Paul McCartney’s balls for sounding like Paul McCartney, would I?
3. The Nirvana Syndrome… Or… Disenfranchised Youth - As long as high school, depression, and teenage angst/ennui exist, Everclear will have fans. People need music that makes them feel better about the shitty parts of life – Everclear is the perfect music for that.
2. Hooks - Everclear is catchy. Enough said.
1. Everclear’s Music is Timeless – Yes, they have the habit of sometimes sounding a little bit like they walked right out of the 1970s bar scene, but you can’t beat the tried-and-true pop/gunge/alt formula of verse, chorus, verse, bridge, etc., and you can’t beat the catchiness of almost any Everclear song or album. Radio-friendly without being wussy and uninventive, the entire Everclear catalog (with the exception of World Of Noise ) will never sound ‘dated’ – Art planned for this (he’s the principle songwriter and producer of every Everclear album), and judging by Everclear’s pop sensibility, his plan seems to have worked. I just hope he get’s his publishing rights back sometime in the near future.
Want more Everclear?
Download Everclear’s "Here Comes The Darkness"
Everclear Feature - 10 Reasons Why Everclear is Still Relevant
Rock/Metal Editor, Jason Coldiron interviews Art Alexakis
Everclear Tour News
View all of Ed’s Everclear Photos (Roxy)
View All of Ed’s Everclear Photos (House of Blues)
CWG's review of In A Different Light
