September 4, 2024 • 10 mins
Everclear founder, lead singer AND guitarist Art Alexakis is on the 97.1 The Eagle hotline!
Find out what he does when he's not busy touring and making music, the sweet moment when his mom realized that he had made it big, and the top 3 albums he can't live without!
DO NOT miss Everclear at Lava Cantina Sept 25th with Marcy Playground and Jimmy's Chicken Shack!
Find out what he does when he's not busy touring and making music, the sweet moment when his mom realized that he had made it big, and the top 3 albums he can't live without!
DO NOT miss Everclear at Lava Cantina Sept 25th with Marcy Playground and Jimmy's Chicken Shack!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Christina Ray Here joining me on the Eagle hotline is
none other than one Art Alexakis of Ever Clear.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
How are you, ARTI Christie? I am doing well. Good
to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, you too. Do you have a good labor day Weekends?
Do you do anything fun?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yeah? It didn't work. I did work on Fridays. Then
we got home on Saturday and Sunday I've had friends
over and he grilled and hung out at the pool,
and then yesterday I just had a chill day at
home with my family. And that's just wonderful because I'm
about to be on tour for seven and a half weeks.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So that was one question I had for you. Actually,
you know, when you're not touring and doing music, what
are your hobbies outside of that?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Nothing? I guess, No, that's not true. You know. My
hobby is and my wife does not like it, but
she gives it to me. Every Sunday is football. I'm
a huge Seattle Seahawks Dan. That's my thingion football starts
to come on weekend, so I'm very extroked about that.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Are you a fantasy football guy too?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
No, I don't do fantasy football. You know why, because
it makes you have to be disloyal to your team.
I'm not. I'm not like that, you know I do.
I bet on football every year. I bet on the Seahawks.
It's it. I just bet on the Seahawks. I did
it the other day. I was somewhere, whether it was
a casino, because we don't we don't. We don't have
(01:29):
online betting here in California. So I was at a
casino and I put a couple of grand down on
the Seahawks to make see if they make the playoffs.
See if they win a couple of games in the postseason,
that's it, and that's money that I don't have to
worry about. It's not that crazy. And if they win,
the authors are usually big because you know, they haven't
(01:51):
been good for a while. But we got a new
we got a new coach, new coaching staff, new a
lot of new players. So I'm excited just to watch
some good football this year. Did you fantasy football?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I actually stopped doing it. I'm a Cowboys fan, and
I just, you know, for I got enough to deal
with with the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I know. Yeah, you have to deal with the Joneses.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yes, yeah, you got to keep.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Up with the Jones.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh god, all right, all right, let's give back to music,
because I'm already stressed out just thinking about that. I
would love to hear of who kind of got you started?
Or what I should say, got you started? And into music?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
You know, it goes way back. So I'm sixty two, right,
and I was born in nineteen sixty two. And when
I was about three or four, I remember coming out
of my bedroom after my mama put me to bed
and they were watching TV. They were watching me at
Sullivan Show, and it was the last time the Beatles
(02:53):
run there, not the first time, last time, and it
just was like a siren song for me. I just ran,
you know, I knew I was going to get in trouble.
I care. I climbed over the couch, you know, spilled
the popcorn and ran to the TV and just started dancing.
And to be honest with you, Christina, I've never wanted
to do anything else. My mom made me go to college.
(03:16):
I kilted me into going to college after I got
clean and sober in my early twenties. I got clean,
that's over it. But she I took film, which really
pissed her off because she wanted to engineering or law
school or something like that. I don't want to do that.
(03:37):
And now I'm fun to this day. If it ain't fun,
I don't want to do it. I think everyone should
go like that. And you know it's I'm just music.
I just love music. I knew if if it wasn't
gonna workout for me as a musician, I would work
in the music industry. I work for a label, I
worked as a manager. I worked do something, you know,
(03:59):
keep writing song and produced people and do all that stuff.
So I was ever clearly it was my last band.
I was thirty years old. It was nineteen ninety two.
