"I'M JUST BLESSED":

Art Alexakis doesn't know just how much longer he can continue to tour and play live with the band he formed more than three decades ago.

The chronic disease attacking his body will - at some point - take away his physical ability to take the stage.

The sparkle of the spotlight is going to fade.

"I'm just blessed to still be out there playing," said the lead singer of Everclear. "I'm 62 years old and I'm playing in a rock band. That's a dream for a lot of people."

In 2016, Alexakis was diagnosed with a relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis. With medication, lifestyle changes and physical therapy, the singer/songwriter/guitarist has been able to slow the progression of the disease - while also staying out on the road.

"It makes everything harder," Alexakis said of MS. "Playing the shows is great. The travel is really rough, though. But, I've got a good program. I nap when I have to nap. I try to eat good food. I've been clean and sober for 35 years, so that's not an issue."

Despite the difficulties, Alexakis isn't slowing down.

Everclear has spent most of the spring/summer traveling around the country and the band is set to make two trips to the Bluegrass in the coming weeks.

Everclear will headline the Summer Concert Series in London on Friday, Aug. 2, before playing the Kentucky State Fair on Aug. 22.

"We are out there every weekend. We have like 65 dates (so far this year), then we have another 35 dates in the fall," Alexakis said.

The shows this summer have featured an intriguing collection of songs from across the band's extensive - and unique - catalogue.

Everclear's first three major label releases - "Sparkle and Fade," "Everything to Everyone" and "Songs From An American Movie Vol. One," - all reached platinum status. Those records also produced some of the most memorable musical moments of the 1990s/2000s alternative rock scene, including "Santa Monica," "I Will Buy You A New Life," "Wonderful," and "Father of Mine."

The band went to sell more than 6 million records, had a dozen singles reach the Top 40 on American charts and was also nominated for a Grammy (1998).

To commemorate the band's 30th anniversary, Everclear played a show at the famous Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles in 2022. That powerfully genuine performance - which included fan favorites in addition to deep cuts, like "Nervous & Weird" and "Fire Maple Song" - was released last year.

"We are just an old-school rock band," Alexakis said. "We don't play with tracks or any of that stuff and I think that attracts a lot of people - especially young people, who are showing up at our shows."

"Live At The Whiskey A Go Go," also included two new studio tracks - "Year Of The Tiger," and "Sing Away," which featured blistering performances by guitarist Davey French, who has been in the band since 2003.

"He is amazing," Alexakis said of French. "He is a great guitar player and on those songs he plays the leads and he is just smoking."

Alexakis is the only remaining original member of Everclear. The rest of the current lineup includes French, Freddy Herrera (bass) and Brian Nolan (drums).

In the fall, the band will head back out on the road once again, this time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Songs From An American Movie Vol. One." They will be joined by Marcy's Playground and Jimmy's Chicken Shack.

"We are going to do a lot of songs from that album which we have never done before," Alexakis said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."