Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis (born April 12, 1962)
is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and 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. Alexakis founded several record labels throughout his career, and worked as an
A&R representative for major record labels between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist, and lobbied for special concerns which included drug awareness policies, and support of the families of the military.
Early life
Alexakis was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, the youngest of five children.
Soon after his father left the family (when Art was five years old),
financial difficulties forced his mother to relocate the family to the
Mar Vista Gardens Mar Vista Gardens is a housing project at 11965 Allin Street in Del Rey, a district of southwestern Los Angeles County, California near Culver City, bordering Ballona Creek. It is operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) ...
housing project in California, located on the west side of Los Angeles in Del Rey. Alexakis was physically and sexually abused by older children in his neighborhood.
His brother George died of a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...
overdose when Alexakis was 12. That same year, Alexakis's 15-year-old girlfriend committed suicide. Not long after her death, Alexakis attempted suicide by filling his pockets with sand and lead weights and jumping off the
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing.
Attractions Pacific Park
T ...
. Later, he said that the vision and voice of his brother George compelled him to survive. Alexakis started
shooting up
Drug injection is a method of introducing a drug into the bloodstream via a hollow hypodermic needle, which is pierced through the skin into the body (usually intravenously, but also at an intramuscular or subcutaneous location). Intravenous t ...
when he was 13, mostly taking
crystal methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
.
He became addicted to heroin and
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
, and he survived a cocaine overdose when he was 22. He quit drugs
cold turkey
"Cold turkey" refers to the abrupt cessation of a substance dependence and the resulting unpleasant experience, as opposed to gradually easing the process through reduction over time or by using replacement medication.
Sudden withdrawal from dru ...
in June 1989.
Alexakis took film classes at
Los Angeles Community College.
Music career
Early bands
While living in Los Angeles in the '80s, Alexakis was in a band called Shakin' Brave. Shakin' Brave featured a rather rough rock sound, but never really rose above the sea of music in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
. Alexakis and his first wife Anita relocated to San Francisco.
While living in San Francisco, Alexakis stumbled upon a genre of music known as "
cowpunk
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject matter ...
", a style merging two prevalent forms of music with which he grew up — the tunefulness of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
and the distorted guitars/fast tempo of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...
. Inspired, Alexakis established Shindig Records. He spent several years with his cowpunk band, the Easy Hoes that formed in the late '80s and released one album, ''Tragic Songs of Life'', in 1989.
Alexakis's next project began as a solo album but grew into a group project under the name Colorfinger. This band released the album, ''
Deep in the Heart of the Beast in the Sun
Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis (born April 12, 1962) is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter f ...
'' as well as an
EP, ''Demonstration''. Only the full-length album was made available for sale. Both were released on Alexakis's Shindig Records. A few songs originally performed by Colorfinger were made into Everclear songs, such as "Why I Don't Believe in God", "Invisible," "The Twistinside", "
Heartspark Dollarsign
"Heartspark Dollarsign" is the third single released from American rock band Everclear's second studio album, ''Sparkle and Fade''. Lead singer Art Alexakis wrote the song before Everclear formed, while he was in the band Colorfinger. The song wa ...
", and "Hateful".
Everclear
![Art Alexakis in 1999 with Everclear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Art_Alexakis_in_1999_with_Everclear.jpg)
Following a move to Portland, Alexakis placed an ad in ''The Rocket'' seeking a bass player and a drummer to form a new band. Alexakis had two respondents,
Craig Montoya
Craig Aloysius Montoya (born September 14, 1970) is the bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear. and Scott Cuthbert. The trio became the first incarnation of Everclear. After Cuthbert was replaced by
Greg Eklund, the band spent the better part of a decade as a dominant act on
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
radio. The band scored three
platinum album
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
s in ''
Sparkle & Fade'', ''
So Much for the Afterglow
''So Much for the Afterglow'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Everclear, released on October 7, 1997. It contained the singles "Everything to Everyone", " I Will Buy You a New Life", "Father of Mine", "So Much for t ...
'', and ''
Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile''.
The instability and personal turmoil Alexakis experienced throughout his life would directly inspire his lyrics. "
Father of Mine
"Father of Mine" is a rock song by American rock band Everclear from their 1997 album ''So Much for the Afterglow''. This song is autobiographical, as lead singer Art Alexakis's father left his family when he was a young boy. "Father of Mine" ...
" and "Why I Don't Believe in God" described his difficult youth, while "
Heroin Girl
"Heroin Girl" is a rock song by the band Everclear from their 1995 album ''Sparkle and Fade''. This song is generally agreed to be about lead singer Art Alexakis's girlfriend and brother overdosing on heroin; he heard the policeman say "Just a ...
", "Strawberry", and "Color Pit" touched upon his drug addictions. Everclear's breakthrough album, ''
Sparkle & Fade'', deals with the themes of escape and redemption that pervaded his life upon leaving San Francisco.
Songwriting and industry roles
While finding success as a musical act and songwriter, Alexakis took on other projects within the music industry. For several years, he served as an A&R representative for
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
. In 1996, he produced Frogpond's album, ''Count to Ten''.
In the early 2000s, Alexakis established his own label, Popularity Recordings, as a subsidiary of
Artemis Records
Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment.
Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. ...
. He produced the label's first release, the 2002 album ''Volume'' by
Flipp. The label closed in 2003.
Alexakis dabbled in songwriting with other artists, including co-writing and duetting the song "At the End of the Day" released on
Marion Raven's 2005 and 2007 albums, ''
Here I Am'' and ''
Set Me Free'', respectively.
