HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Everclear is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, in 1991. The band was formed by Art Alexakis, the band's lead songwriter,
vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
, and guitarist; and for most of the band's height of popularity, consisted of
Craig Montoya Craig Aloysius Montoya (born September 14, 1970) is the bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear.
on
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
and
Greg Eklund Greg Eklund (born April 18, 1970) is an American musician/drummer. Originally, he was the drummer for Jolly Mon and quit the band after the release of their debut album. He then joined the rock band Everclear as their drummer from 1994-2003, T ...
on drums. After the limited release of their independently released debut album, '' World of Noise'', the band found success with their first three albums on Capitol Records: '' Sparkle and 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'', which were all certified platinum in sales. However, the following two albums '' Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude'' and ''
Slow Motion Daydream ''Slow Motion Daydream'' is the sixth studio album by Everclear. It was released in the U.S. in 2003 on Capitol Records and recorded in 2002. Production The first single released to radio from ''Slow Motion Daydream'' was " Volvo Driving Socc ...
'', were not as well received, and as sales suffered, Montoya and Eklund left the band shortly after in 2003. After a brief stint of solo performances, Alexakis decided to push forward with the Everclear name, finding new musicians to perform with and releasing two more albums, ''
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 ...
'' and '' Invisible Stars''. In 2012, Alexakis started a 1990s nostalgia tour, named the Summerland Tour, which occurs every summer with Everclear and other 1990s alternative rock bands. In April 2015, the band released a ninth studio album, entitled '' Black is the New Black''.


History


Formation and ''World of Noise'' (1992–1993)

Art Alexakis suffered through a troubled youth, beginning with his father walking out when Alexakis was a child. Financial hardships pushed his family into the slums of Los Angeles, where Alexakis became a heavy drug user. During his teenage years, Alexakis was shuttled around the country between various family members (including a brief period in Houston living with his father's new family), but the drug addiction persisted. Eventually, Alexakis suffered a near-fatal cocaine overdose, which finally pushed him to clean up. In the late 1980s, Alexakis played in a short-lived rock band in Los Angeles called Shakin' Brave, where he began to hone his songwriting skills. Frustrated by the inattention of the L.A. music scene, Art relocated to San Francisco, where he fell into the then-burgeoning
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 matte ...
scene. Alexakis founded Shindig Records, a label that represented San Francisco's cowpunk scene. He began recording material of his own for a solo album, but it eventually evolved into a group project called Colorfinger. Alexakis wrote under the pseudonym "A.D. Nation" while writing/recording with Colorfinger. While involved with Colorfinger, he wrote several songs that would later find success as Everclear songs, including "The Twistinside", " Heartspark Dollarsign", and "Why I Don't Believe in God". In a single month in 1992, Shindig failed (when its distributor went bankrupt), Colorfinger broke up, and Alexakis learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. Seeking a change of location, Alexakis and his girlfriend moved to her hometown, Portland, Oregon. There, he placed an ad in local music weekly ''The Rocket'', which earned two responses: bass player Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert. The name Everclear was chosen as a reference to the infamous grain alcohol. In an interview with The Discovering Alcoholic, Alexakis called it "pure, white evil" for its deceptive nature. The new band began recording in a friend's basement, essentially bartering for recording time with musical gear and whatever limited funds they could scrounge up. The sessions culminated in two releases: the '' Nervous & Weird'' EP and the band's first full-length release '' World of Noise'', both released by Portland's
Tim/Kerr Tim/Kerr (also known as T/K) was an American independent record label in Portland, Oregon, United States, run by Thor Lindsay and Thomas "Tim" Kerr IV from 1985 until 1999. Between 1978 and 1984 Lindsay and Kerr were also co-owners of an independ ...
Records in 1993. Frustrated by Tim/Kerr's limited resources, Alexakis hired independent promoters to help push the album.