I had a baby on the way and my oldest
daughter about three months two to three months away from
she was born in June, and I put an ad
in the paper in Portland. I had moved up there
(04:21):
because my girlfriend send me. My second wife was from there,
and we've building in San Francisco, and I didn't know
what the Portland team was going to do. And I
found some guys started floraging it out in the clubs
all summer and fall, and then I had a chance
to record all of our songs on a four track
(04:42):
or an eight track quarter and eight track in a
basement studio for four hundred bucks, and that was our
demo and that started getting us gigs all over the
country and ride ups all over the country, and got
us on to college radio charts, and that became our
first album demo called World of Noise, and that's what
(05:03):
ultimately got A signed the Capitol of ninety four.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And then you told your mom, See, mom, if I
wouldn't have been an engineer, none of this would have happened.
Aren't you proud of me?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Now? Well? Kind of yeah, I got a better I
get a better story for that. So so did this.
So you know, shew Me had success and hits and
blah blahah blah blah blah. And then you know through
ninety five and ninety six, and I was I was
supporting her by this time, you know. Yeah, And but
(05:32):
uh when we when we when my label guy called
me and said, hey, your record shipping platinum. You got
a platinum record, I was just dumb dumbfounded. I was
just kind of just struck, you know. And I called
my mom and he tells me, if we're going to
have a party in La at this fancy restaurant and blah,
(05:55):
blah blah blah blah, and you're you know, we'll give
you a platinum records and I my mom, ago, you're
going to this thing. It's in la I don't want
to hear anything about it. You're going over to Nordstrum's
getting a dress. There's a lady whaiting there for you.
It's gonna put a dress, gets you in the dress.
Willa is going to take you to the airport, will
(06:16):
flying first class and we're going to go to this thing.
And she really didn't know what it was. And almost
she goes, boy and was paying for this the records stand.
He goes, how can I how can that be? I
just don't understand. And we pull up to the place
and it was in a hallway of venice. I don't know,
(06:38):
but there was Powerful Rocky, there was a red you know,
a red line of red rope, velvet rope, wine and
you know, all these bands and just people. She goes, boy,
is this for you? I go, am, I sold a
million records. It's probably going to sell too million records,
which it almost did. And I'm like, you know, yeah,
(07:01):
this is for me. She goes, you wait a minute,
you sold a million records of your record. Yeah, it
just dawned on her. It was funny to see her
face and she looked kind of bewildered and then she
just no, my mom was tenacious as hell because she's
a Southern girls in North Carolina, she's a hillbilly, and
(07:22):
she just pulled it all in. She was okay, and
she gets out of the car and cameras are going
off and people are putting microphones in her face, and
she just handled it like a cap, you know, like, oh, yeah,
I always knew this is going to happen, Like yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Right, mom.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Well, I was like trying not to cry, absolutely, because
I was raised by a single mom that.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Was my my everything, and so actually to repay her
for all of that with that moment is huge.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Absolutely, And I bought her house and you know, and
she didn't have to worry about money in her older
age take care of until she got that's so sweet.
That was important for me and my sisters, you know.
Unfortunately she didn't live long enough to meet my younger saughter,
who's very much like her, short tenacious suites the day
(08:18):
is long, but at the same time, mean, if.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You cross her, yeah, well, Southern charm still in her
I know about that. You're in Texas, Yeah, you do
all right? Art one more question before I let you go.
It's kind of a generic one, but I love hearing
people's answers. You are stuck on a deserted island and
you can only take three albums with you. I say
three because one's impossible. So three albums you would take
(08:42):
with you? I'm guessing Beatles is one.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
But Beatles white album, rap album by a band called
Public uny called It takes a nation of million sold
us back that record, and probably it's hard because there's
so many other great records. I'm gonna say Pixies do
(09:06):
Little okay, but it could usually been Eggs on main
Street by the Rolling Stones. I mean, you know, I
London following clan. Yeah, yeah, I've got about twenty can't
live without. If they're putting me on a do it island,
I'm taking twenty minimum twenty.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I'm a big Zeppelin fan myself, so i'd have to
take them up with me.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Thank you so my fourth album, Yes, so the Pixies
Actually I want to change that, okay. Pixie's album to Physical.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Christine as a solid at top three thank you so much.
Art ever Clear performing in the Colony at Lava Cantina
September twenty fifth, along with Marci Playground in Jimmy's Chicken Check.
