Hometown: Portland, OR, US
Portland's Everclear are the most successful of the post-grungesters when it comes to being a
household name. Formed in Portland in 1991, Everclear hit the turbo boost button and made short
work of any possible contemporaries in 1995 with Sparkle and Fade. Not that the key ingredients
are anything fancy: grinding, crunchy guitars littered with catchy Punk-Pop riffs, and an
occasional flirtation with the blues. Their stranglehold on the charts exists because
singer/guitarist Art Alexakis' gritty vocal and personal, emotionally charged lyrics taking
center stage to the music. Is it Grunge? Is it Pop? Never mind. The band's stock lies in their
empathetic storytelling. To wit, "Father of Mine" recounts Alexakis' anger at being deserted
by his father, "Fire Maple Song" deals with the loss of his brother to heroin (not to mention
the singer's own battle with drug addiction). On this cut, Everclear serve up "unloved, American
style," with a muscular take on the Smiths' classic mope anthem.
Art Alexakis: Vocals, guitar, toy piano
Craig Montoya: Bass guitar, vocals, chicken noises
Greg Eklund: Drums, vocals, slide whistle
