Greg Eklund is the drummer for Everclear, the rockers known for their popular albums Sparkle and Fade and So Much for the Afterglow.

Born April 18, 1970, Eklund had a Navy-pilot father who moved his family to various countries during Greg's childhood. Eklund became interested in a career in music while watching an Adam Ant performance on TV in England.

Eklund settled in Eugene, Ore., and played drums for a band called Jollymon. He then moved to Portland and played drums in Nero's Rome. Art Alexakis began Everclear in Portland in the early '90s. After an EP, Eklund was tapped to replace the group's original drummer.

Sparkle and Fade (1995), featuring "Heroin Girl" and "Santa Monica," was greeted warmly by alternative-music fans and critics. The LP sold well, as did its successor, So Much for the Afterglow (1997), the latter containing such melodic songs as "Like a California King" (RealAudio excerpt).

Everclear are slated to issue two LPs this year: Songs From an American Movie: Volume I/Learning How to Smile in July and Volume II/Good Time for a Bad Attitude in the fall.

Other birthdays Tuesday: Michael Vickers (Manfred Mann), 59; Lennie Baker (Sha Na Na), 54; Les Pattinson (Echo and the Bunnymen), 42; Bez (Happy Mondays), 36; Jim Ellison (Material Issue), 1966–1996; and Skip Spence (Jefferson Airplane/Moby Grape), 1946–1999.