Art Alexakis is a husband. He's also a father, a reformed drug addict, a political activist, a songwriter and he runs a record label for up-and-coming artists. Occasionally, he also sings and plays guitar for a band known as Everclear.

In a pre-show interview, Alexakis, who will perform with his band Everclear at 8 p.m. tonight in Rec Hall, said his life is filled with much more than that of the average modern rock star.

"Some bands just want to be angry when there's nothing to be angry about," Alexakis, 39, said about the modern rock music industry. Everclear's style often covers somber issues such as divorce, drug addictions and broken homes while driving it with an upbeat tone.

Those happier tones have been influenced by a plethora of rock artists.

"I got the chance to see Roy Orbison before he died," Alexakis said. "To hear his voice . . . that was just amazing." Not only does Alexakis play the role of a star, but apparently that of a fan as well.

But Alexakis still knows how to put on a show. He recalled a few of his favorite performing memories.

" 'Heroin Girl' has got to be my favorite to perform live. It gets everyone up and moving. . . . It's kind of like opening up an old Chevy," Alexakis said.

"The '96 HFStival in Baltimore was a pretty amazing performance. That was right after 'Santa Monica' made it big . . . the whole stadium was singing along," he said.

He then said with a chuckle, "That was also the year that Jewel was on stage and got hit in the head by a Frisbee and walked off stage.

"We also did this show last October in London . . . it was insane. The people were just out of their minds. It was one of those times where the audience was on, the band was on, and everything just clicked, you know? I walked out of there thinking to myself, 'This is why I do this.' "

The band also loves to perform covers. Since Everclear formed, the band has covered nearly 30 of its favorite songs. "We love singing other people's songs and making them sound like Everclear songs. I really liked doing 'The Boys Are Back in Town,' " Alexakis said. The band intends to release its own album of covers sometime in the future.

Aside from being a performer, Alexakis also is a businessman. When asked what he would change about the modern music industry, Alexakis answered, "The distribution of wealth. A band who writes the music and produces the music should make more of a profit. . . . It's just not fair."

Alexakis also has strong beliefs when talking about Napster and the ethics of intellectual property.

"People say it's sharing, but it's not," he said. "There's nothing ethical about (Napster). . . . It's like saying if I can take this from you, then your rights of ownership don't exist. The technology is amazing, and if people want to start paying to download a song, fine, but right now it's just stealing."

"It's like if you could create a kind of bread that no one else could create, and I came up and put a gun to your head and said, 'You give me this recipe to this bread.' . . . It's the same thing. It isn't like a thing where my opinion is OK, your opinion is OK — it's just wrong."

Alexakis also discussed recent events, such as the impact of the recent terrorist attacks on society.

"I think it's going to change the way everyone writes . . . not just lyrics for music, but books, television, everything. I mean, your perspective changes after something like this . . . it's got to change. We've got some very interesting times ahead of us."

Alexakis recently focused some of his energies on politics. Last year, he went before members of Congress to promote bill HR 1488, which would have penalized fathers who weren't paying child support.

"(The bill) had a lot of bipartisan support and it looked as though it was going to pass, but then the election happened and any bipartisan support collapsed. Since the Republicans had control of the House and Senate, anything that wasn't based solely on Republican ideals fell apart."

The bill didn't pass, but Alexakis' political activities won't stop there. He mentioned interest in pursuing a political career somewhere down the line, after he retires from music.

As for the present, Alexakis' schedule remains busy. He is working on a solo album that should be released early next year, something he has wanted to do even prior to the release of two Everclear albums last year. He's also collaborating with his new wife on a country/rock effort.

But Alexakis is modest about his hectic schedule. "I'm just a cranky old man," he said.