That is going to be an incredible show. Make sure
you can get your tickets over at Lavacantina dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Art.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Thank you so much again. I can't wait to see
you guys here.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Well. Thank you Christian. Yeah, tell people it's you know,
it's gonna sell out for sure. We always sell out.
One by the Love Cut, Kntin and this bill with
all these bands, So I get your tickets now. It's
gonna be a great show.
Christina Ray Here joining me on the Eagle hotline is
none other than one Art Alexakis of Ever Clear.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
How are you, ARTI Christie? I am doing well. Good
to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, you too. Do you have a good labor day Weekends?
Do you do anything fun?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yeah? It didn't work. I did work on Fridays. Then
we got home on Saturday and Sunday I've had friends
over and he grilled and hung out at the pool,
and then yesterday I just had a chill day at
home with my family. And that's just wonderful because I'm
about to be on tour for seven and a half weeks.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So that was one question I had for you. Actually,
you know, when you're not touring and doing music, what
are your hobbies outside of that?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Nothing? I guess, No, that's not true. You know. My
hobby is and my wife does not like it, but
she gives it to me. Every Sunday is football. I'm
a huge Seattle Seahawks Dan. That's my thingion football starts
to come on weekend, so I'm very extroked about that.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Are you a fantasy football guy too?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
No, I don't do fantasy football. You know why, because
it makes you have to be disloyal to your team.
I'm not. I'm not like that, you know I do.
I bet on football every year. I bet on the Seahawks.
It's it. I just bet on the Seahawks. I did
it the other day. I was somewhere, whether it was
a casino, because we don't we don't. We don't have
(01:29):
online betting here in California. So I was at a
casino and I put a couple of grand down on
the Seahawks to make see if they make the playoffs.
See if they win a couple of games in the postseason,
that's it, and that's money that I don't have to
worry about. It's not that crazy. And if they win,
the authors are usually big because you know, they haven't
(01:51):
been good for a while. But we got a new
we got a new coach, new coaching staff, new a
lot of new players. So I'm excited just to watch
some good football this year. Did you fantasy football?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I actually stopped doing it. I'm a Cowboys fan, and
I just, you know, for I got enough to deal
with with the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I know. Yeah, you have to deal with the Joneses.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yes, yeah, you got to keep.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Up with the Jones.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh god, all right, all right, let's give back to music,
because I'm already stressed out just thinking about that. I
would love to hear of who kind of got you started?
Or what I should say, got you started? And into music?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
You know, it goes way back. So I'm sixty two, right,
and I was born in nineteen sixty two. And when
I was about three or four, I remember coming out
of my bedroom after my mama put me to bed
and they were watching TV. They were watching me at
Sullivan Show, and it was the last time the Beatles
(02:53):
run there, not the first time, last time, and it
just was like a siren song for me. I just ran,
you know, I knew I was going to get in trouble.
I care. I climbed over the couch, you know, spilled
the popcorn and ran to the TV and just started dancing.
And to be honest with you, Christina, I've never wanted
to do anything else. My mom made me go to college.
(03:16):
I kilted me into going to college after I got
clean and sober in my early twenties. I got clean,
that's over it. But she I took film, which really
pissed her off because she wanted to engineering or law
school or something like that. I don't want to do that.
(03:37):
And now I'm fun to this day. If it ain't fun,
I don't want to do it. I think everyone should
go like that. And you know it's I'm just music.
I just love music. I knew if if it wasn't
gonna workout for me as a musician, I would work
in the music industry. I work for a label, I
worked as a manager. I worked do something, you know,
(03:59):
keep writing song and produced people and do all that stuff.
So I was ever clearly it was my last band.
I was thirty years old. It was nineteen ninety two.
I had a baby on the way and my oldest
daughter about three months two to three months away from
she was born in June, and I put an ad
in the paper in Portland. I had moved up there
(04:21):
because my girlfriend send me. My second wife was from there,
and we've building in San Francisco, and I didn't know
what the Portland team was going to do. And I
found some guys started floraging it out in the clubs
all summer and fall, and then I had a chance
to record all of our songs on a four track
(04:42):
or an eight track quarter and eight track in a
basement studio for four hundred bucks, and that was our
demo and that started getting us gigs all over the
country and ride ups all over the country, and got
us on to college radio charts, and that became our
first album demo called World of Noise, and that's what
(05:03):
ultimately got A signed the Capitol of ninety four.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And then you told your mom, See, mom, if I
wouldn't have been an engineer, none of this would have happened.
