Everclear lead man shakes up new album, politics
By CHRIS FANNING
Get Out

Art Alexakis is not happy about the outcome of the recent presidential election.

As the frontman for the rock band Everclear, he's given the world hit songs such as “Wonderful,” “Santa Monica” and “Everything to Everyone.” As a politically conscious artist, he's testified before Congress regarding child support laws, was an elected delegate from Oregon's 3rd Congressional District at this year's Democratic National Convention and also recorded a version of Woody Guthrie's “This Land is Your Land” for Rock the Vote.

“I feel that people got into the lies,” Alexakis says. “I think a lot of good people are afraid and they made a choice based on their fear and the fear was reported and propelled by lies. I think a lot of people avoided the issues. If it had been about the issues, it wouldn’t have even been a close election and Kerry would have won it.”

This fall, Alexakis released “Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004.” The album contains the band's biggest hits from their six full-length studio albums as well as a couple of songs from movie soundtracks and two previously unreleased tracks.

“Capitol (Records) wanted to do a greatest hits album,” the singer/ songwriter says. “But I wanted to do more than just radio songs with an old picture and that’s probably what they would have done. They came to me and asked me if I wanted to do it and I said yeah, even though we’re not on Capitol anymore. I think it’s a great package for old fans and for new fans.”

Looking back on the years that made up the first run of Everclear, Alexakis said that he was proud of how the band progressed and grew. He said that he never “changed to fit some idea of what to sound like.”

“I think the day we found out we had a top 10 album was big,” he says.
“All of those things in and of themselves aren’t reasons to be proud, but I think I was proud of the success because I always did what I wanted to do. I never sold out. Even when we did our poppiest stuff, it was exactly what I wanted to do at the time.”

With a recent shake-up in the Everclear lineup, Alexakis has found a new bass player, drummer, guitarist and added a keyboard player. He said that he is looking at the changes as a new beginning for the band and their sound will be less bombastic and more groove oriented with a singer/songwriter feel. Song subject matter will remain whatever Alexakis is feeling, but will also deal with his life a little more.

“Very few songs up until now have been autobiographical,” Alexakis says. “A lot of them have to do with my life or experiences or thoughts. This next record that I do will be pretty autobiographical. I’ve spent over a year dealing with the heartbreak of a divorce and it’s been a trying year, but it’s not just the heartbreak — it’s also the growing that comes along with that. There’s a lot of that but it hurts bad, too.”

Apart from music, Alexakis is also an author and plans to put out a couple of books in the future. One is based on his family dealing with his brother dying of a heroine overdose when Alexakis was 12.

In the past year, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis have both released books that tell the tales of their problems with drugs. Alexakis, who has dealt with his own addictions, says he doesn’t have any plans for writing something similar.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get into the memoirs of my life,” he says. “Someday, probably, but not right now.”

With plans to record a new album with Everclear's revamped lineup, Alexakis says he’s not going to set any expectations.

“I try not to look too far into the future,” he says. “I didn’t do it the first time around and we’re getting started with our second time and I’m just enjoying every day as much as I can. I’m just glad that I can do this for a living.”

Everclear
With: Michael Tolcher, Avion
Where: Venue of Scottsdale, 7117 E. Third Ave.
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
How much: $25
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