Art Alexakis

At 62 years old, Art Alexakis has this physical status:

Arthur Paul Alexakis (born April 12, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist with the rock band Everclear.

In addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists, he has been a member of several well-known bands.

Alexakis has worked on several record labels throughout his career, as well as as an A&R representative for major record labels both before and during his own musical projects.

Later, he became a political activist and lobbied for specific issues, such as drug education policy and military families.

Early life

Alexakis was born in Los Angeles, the youngest of five children. His father's death soon after (when Art was five years old), financial hardships pushed his mother to relocate the family to the Mar Vista Gardens housing project in California, which is located on the west side of Los Angeles, Del Rey. Older children in Alexakis' neighborhood physically and sexually assaulted him. When Alexakis was 12, his brother George died of a heroin overdose. Alexakis' 15-year-old girlfriend committed suicide in the same year. Alexakis attempted suicide not long after she died by filling his pockets with sand and lead weights and leaping off the Santa Monica Pier. Later, he said that his brother George's vision and voice compelled him to live. Alexakis began firing when he was 13, mainly because of crystal methamphetamine. He became addicted to heroin and cocaine, and he recovered from a cocaine overdose when he was 22 years old. In 1989, he quit cold turkey for the cold weather.

Personal life

Alexakis was an atheist during his youth. Alexakis said he had not become a Christian in August 2000 in a Spin interview. "She's a Christian, and I'm a Christian, and my ex isn't," says the narrator, and so I'm like, it's OK to be a Christian. I'm not like a newborn... Well, I guess I am born anew, in a way. I don't think people are knocked over the head with it, but it doesn't do it. "I just use my spirituality to make my life happier."

In a letter sent to supporters posted on the band's website on March 26, 2019, Alexakis revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Following a car accident three years ago, Alexakis claims he was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.

Source

Music career

Alexakis was in a band called Shakin' Brave when he was living in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Shakin' Brave had a rather pungent rock sound, but it never really stood out of the sea of music in Southern California. Alexakis and his first wife Anita have relocated to San Francisco.

Alexakis discovered "cowpunk" in San Francisco, a genre that blends two common forms of music with which he grew up, the popiness of country and the rock and roll's stuttering tempo. Alexakis created Shindig Records in honor of his inspiration. He spent many years with his cowpunk band, the Easy Hoes, who formed in the late 1980s and released one album, Tragic Songs of Life, 1989.

Alexakis' next project began as a solo album, but it soon developed to a team effort under the name Colorfinger. Deep in the Heart of the Beast in the Sun was released by this band, as well as an EP, Demonstration. Only the full album was made available for purchase. Both were released on Alexakis' Shindig Records. "Why I Don't Believe in God," "Invisible," "The Twistinside," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "Hateful" were all converted into Everclear songs by Colorfinger.

Following a move to Portland, Alexakis placed an advertisement in The Rocket, looking for a bass player and a drummer to form a new band. Craig Montoya and Scott Cuthbert were two respondents, Alexakis had two respondents, Craig Montoya and Scott Cuthbert. The three figures were the first incarnations of Everclear. The band remained a main act on alternative rock radio after Cuthbert was replaced by Greg Eklund. In Sparkle & Fade, So Much for the Afterglow, and Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning how to Smile.

Alexakis' lyrics would directly reference his poetry due to his life's turmoil and personal turmoil. His difficult youth was portrayed on "Father of Mine" and "Why I Don't Believe in God," as "Heroin Girl," "Strawberry," and "Color Pit" discussed his heroin use. Sparkle & Fade, Everclear's breakthrough album, explores the themes of escape and redemption that pervaded his life after leaving San Francisco.

Alexakis performed well as a singer and songwriter, but he took on other projects outside of the music industry. He served as an A&R representative for Capitol Records for many years. He made Frogpond's 1996 album Count to Ten.

Alexakis founded Popularity Recordings, a Artemis Records subsidiary, in the early 2000s. Alexakis produced the label's first album, Volume by Flipp in 2002. In 2003, the label was defunct.

Alexakis has dabbled in songwriting with other writers, including co-writing and duetting the album "At the End of the Day" by Marion Raven in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

Alexakis joined Apparently Nothing (previously a Madison band but later renamed to The Usual Things) in October 2008 to produce their debut album, tentatively titled The Middle Coast.

Source