Rigged – EVERCLEAR

Wait, what? But, Gear Gods is a METAL site! Everclear isn’t metal! What in the name of all that is unholy is going on here?

First of all – they’re on The End Records. Like, with Cradle of Filth, Helloween, Anvil, Empress AD (and formerly a shit ton of gnarly black and death metal as well). So they’re metal by association. They have their heavy moments on record, for sure. I also know for a fact that Art Alexakis is an old-school metalhead – check this interview for further proof.

Secondly, grandpa is going to regale you with a story from his youth. When I was a lad, way, way back in the late 90s, around 1999 in fact, I went to my very first concert. How 90s was it? Well, it was the Levi’s SnoCore Tour with Soul Coughing, the Black Eyed Peas and… you guessed it…. Everclear! This was so long ago, we’re talking about a world where Everclear headlined over Black Eyed Peas, and BEP had a killer live band (this is also pre-Fergie).

At the time, Everclear were my favorite band. I had been playing guitar for around 2 years, and I could just about flop my way around a handful of their songs – they were right in the sweet spot, just a little above my level, but with a little practice I could get there. I loved their trio format and big fat hooks. I was even a bit interested in what kind of instruments they used (a little budding gearhead perhaps?).

I had a fantastic time, and was inspired to double down on my guitar practice. I eventually moved on to more difficult music, and metal absorbed me, but Everclear still has something special for me, something that all the shred in the world can’t touch.

So it’s pretty cool that they took the time out of their Australian tour to take us through their current tour rigs. It’s cool for me, and I don’t give two shits if you like it or not – I present to you Gear Gods Rigged – EVERCLEAR!

Everclear‘s new album Black Is The New Black is out now on The End, and for maximum nostalgia you can get it on cassette!