Mainstream success (1994–2001)


''Sparkle and Fade'' (1994–1995)

The band spent much of 1994 seeking out a major label deal. After a modest bidding war, they were signed to Capitol Records by Gary Gersh, who was responsible for signing
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
, Sonic Youth, and
Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist M ...
to
DGC Records DGC Records (an initialism for the David Geffen Company) was an American record label that operated as a division of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, which is owned by the Universal Music Group. History DGC Records was launched in 1990 as a subsi ...
. Just before their signing, Everclear parted ways with drummer Cuthbert, citing personality conflicts, and brought in former Jollymon drummer Greg Eklund. In May 1995, the band released their first album for the label, '' Sparkle and Fade''. The album's first single, " Heroin Girl", received some modest airplay via MTV's '' 120 Minutes'', but was generally missed by the mainstream. However, near the end of 1995, the second single "
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...
" found a strong audience via the burgeoning
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...
radio format, which eventually carried over to mainstream success. The album subsequently was
certified platinum 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 ...
. However, two ensuing singles, " Heartspark Dollarsign" and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore", failed to find a wide audience, and the band ended 1996 fast at work on their second full-length album. As ''Sparkle and Fade'' reached its audience, Everclear had to endure consistent comparisons to
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
, particularly given the album's subject matter and drug references. Following a show with the Foo Fighters at the end of 1995, Dave Grohl told MTV News that he did not think that Everclear sounded like Nirvana, noting that
Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...
sounded more like Nirvana than any other band.


''So Much for the Afterglow'' (1996–1999)

By the end of 1996, the band had nearly completed the album, which they planned to release under the title ''Pure White Evil''. Alexakis, however, was dissatisfied with the results, and decided to work on more songs for the effort, including "One Hit Wonder" and the eventual title-track to the album, ''
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 ...
''. The songs "The Swing" and "Otis Redding" were cut from the Pure White Evil Sessions and were not included on ''So Much for the Afterglow''. Eventually they were released: the former on the soundtrack album for ''
Scream 2 ''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Tim ...
'' and the latter on '' Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile''. ''So Much for the Afterglow'' was released in October 1997. The first two singles from the album, "
Everything to Everyone ''Everything to Everyone'' (commonly abbreviated ''E2E'') is the sixth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in 2003 and was produced by Ron Aniello. Singles from the album include " Another Postcard", "Testing 1, 2, 3 ...
" and " I Will Buy You a New Life", performed modestly, but helped to begin a slow build for the album, while "Local God" was featured in Baz Luhrmann's ''
Romeo + Juliet Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...
'' in 1996 as well as on the soundtrack. The band completed a US tour at the end of the year, and started 1998 with a tour of Australia. The Australian tour, however, was an unexpected disaster. At a show in
Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wa ...
, someone threw a shoe at Alexakis, knocking loose a few of his teeth. Two nights later in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, someone threw a lit explosive on stage, which exploded and burned a stagehand. Tensions erupted backstage, with touring guitarist Steve Birch refusing to continue, and Montoya getting into a heated argument with Alexakis. In interviews for
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...
's
Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
, the band related that they nearly broke up that night. The band decided to cancel the remainder of their tour following a final show on the Gold Coast, during which Alexakis was hit with a shoe (while the crowd was singing him "Happy Birthday") and Montoya's acoustic bass guitar was stolen. Montoya declined to join the band for the ensuing tour of the United Kingdom, with then-bass-tech David LoPrinzi filling in. Everclear did not return to Australia until 2012. Following an extensive tour of the United States with
Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit " Sex and Candy". History Early ...
and
Fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
, the band released ''Afterglows third single, "
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" ...
". The song catapulted the album and the band to mainstream success. ''Afterglow'' provided the band their only
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nomination to date, a Best Rock Instrumental nod in 1998 for "El Distorto de Melodica". Later that year, the band won Billboard's Modern Rock Band of the Year Award. Though ''Afterglow'' never charted higher than No. 33 on the ''Billboard'' album chart, the album reached double-platinum status at the end of the year.


