It’s a time of renewal and stepping back into the sunshine for Everclear’s Art Alexakis. The Los Angeles native came back to Southern California in 2010 after more than 20 years in Portland, Ore., where his feel-good yet confessional pop-rock band thrived despite the often-gloomy environment. And now as a resident of Pasadena (home of the spectacular Rose Parade!), Alexakis is giving back to his community with an Everclear performance Oct.
14 benefiting the Pasadena Playhouse.
“Moving back to L.A.,” he says, “it’s just caught me on fire. … The weather, the food, the culture, the multi-ethnicity— that’s what I missed. … I really felt like living in Portland was great; the people were great. But it was really kind of monochromatic.”
The celebration of all scopes of art and culture is what drew Alexakis to the Playhouse (that, and his mother had received a scholarship in the 1940s to act in productions there). Previous one-night-only engagements have included concerts by Latin romper Ozomatli and classic folkies Crosby and Nash. The Everclear crew was introduced to Playhouse Executive Director Elizabeth Doran via Michael Moreno, owner of the cherished Pasadena hangout Zona Rosa Caffe, and it was a match made in rock ‘n’ roll heaven.
Since the theater setting is so “iconic,” as the bleach-blond father of two puts it, it’s inspiring Everclear to mix up its standard arrangements a bit. He hints that memorable songs like “Santa Monica” and “I Will Buy You a New Life” could be bolstered by a chorale section and other orchestration.
Finding new interpretations of his work is something from which Alexakis derives great joy. Everclear’s 2009 collection, In a Different Light (429 Records), re-envisioned his past tunes as mellower offerings.
“A great song— you can either do it with a full orchestra or on an acoustic. And you’re still going to get that hook; you’re gonna get that thing that makes the song special,” he says.
Everclear is no stranger to creating hooks: In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was nearly impossible to search the airwaves without hearing the sincere plea “Father of Mine” or the unashamed glee of “AM Radio.” The uplifting songs still resonate today, and that’s why Alexakis and his band are happy to give the people what they want.
He co-founded with Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath in 2012 the Summerland tour, a caravan of rock groups that found fame in the ’90s. Alexakis and McGrath parted ways in 2013, so Everclear carried on this past summer with Live, Filter and Sponge. Some might have seen the tour as a cash-grab, but Alexakis shrugs off that notion.
“I don’t see nostalgia as a bad thing,” he says. “Given that, all the criteria for Summerland has been that, for me, first of all, is to have bands that are still bands and are still putting out records. And regardless of the fact that we don’t get played on the radio as much as we used to, there’s a time for everything. It doesn’t mean the music isn’t valid to people. It’s valid to me.”
And it’s not as though Everclear is resting on its coffers. Its leader is currently penning new material, only a year after the release of the solid Invisible Stars (E1 Music) album. The band continues to be a presence in charitable circuits, performing for U.S. troops abroad. Alexakis is also an advocate for responsible paternity, even appearing before Congress in 2000 to support the Compassion for Children and Child Support Enforcement Act.
Giving is in Alexakis’ blood. “It’s a part of what you do in life,” he says matter-of-factly. “I don’t believe we’re all in this for ourselves. We’re all in it together. That’s how we work.”
See Everclear work for a good cause on Oct. 14 at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The show begins at 8 p.m., with tickets ranging from $25-$89 and special VIP packages starting at $200. Proceeds benefit the Wells Fargo Theatrical Diversity Project.
Photo Courtesy MSO PR