In 1992 a young singer, songwriter and guitarist named Art Alexakis placed an ad in a Portland, OR local music weekly called The Rocket, looking for musicians to join him in forming a band. That band became Everclear. Three decades later, Alexakis and a reformulated Everclear are still at it.
What is amazing about Everclear’s run is that they haven’t released a new studio album in more than eight years. According to Alexakis, there are no plans for a new one anytime soon. (See the interview I did with Alexakis at Artist Interview – Art Alexakis of Everclear (Gothic Theatre, 09/28/23) | Denver Entertainment Hub.) Yet the band continues to sell out shows across the globe.
Why? Because the music is damn good. The songwriting is exceptional. Alexakis is a charismatic frontman with a distinctive voice that pulls you in. And the rest of the band is tight, man. They flat-out kill it on stage, all the while looking like they are having an absolute blast doing it.
On top of that, the band is accessible and approachable to their fanbase. Their pre-show meet and greet sessions (I was fortunate to attend the one before their gig at the Gothic) are intimate and personal. The entire band shows up, not just a member or two. They answer questions, take requests for both the acoustic set they then play, and/or for the regular set to follow, sign autographs, pose for pictures, and just generally connect with their fans on a very personal level. A lot of bands do meet-and-greet sessions – they have become a “thing.” I have attended a lot of them, and I will tell you that Everclear’s session was one of, if not the, best I have ever attended.
Everclear was a little over halfway through their current twenty-seven-date US tour when they played to a packed and raucous crowd at Denver’s Gothic Theatre this past Thursday night. In addition to Alexakis, the current incarnation of Everclear includes Davey French on guitar, Freddy Herrera on bass, and Brian Nolan on drums. That is mostly the same lineup that produced the band’s outstanding 2015 album Black Is The New Black, minus Josh Crawley on keys and with Nolan replacing Sean Winchester on drums. Herrera and French have been with the band since 2010.
As he did at the Denver show during last year’s 30th Anniversary Tour, Alexakis promised that the band would be digging deep for this night’s show. He/they made good on that promise, delivering a 15-song, hour and 20-minute set that included both hits and deep cuts from the band’s dozen albums.
As a long-time fan of the band, it is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish the hits from other songs that land on my (exceptionally long) favorites list. There is a set of big-time hits, including Santa Monica, Everything to Everyone, I Will Buy You a New Life, Father Of Mine, and the band’s most successful single, Wonderful. Yes, all of those were included in the set.
Then there are the songs that, for fans like me, seem to be almost on par with the list above. No self-respecting fan would dare exclude So Much For The Afterglow, Heroin Girl, AM Radio, Local God, Strawberry, and Summerland from their personal playlists. And yes, all those songs were part of the set as well.
The band filled out the rest of the set with songs that could easily belong to the list above (please, I’m not looking for an argument ?), including Normal Like You, The Twistinside (another of my personal favorites), Amphetamine, and the band’s most recent single, Sing Away. Although new to the band, Sing Away is a re-recording of a song Alexakis included on his 2019 solo album Sun Songs. It is a powerful and haunting song about teen bullying and suicide, told from the perspective of the victim’s grieving father. It’s yet another example of Alexakis’ extraordinary songwriting talents, and his willingness to tackle difficult and painful subject matter in his writing. His songs are so catchy – the ultimate in ear candy – that it might be easy to overlook how serious and relevant his lyrics are. Sing Away is a classic example, and absolutely a highlight, of Thursday night’s performance.
A huge shout out to the crowd that came out to see Everclear on a “school night.” In my review of their show last year, I referred to the crowd as “adoring.” Last Thursday’s crowd completely validated that characterization. At one point in the show, Alexakis made a comment to the effect that tonight was the best show of the tour so far. Lip service? I think not… Art’s not the kind of guy to tell people what they want to hear if it isn’t true. Way to go, Denver crowd.
By any standard, Everclear has had an outstanding run. Twelve albums, more than six million records sold, and a dozen top forty singles. They have a new live album, recorded during last year’s 30th Anniversary Tour, which dropped just a few weeks ago. According to Alexakis, they are going to continue to put out a couple of new songs every year and will continue to do live shows. A return trip to the Mile High City in the next 12 to 18 months? We can only hope.
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