''Songs from an American Movie Vol. One'' and ''Vol. Two'' (2000–2001)

Following the success of ''
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 ...
'', Alexakis decided to step back from the Everclear sound and record a solo album of more pop-influenced songs, and brought in Everclear touring musicians David LoPrinzi, Brian Lehfeldt, and James Beaton to perform on the recordings. Unhappy with the results of the initial sessions, Alexakis decided to bring in Montoya and Eklund and transform the effort into an Everclear album. The results were released as '' Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile'' in July 2000. The album yielded the band's most successful single, " Wonderful", and eventually reached platinum status. The song "Wonderful" was also notably used as the graduation song for the Columbine High School class of 2000, who the year before suffered from the Columbine High School massacre. Rather than tour for the release, the band arranged with their label to release a second album in 2000. Alexakis believed he had enough of a catalog of unreleased songs at the ready, and was eager to show the opposing sides of Everclear's sound. However, delays in the mixing process of ''Learning How to Smile'' had pushed its initial April release to July, limiting the amount of recording time for the follow-up in order to meet Capitol's demands of an end-of-the-year release. Proclaimed as a "return to rock", '' Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude'' was released just four months after ''Vol. One'' in November 2000. Unfortunately, the promotional push for ''Vol. Two'' while still in the throes of supporting ''Vol. One'' confused much of the music-buying public. ''Learning How to Smiles second single "
AM Radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmis ...
" was released barely weeks before the release of ''Vol. Two'', leaving some stores to mistakenly label the song as the first single from ''Vol. Two''. The confusion was amplified by the band's decision to accept an opening slot for
Matchbox 20 Matchbox Twenty (also known as Matchbox 20 and MB20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums ...
in the months after the release of ''Vol. Two'', a somewhat awkward billing for a band who was trying to support a hard rock album. By the late spring of 2001, both albums had stalled. Capitol attempted a final push by re-releasing ''Learning How to Smile'' with "Out of My Depth" and "Rock Star" from ''Good Time for a Bad Attitude'' as bonus tracks. A cover of
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...
's "
Brown Eyed Girl "Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison. Written by Morrison and recorded in March 1967 for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns, it was released as a single in June of the same year on the Bang la ...
" received some modest airplay as a result, but couldn't help revive the momentum. A tour of the United Kingdom for what would have been the band's first extensive tour out of the country since 1998 was cancelled shortly before its start. That summer, the band decided to license the song "Rock Star" to the movie of the same name.


''Slow Motion Daydream'' (2002–2003)

The band regrouped a year later to record their sixth album, ''
Slow Motion Daydream ''Slow Motion Daydream'' is the sixth studio album by Everclear. It was released in the U.S. in 2003 on Capitol Records and recorded in 2002. Production The first single released to radio from ''Slow Motion Daydream'' was " Volvo Driving Socc ...
'', released in March 2003. Prior to its release, Alexakis and Capitol came to odds over the album's first single. Capitol was thrilled about one of the last songs added to the album, a somewhat 9/11-influenced "The New York Times". Alexakis, however, had previewed a
tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...
ode to suburbanite housewives, " Volvo Driving Soccer Mom", during a solo tour in 2002, and had received a fair amount of media attention. Capitol eventually relented to Alexakis' demands and released the song and video, but didn't put much effort into the song and album's promotion. "The New York Times" was released shortly thereafter as the second single with even less support from the label, and the album stalled after selling 100,000 copies. At the end of the tour support for ''Slow Motion Daydream'' in August 2003, Montoya and Eklund decided that it was time to move on, and departed the band to pursue other interests. The following summer, Everclear ended its relationship with Capitol Records. Capitol compiled a Greatest Hits album reflecting the band's tenure at the label, titled '' Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear 1994-2004'', which was released in October 2004.


Line-up changes and ''Welcome to the Drama Club'' (2004–2009)

