Aleka's Attic was an alternative folk/rock band from Gainesville,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, formed by River Phoenix and Josh Greenbaum in April 1987.

History

The original line up of Aleka's Attic included River Phoenix as lead singer and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

, his sister

Rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

on vocals and occasional percussion, Tim Hankins on viola, Josh McKay on

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and Josh Greenbaum on drums. The band's name comes from the fictional Aleka, a poet-philosopher who gathered friends in his attic to discuss his ideas. When Aleka dies, his friends form a band to share his beliefs with others through music. River was offered a two-year development deal with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

to develop the band and record a marketable

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, which was not accomplished in the time allotted due to River's ongoing film schedule. Island Records opted out of the deal based on their belief that the material lacked marketability. River decided to record the album independently.

The unreleased album

Though Rain spent two years working through unfinished tracks and mixing performances, no finished product was ever completed. The release of the album, with the proposed titles ''Never Odd Or Even'' and ''Zero'', was postponed indefinitely due to River's death. The Phoenix family continues to work toward an official release. An original track list for bootlegs of ''Zero/Never Odd Or Even'': # Alone We Elope # Below Beloved # Bliss Is... # Dog God # Get Anything # Note To A Friend # Safety Pins and Army Boots # Scales & Fishnails # Senile Felines # You're So Ostentatious In 1997, Phoenix's friend

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

of R.E.M. bought the rights to all of Aleka's Attic's material from

. Homemade versions of an album and many other songs by the band can be found on various sites throughout the internet. In the film ''

Sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

'', whose cast includes Aleka's Attic member River Phoenix, the character played by

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...

wears an Aleka's Attic T-shirt in one scene. In December 2018, Rain Phoenix announced on Instagram that Aleka's Attic singles would be released in 2019 with the album being released eventually.

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

bassist

Flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

appeared on two unreleased Aleka's Attic songs to mark River Phoenix's 50th birthday. In July 2020, it was reported that Aleka's Attic heavily influenced a novel by British novelist Guy Mankowski, titled "Dead Rock Stars".

Released tracks

* The group sold tapes between 1989 and 1990 with the songs "Goldmine", "Too Many Colors", "Across The Way" and "Blue Period". *"Across The Way", which was written by River and Josh McKay, was included on the 1989 PETA benefit album '' Tame Yourself''. *"Note To A Friend", featuring River's friend Michael "Flea" Balzary of the

on bass, was released on the 1996 compilation 'In Defense Of Animals: Volume II' *The song "Too Many Colors", was featured on the unreleased soundtrack of " My Own Private Idaho", a 1991 film starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, directed by Gus Van Sant. * The songs "Where I’d Gone" and "Scales & Fishnails" were released on the album "Time Gone" by Rain Phoenix in 2019. Next to this the song "Time is the Killer" by Rain Phoenix and

was also released on the album. * "Senile Felines" was published in 2010 on the album ''Tiny Idols Volume III'' by Snowglobe Records. * The song "In The Corner Dunce" was released in January 2019 by the label LaunchLeft. * On August 23, 2020, the label LaunchLeft released the songs "Alone U Elope" and "2x4" in commemoration of River Phoenix's 50th birthday.

Other tracks

* Too Many Colors - 5:24 * Goldmine - 5:26 * Where I'd Gone - 3:17 (solo version by River Phoenix) * Get Anything - 3:52 * Note to a Friend - 1:11 * Below Beloved - 3:56 * Popular Thinks (Live) - 2:13 * You're so Ostentatious - 2:42 * In The Corner Dunce - 3:41 * Scales and Fish-nails - 0:41 * Across the Way - 4:58 * Senile Felines - 4:40 * Safety Pins and Army Boots - 1:49 * Dog God - 3:28 * Bliss is... - 3:38 * Blue Period - 5:15 * Alone we Elope (Hidden Track) - 3:14

References

External links

*
Aleka's Attic Music at Myspace
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1987 Alternative rock groups from Florida Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida Folk rock groups from Florida Island Records artists 1987 establishments in Florida Sibling musical groups