In October 2008, Alexakis entered the studio with the
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...
-based band Apparently Nothing (previously a Madison band and later renamed to The Usual Things) to produce their debut album, tentatively titled ''The Middle Coast''.
Radio
From March 2017 through February 2019, Alexakis hosted a weekly radio show on
Sirius XM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
's 1990s alternative and grunge music channel,
Lithium
Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense soli ...
(Channel 34).
Film and television
In 2000, Alexakis made brief appearances in the
Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...
comedy ''
Committed''. He played the lead role in the 2006 short film ''Room to Breathe'' and had parts in ''Rid of Me'' (2011) and ''Rogue River'' (2012).
In 2014, he had a role as a tattoo artist in the biographical drama film ''
Wild
Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to:
Common meanings
* Wild animal
* Wilderness, a wild natural environment
* Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed
Art, media and entertainment Film and television
* ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...
'' starring
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
.
Alexakis was interviewed on ''
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast to the original ...
''; the interview never aired, although it is briefly glimpsed on Episode 60, "Lawsuit". In 2002, Alexakis appeared in two episodes of ''
The Chris Isaak Show
''The Chris Isaak Show'' is an American television sitcom that follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems. The series w ...
''. In 2006, he appeared on an episode of ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ned's Declassified'') is an American live action sitcom on Nickelodeon that debuted on the Nickelodeon Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The serie ...
'' on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
as a music teacher named Mr. Gibson (a reference to
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
guitars).
In August 2006, Alexakis appeared on ''
The O'Reilly Factor
''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
'' discussing the music video for "Hater", the first single from Everclear's ''
Welcome to the Drama Club
''Welcome to the Drama Club'' is the seventh studio 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 ...
''.
Political activism
In 2000, Alexakis testified before
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in support of HR 1488, the Compassion for Children and Child Support Enforcement Act. Through ACES, the Association of Children for the Enforcement of Support, President Geraldine Jenson and
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...
sponsored this bill. The law passed.
Alexakis was a delegate for the
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts for president and Senator John Edwards from North ...
representing
Oregon's 3rd congressional district
Oregon's 3rd congressional district covers most of Multnomah County, including Gresham, Troutdale, and most of Portland east of the Willamette River (parts of Northwest and Southwest Portland lie in the 1st and 5th districts). It also i ...
after campaigning for
John Edwards
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...
during the
2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He and Everclear recorded the
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspire ...
standard "
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 American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940 in critical response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", with melody based on a Carter Fam ...
", which he performed at several political events.
Alexakis is also a
gay rights activist. In 2010, he expressed his support for
gay marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
and opposition to
Proposition 8
Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned in cou ...
, "I don't think Prop 8, gay marriage or the things your community lobbies for are political issues. We are Americans; that's where it ends. If Lady Justice is supposed to be blind, then why not towards your community? It is going to happen; it's happening, and I think it is a great thing." In the same interview, he reflected on the gay rights movement in the 1970s by saying, "I went to San Francisco to see the
Sex Pistols in 1978. I was barely 16 and I went with this neighbor of mine, who my mom didn't know was gay, but I knew was gay. I went to
Castro
Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''.
...
with a whole group of gay guys and saw a side of the culture that I had never seen before. I was aware of
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...
before most people were. It was a great experience."
Alexakis has also been involved in drug awareness programs, including the taping of
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
s for the
Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Along with Everclear, he has performed for U.S. soldiers in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Hawaii, and Abu Dhabi. He has also performed for Snowball Express, which organizes events for military families who lost loved ones in the war.
Personal life
During his younger years, Alexakis was an
atheist. In an August 2000 interview with ''
Spin'', Alexakis stated he had since become Christian. Speaking about his then-fiancée Stephanie Greig, he said, "She's a Christian, and I'm a Christian—my ex isn't—and so I was like, it's okay to be a Christian. I'm not like a
born-again
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
... Well, I guess I ''am'' born-again, in a way. But I don't knock people over the head with it. I just kind of use my spirituality to make my life better."
On March 26, 2019, Alexakis announced that he had been diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis in a letter to fans posted on the band's website. Alexakis says he was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS following a car accident three years prior.
Partial discography
With The Easy Hoes:
* 1989 – ''Tragic Songs of Life''
With Colorfinger:
* 1990 – ''Deep in the Heart of the Beast in the Sun''
* 1990 – ''Demonstration''
With
Everclear:
* 1993 – ''
World of Noise''
* 1995 – ''
Sparkle and Fade''
* 1997 – ''
So Much for the Afterglow
''So Much for the Afterglow'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Everclear, released on October 7, 1997. It contained the singles "Everything to Everyone", " I Will Buy You a New Life", "Father of Mine", "So Much for t ...
''
* 2000 – ''
Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile''
* 2000 – ''
Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude''
* 2003 – ''
Slow Motion Daydream''
* 2004 – ''
Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004''
* 2006 – ''
Welcome to the Drama Club
''Welcome to the Drama Club'' is the seventh studio 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 ...
''
* 2008 – ''
The Vegas Years
''The Vegas Years'' is a compilation of cover songs by American rock band Everclear (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 ...
''
* 2009 – ''
In a Different Light''
* 2012 – ''
Invisible Stars''
* 2015 – ''
Black Is the New Black''
Solo:
* 2019 – ''
Sun Songs''
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexakis, Art
1962 births
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Converts to Christianity from atheism or agnosticism
Everclear (band) members
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Living people
Musicians from Portland, Oregon
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