After a solo tour in the fall of 2003, Alexakis decided to continue with Everclear, organizing a new band that made its debut in March 2004. The new lineup consisted of bassist Sam Hudson, guitarist Dave "Davey" French, and drummer Eric Bretl. In the summer of 2004, the band added keyboardist Josh Crawley, and swapped Bretl for former Everclear drum tech Brett Snyder. The new lineup released its first recording, a cover of
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 inspired ...
's "
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 ...
", that summer. Alexakis, an Oregon delegate, performed the song (as well as "Everything to Everyone") with an acoustic guitar during a CNN interview at 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 ...
. A self-released EP of performances recorded for
XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its se ...
called '' Closure'' was given out at shows in the fall of 2004. Free of a major label, Alexakis spent the ensuing year and a half slowly recording material for a new Everclear release. He admitted that the time after the breakup of the original lineup served as a "wake up call", during which he suffered his third divorce and filed for bankruptcy and did not retain sole custody of his family pet, a dog named Scooby. The new lineup was signed to
Eleven Seven Music Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''E ...
. Everclear released ''
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 ...
'' on September 12, 2006, the title being in honor of their affection for the stage. Two singles were released from the album, "Hater" and "Glorious". In January 2008, Alexakis posted on the band's Myspace that they were working on a covers album, and a new album, which was expected to be released in 2008. In addition, two unreleased songs from the ''Drama Club'' sessions, "Downtime" and "Here Comes the Darkness", were posted.
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 ...
, a collection of cover songs was released April 15, 2008 by Capitol Records. It contained a mix of newly recorded, previously released, live, and remixed older covers. To celebrate the release, Art and the band hosted a live video chat. They confirmed they would be touring in the summer of 2008 including a possible UK tour in autumn. They also announced a series of singles to be released for download online in the summer. In August 2008 former
Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its form ...
and Fuel drummer
Tommy Stewart Tommy Stewart is an American drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with the band Godsmack. He has also toured and recorded with a number of other bands including Detroit based metal band Halloween, ...
replaced Brett Snyder on drums. While guest hosting on Sirius radio station 24, Lithium, Art Alexakis debuted "Jesus Was a Democrat". In November 2008 the band traveled around
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
in support of the troops and the USO. They stopped at
Camp Liberty Camp Liberty is a former United States military installation in Baghdad, Iraq. The installation was used from 2012 to September 2016 to house members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI, also called MEK), who had been forcibly evicted from ...
, Camp Shield and
Camp Slayer Victory Base Complex (VBC) was a cluster of U.S. military installations surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The primary component of the VBC was Camp Victory, the location of the Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters f ...
, FOB Echo and many other FOBs around the country. The sets were primarily done acoustically and consisted of most of the band's hits. In March 2009, Art Alexakis went on a solo acoustic tour, playing Hard Rock Cafes around the US. The tour was a benefit for the Musicians on Call charity. On October 6, 2009, the band released '' In a Different Light'', a collection of re-recordings of old Everclear songs in a more acoustic fashion. The collection also featured two new Everclear songs, "Here Comes the Darkness", which was actually a leftover track from ''Welcome to the Drama Club'', and "At the End of the Day", which Alexakis had written and performed with
Marion Raven Marion Elise Ravn (born 25 May 1984), better known abroad as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo ar ...
. On September 13, 2009, Alexakis posted a blog on Myspace that all of the current members had left the band, and were replaced by all new musicians, including Freddy Herrera who was the bassist of
The Exies The Exies were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Their name, "The Exies", is short for "The Existentialists". Their two Virgin Records releases, ''Inertia'' (2003) and ''Head for the Door'' (2004), have sold o ...
, who had previously toured with Everclear. This new version of Everclear toured for two months in support of ''In a Different Light''. In another Myspace post on December 28, 2009, Alexakis announced that former Everclear guitarist Davey French had returned, and Johnny Hawthorn was exiting the band. In the same blog, Alexakis said the band would be recording the next album in March and April 2010, for a 2011 release.


''Return to Santa Monica'', ''Invisible Stars'', 1990s nostalgia touring and ''Black Is the New Black'' (2010–present)

