I couldn't have asked for a better time to hear about the Summerland Tour. While waiting for a coffee in Venice Beach, California, I was browsing Up On The Sun on my phone and saw that Everclear was coming. I knew what I had to listen to, because I rolled down the windows and rocked out to "Santa Monica" while driving over the Venice canals. From there, I listened to Everclear on shuffle and found myself singing along to songs I hadn't heard in years.
Everclear, Sugar Ray, Lit, The Gin Blossoms, and Marcy Playground are scheduled to perform at Comerica Theatre on Tuesday, July 3.
I just wanna feel some sunshine (and stand in front of a green screen).
I'm sure I'm not alone in listening to 1995's Sparkle and Fade and lusting for the beach. Just be careful with your requests for "Santa Monica," I saw Art Alexakis perform a solo show at Harkins Centerpoint (now Madcap Theatre) years ago and he got a little testy when someone requested the song. But hey, he played "I Will Buy You A New Life" and "Father of Mine" and all that other good stuff.
For a Portland band, Everclear sure loves the city of Santa Monica. Not that I blame them, the pier makes another appearance in the "Father of Mine" video.
I still remember "Wonderful" as Everclear's quote unquote new song, but Songs From An American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile came out in 2000. Oops, looks like this is quite a bit of a throwback. Fun fact: "Wonderful" was Columbine High School's Class of 1999 Graduation song.
Everclear released two more songs after that and struggled with album sales, so Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund left the band, leaving Alexakis as the only original member. It turns out Art was having a pretty difficult time-- he was going through his third divorce, he filed for bankruptcy, and lost custody of his dog, Scooby. Alexakis recruited new band members and released three more albums with a more acoustic feel before replacing the band once again.
I can't help but wonder if Art plead for Scooby in this fashion, though it's difficult to buy someone a new life when you're broke.
Everclear's eighth album, Invisible Stars, is due for a June release. There will most likely be a few new songs at the Summerland tour, but I bet (and hope) it's mostly going to be the same songs I rocked out to as I cruised down Venice Boulevard a few days ago.
