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band history
While living in Los Angeles, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis led a band called 'Shakin' Brave'. After moving to San Francisco with his wife Anita, he started cow-punk band 'The Easy Hoes' who released one cassette called 'Tragic Songs of Life' in 1989 on Alexakis' own label Shindig Records.
In 1990 a solo project turned into alternative/country band 'Colorfinger' who released one full length album, 'Deep In The Heart Of The Beast In The Sun' and one demo EP on Shindig.
When Shindig's distributor Rough Trade went bankrupt Shindig followed and no Colorfinger or Easy Hoes material in currently in print. There are only 1000 copies of 'Deep In The Heart Of The Beast In The Sun' in existence.
Soon after Shindig closed in 1992, Colorfinger disbanded and Art moved to his girlfriend's hometown of Portland, Oregon where they married and had a daughter. Here Art placed an ad in a local newspaper and received two responses. One from bassist Craig Montoya and one from drummer Scott Cuthbert.
Montoya had previously played with a band called 'Soul Hammer' in Spokane, Washington but when the band relocated to Portland they disbanded. The three men became Everclear and had their first practice four days after the birth of Art's daughter, Annabella. They recorded their 'World of Noise' demo for as a tape to give to clubs to get gigs. It later became their 1993 debut album.
In 1994 Scott Cuthbert was dismissed from the band for breaking Art's no drugs policy. He was replaced by local drummer Greg Eklund. The band were then signed to Capitol Records.
Many of Art's songs are deeply autobiographical or based on his own life experiences.
Arthur Paul Alexakis was born on April 12th, 1962. At a very young age Art's father walked out on the family, leaving Art, his mother and two sisters to fend for themselves. Financial difficulties forced the family to moved to the housing projects of Mar Vista, California, located in Los Angeles near Culver City.
There, Art became directly involved with the area's criminal and drug culture. His brother, George, died of a drug overdose when Art was 12 and he was 21. About a year later Art's girlfriend overdosed and was discovered laying face down in a sewage ditch. Art lost his virginity when he was 14 years old to a 15 year old girl in the back of a truck while her boyfriend looked on. Not long after this he tried to commit suicide by getting stoned, filling his pockets with sand and jumping off the Santa Monica Pier. He says it was the voice of his brother which compelled him to survive.
Over the next eight years his drug addictions continued and he was shuffled around between various family members around the country.
Eventually he returned to live with his mother in Los Angeles and a near-fatal cocaine overdose pushed him to quit drugs when he came around and found himself laying on his brother's grave.
After cleaning himself up he attended journalism school and worked as a music reviewer for 'The Evening Outlook', a small newspaper in Santa Monica. He briefly attended UCLA Film School before focusing on his musical career.
click here for hungryandhollow.com
lyrics to 'santa monica'
I am still living with your ghost
Lonely and dreaming of the west coast
I don't want to be your downtime
I don't want to be your stupid game
With my big black boots and an old suitcase
I do believe I'll find myself a new place
I don't want to be the bad guy
I don't want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to see some palm trees
Go and try and shake away this disease
We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die
I am still dreaming of your face
Hungry and hollow for all the things you took away
I don't want to be your good time
I don't want to be your fall-back crutch anymore
I'll walk right out into a brand new day
Insane and rising in my own weird way
I don't want to be the bad guy
I don't want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to feel some sunshine
I just want to find some place to be alone
We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die
click here for the official everclear site
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everclear songs to check out:
sparkle
electra made me blind
santa monica
summerland
heartspark dollarsign
the twistinside
1975
for pete's sake
father of mine
one hit wonder
amphetamine
like a california king
learning how to smile
wonderful
rock star
short blonde hair
misery whip
overwhelming
the swing
local god
the boys are back in town (Thin Lizzy cover)
sin city (AC/DC cover)
check out hungryandhollow.com for a complete listing of everclear songs |
art alexakis
"I'd like to debate with George W. Bush. I'd like to ask him why he's such a pimp.
Why, basically, he figures he can use looks and family ties and big dirty oil money to take over the job of President.
I just can't believe our country will vote in an anti-choice, anti-abortion choice candidate - because he's pro-life.
He's like, 'Well, I could be more middle of the road, perhaps. If the woman's raped, maybe then, maybe then'.
Fuck you."
**Have you had anyone saying that your 'Vol. One' title sounds rather pretentious?**
I don't think it's pretentious, not if you know me.
I don't smile a helluva lot - when I'm happy, I do, but people are constantly going (sighs and pulls grinning face, while
putting on a patronising voice) "Gimme a smile. Why don't you smile more?"
And after, I elbow them in the mouth and explain to them that I'm smiling on the inside."
Art on "Songs From An American Movie Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile" |