The band entered the studio in 2011 to begin work on both a new forthcoming studio album and to record an album of cover songs and new versions of past hits. The album entitled '' Return to Santa Monica'' was released on September 27, 2011. The band released ''Extended Versions'' on August 16, 2011, which contained 10 live songs recorded on October 15, 2010, in Seattle, WA at the Historic Columbia City Theatre. On May 7, 2011, Alexakis announced on the band's
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
page that keyboardist Josh Crawley had rejoined the band. Crawley left again in 2016. In June 2012, Everclear released their first album of new material in six years, entitled '' Invisible Stars''. In support of the album, Alexakis announced the Summerland Tour, a '90s nostalgia tour featuring Everclear themselves,
Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single "Fly". The ...
, Lit,
Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit " Sex and Candy". History Early ...
, and the
Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, ''New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that albu ...
. In 2013 the Summerland Tour returned, this time consisting of Everclear, Live,
Filter Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component tha ...
, and
Sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
. Everclear announced Summerland 2014 consisting of Everclear,
Eve 6 Eve 6 is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Southern California, best known for their hit singles "Inside Out," "Leech," " Here's to the Night," and "Promise." They disbanded in 2004, returned for numerous tours in 2007 with a new lineup ...
,
Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
, and
Spacehog Spacehog are an English rock band formed in 1994 in New York City. Their music is heavily influenced by David Bowie, Queen, and T. Rex. The band's best known single is "In the Meantime". History Though all the band members are from Leeds, We ...
. During the 2014 Summerland tour, Everclear announced a forthcoming album release, and included in their set lists for the tour a new song to be on the new album. The resulting album, '' Black is the New Black'', was released in April 2015. They have not released an album since then, but still continue to tour with bands such as Marcy Playground and
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...
.


Influences

Everclear has been described under multiple genres, predominantly
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 commerci ...
, and
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...
, but also
post-grunge Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox and Collective Soul that emulated th ...
, grunge-punk, grunge, and
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
. ''Sparkle and Fade'' was predominantly alternative rock, but with occasional songs that were instead considered punk rock and grunge. ''So Much for the Afterglow'' featured a more experimental sound, moving further away from grunge-inspired music and more to a power pop sound. Alexakis said of the grunge label: Everclear is influenced by
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
,
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
, X, the Replacements,
the Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Loverin ...
, Bruce Springsteen,
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
, Elvis Costello, and Green Day.


Band members

;Current members * Art Alexakis – lead vocals, guitar (1992–present) *Dave French – guitar, backing vocals (2003–2009, 2009–present) *Freddy Herrera – bass guitar, backing vocals (2009–present) *Brian Nolan – drums (2018–present) ;Former members *
Craig Montoya Craig Aloysius Montoya (born September 14, 1970) is the bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear.
– bass guitar, backing vocals (1992–2003) *Scott Cuthbert – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1992–1994) *
Greg Eklund Greg Eklund (born April 18, 1970) is an American musician/drummer. Originally, he was the drummer for Jolly Mon and quit the band after the release of their debut album. He then joined the rock band Everclear as their drummer from 1994-2003, T ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–2003) *Eric Bretl – drums, percussion (2003–2004) *Sam Hudson – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–2009) *Josh Crawley – keyboards, backing vocals (2003–2009; 2011–2016) *Brett Snyder – drums, percussion (2004–2008) *
Tommy Stewart Tommy Stewart is an American drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with the band Godsmack. He has also toured and recorded with a number of other bands including Detroit based metal band Halloween, ...
– drums, percussion (2008–2009) *Johnny Hawthorn – guitar, backing vocals (2009) *Jordon Plosky – drums, percussion (2009–2010) *Sasha Smith – keyboards, backing vocals (2009–2011) *Sean Winchester – drums, percussion (2010–2015) *Jake Margolis – drums (2017) ;Former touring members *David LoPrinzi – bass guitar (1998); guitar (1998–2002) *Steve Birch – guitar (1997–1998) *James Beaton – keyboards (1998–2001) *Brian Lehfeldt – percussion (1998–1999) *Mike "Basil" Ternyik – percussion (1999–2002; died 2018) *Rachel Sturm – keyboards (2001) *Shane Nelson – guitar (2003) * Stacy Jones – drums (2015–2016)


Timeline


Discography

;Studio albums *'' World of Noise'' (1993) *'' Sparkle and Fade'' (1995) *''
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 ...
'' (1997) *'' 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'' (2000) *''
Slow Motion Daydream ''Slow Motion Daydream'' is the sixth studio album by Everclear. It was released in the U.S. in 2003 on Capitol Records and recorded in 2002. Production The first single released to radio from ''Slow Motion Daydream'' was " Volvo Driving Socc ...
'' (2003) *''
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 ...
'' (2006) *'' Return to Santa Monica'' (2011) *'' Invisible Stars'' (2012) *'' Black Is the New Black'' (2015)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Everclear 1992 establishments in Oregon Alternative rock groups from Oregon American post-grunge musical groups American power pop groups American pop rock music groups Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical quartets