Everclear Playing Pre-Race Concert at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 6
It definitely won’t be a Slow Motion Daydream when rock band Everclear performs a Kansas National Guard pre-race concert for the Hollywood Casino 400 on Oct. 6.
“I’m looking forward to having Everclear kick off the Hollywood Casino 400, the fourth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,” said Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren. “I know Everclear will provide a high energy pre-race concert for our fans and I have no doubt that our fans will reciprocate with the same energy throughout the concert and Hollywood Casino 400.”
The band’s eighth studio album, Invisible Stars, was released in June 2012. “In some ways, this album’s a lot more aggressive than anything we’ve done in a long time,” Art Alexakis says of Invisible Stars, Everclear’s first collection of new songs in six years as well as the band’s first eOne release.
“But in other ways, it’s a lot more melodic. I like having both of those sides covered.”
The new 12 song set embodies the same qualities that have long endeared Everclear to its large and worldwide fan base. Such tunes as “Be Careful What You Ask For,” “Volcano,” “Falling In A Good Way,” and “Tiger In A Burning Tree” maintain the same musical and emotional resonance that first struck a responsive chord with listeners in the early 1990s.
Alexakis’ clear-eyed willingness to confront life’s darker margins has been a hallmark of Everclear’s output ever since Everclear’s independently released 1993 debut World of Noise. The band’s relentless touring regimen and D.I.Y. promotional tactics helped to set the stage for the platinum-level breakthrough of 1995’s Sparkle and Fade, which spawned the hits “Santa Monica” and “Heroin Girl,” while establishing Everclear as a popular live attraction and Alexakis as an engaged and articulate media presence. The band’s ascendancy continued with 1997’s So Much for the Afterglow, which produced the radio hits “Everything to Everyone,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” and “Father of Mine.”
New creative challenges for Alexakis continued on 2000’s two-part Songs from an American Movie, Vol 1: Learning How to Smile and Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude, 2003’s Slow Motion Daydream and 2006’s Welcome to the Drama Club. The Vegas Years (2008) was a memorable set of cover tunes, while 2009’s In A Different Light and 2011’s Return to Santa Monica found Alexakis and company revisiting and reinterpreting items from the Everclear songbook.
“When I look back at what Everclear has done,” Alexakis concludes, “I see a lot of things that have changed and a lot of things that have stayed consistent. But at the end of the day, I’m still doing the same thing I’ve always done. It’s still guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll, and I’m still just telling stories, which is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m proud of what we’ve done, and I still enjoy it. And I feel blessed that other people like it too.”
In addition to Alexakis, band members include Dave French, Josh Crawley, Freddy Herrera and Sean Winchester.
For additional information on Everclear, including their tour schedule, visit www.everclearonline.com.
Tickets for Kansas Speedway’s October races are on sale now, too, by calling 866.460.RACE (7223) or logging onto www.kansasspeedway.com. The Hollywood Casino 400 (the fourth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) is Oct. 6 and tickets start at $64. The Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race is Oct. 5 and the Kansas Lottery 98.9 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race is Oct. 4. Season ticket holders have access to the Kansas Army National Guard Pre-Race, which features a concert and driver introductions, with their TrackPass.
Parking is always free at Kansas Speedway and fans can bring in one 14x14x14-inch soft-sided cooler with their favorite food and beverages.
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