The Everclear FAQ
v1.3 July 1996
(c)1995 Michael Kuker (jedi@ecst.csuchico.edu) & Brent Fusco (gargoyle@usa.net)
all rights reserved.
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Who is Everclear?
Everclear is:
Everclear formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992. The line up consisted of
Alexakis, Montoya, and Scott Cuthbert (drums). They recorded their "World
of Noise" demo for $400, which became their 1993 debut album. Greg Eklund
replaced Cuthbert on drums in mid-1994. Their most recent album is titled
"Sparkle and Fade."
How can I reach Everclear?
Everclear can be reached at Art Alexakis' personal mailbox:
Everclear
P.O. Box 15055
Portland, OR 97215
What bands were the members in prior to Everclear?
Alexakis, prior to relocating to Portland, led a band called the Eazy Hoes,
and later the alternative/country band
Colorfinger in San Francisco, California. Colorfinger released one full length
album, "Deep In the Heart of the Beast in the Sun," and one demo EP on Alexakis'
own Shindig label. When Shindig's distributor Rough Trade went bankrupt, Shindig
soon followed, and no Colorfinger material is currently in print. In fact,
Greg Eklund has himself been unable to obtain a copy of "Deep in the Heart." Soon
after Shindig closed, Colorfinger also disbanded, prompting Alexakis to move to
his girlfriend's hometown of Portland where they subsequently married and had a daughter.
Montoya, previously residing in Spokane, Washington, played with a band called
Soul Hammer. Soul Hammer relocated to Portland but then disbanded. Montoya then
teamed with Alexakis to form the first version of Everclear, which included Scott
Cuthbert. Soul Hammer released no albums.
Eklund, previously residing in Eugene, Oregon, played with a band called Jollymon.
He left Jollymon to move to Portland after the release of the album "Sailing" on
Elemental Records in 1993. Following a short stint with a band called Nero's Rome,
Eklund joined Everclear after Cuthbert was dismissed.
What are the members' birthdates?
- Art Alexakis: April 12, 1962
- Greg Eklund: April 18, 1970
- Craig Montoya: September 14, 1970
Are they, you know... taken?
Alexakis is married to Portland native Jenny and has a daughter, Annabella, who
was born in 1993. Montoya and Eklund are both single and (as of February 1996)
without girlfriends.
What is Alexakis' background?
Many of Alexakis' songs are autobiographical or are rooted in his own
life experiences. He grew up in the housing projects of Santa Monica, California,
where he came in direct contact with the area's criminal and drug culture.
Alexakis' brother died of a drug overdose when Art was 12, and several years later
a girlfriend also suffered the same fate. A lyric in the song "Heroin Girl"
refers to his mother overhearing a police officer describing his brother's death
as "just another overdose." Alexakis was himself a drug addict and petty criminal
for a decade or more before going cold turkey following a near-fatal cocaine
overdose. Alexakis later relocated to San Francisco to establish Shindig
Records, an indie label specializing in alternative bands with countryish styles.
Much of this period is explicitly detailed in the album, "Deep In the Heart of the
Beast In the Sun," which was originally intended as a solo album but gradually
developed into a group project. When, within a single month, Shindig went bankrupt,
Colorfinger disbanded and his girlfriend became pregnant, Alexakis moved to Portland.
There he married his girlfriend and had a daughter. Though less directly biographical,
Everclear's second album, "Sparkle and Fade," deals deeply with the themes of escape
and redemption that pervaded his life upon leaving San Francisco.
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