Aren't you proud of me?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Now? Well? Kind of yeah, I got a better I
get a better story for that. So so did this.
So you know, shew Me had success and hits and
blah blahah blah blah blah. And then you know through
ninety five and ninety six, and I was I was
supporting her by this time, you know. Yeah, And but
(05:32):
uh when we when we when my label guy called
me and said, hey, your record shipping platinum. You got
a platinum record, I was just dumb dumbfounded. I was
just kind of just struck, you know. And I called
my mom and he tells me, if we're going to
have a party in La at this fancy restaurant and blah,
(05:55):
blah blah blah blah, and you're you know, we'll give
you a platinum records and I my mom, ago, you're
going to this thing. It's in la I don't want
to hear anything about it. You're going over to Nordstrum's
getting a dress. There's a lady whaiting there for you.
It's gonna put a dress, gets you in the dress.
Willa is going to take you to the airport, will
(06:16):
flying first class and we're going to go to this thing.
And she really didn't know what it was. And almost
she goes, boy and was paying for this the records stand.
He goes, how can I how can that be? I
just don't understand. And we pull up to the place
and it was in a hallway of venice. I don't know,
(06:38):
but there was Powerful Rocky, there was a red you know,
a red line of red rope, velvet rope, wine and
you know, all these bands and just people. She goes, boy,
is this for you? I go, am, I sold a
million records. It's probably going to sell too million records,
which it almost did. And I'm like, you know, yeah,
(07:01):
this is for me. She goes, you wait a minute,
you sold a million records of your record. Yeah, it
just dawned on her. It was funny to see her
face and she looked kind of bewildered and then she
just no, my mom was tenacious as hell because she's
a Southern girls in North Carolina, she's a hillbilly, and
(07:22):
she just pulled it all in. She was okay, and
she gets out of the car and cameras are going
off and people are putting microphones in her face, and
she just handled it like a cap, you know, like, oh, yeah,
I always knew this is going to happen, Like yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Right, mom.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Well, I was like trying not to cry, absolutely, because
I was raised by a single mom that.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Was my my everything, and so actually to repay her
for all of that with that moment is huge.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Absolutely, And I bought her house and you know, and
she didn't have to worry about money in her older
age take care of until she got that's so sweet.
That was important for me and my sisters, you know.
Unfortunately she didn't live long enough to meet my younger saughter,
who's very much like her, short tenacious suites the day
(08:18):
is long, but at the same time, mean, if.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You cross her, yeah, well, Southern charm still in her
I know about that. You're in Texas, Yeah, you do
all right? Art one more question before I let you go.
It's kind of a generic one, but I love hearing
people's answers. You are stuck on a deserted island and
you can only take three albums with you. I say
three because one's impossible. So three albums you would take
(08:42):
with you? I'm guessing Beatles is one.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
But Beatles white album, rap album by a band called
Public uny called It takes a nation of million sold
us back that record, and probably it's hard because there's
so many other great records. I'm gonna say Pixies do
(09:06):
Little okay, but it could usually been Eggs on main
Street by the Rolling Stones. I mean, you know, I
London following clan. Yeah, yeah, I've got about twenty can't
live without. If they're putting me on a do it island,
I'm taking twenty minimum twenty.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I'm a big Zeppelin fan myself, so i'd have to
take them up with me.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Thank you so my fourth album, Yes, so the Pixies
Actually I want to change that, okay. Pixie's album to Physical.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Christine as a solid at top three thank you so much.
Art ever Clear performing in the Colony at Lava Cantina
September twenty fifth, along with Marci Playground in Jimmy's Chicken Check.
That is going to be an incredible show. Make sure
you can get your tickets over at Lavacantina dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Art.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Thank you so much again. I can't wait to see
you guys here.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Well. Thank you Christian. Yeah, tell people it's you know,
it's gonna sell out for sure. We always sell out.
One by the Love Cut, Kntin and this bill with
all these bands, So I get your tickets now. It's
gonna be a great show.
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