Working my way back through the original “Scream” trilogy, I came across one of my favorite bands in the opening credits of the second film, starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. Having not seen these films for so long, I vaguely remembered the plots, but even vaguer was my recollection of the music that they contained.

Everclear is one of my all-time favorite bands. I purchased “So Much For The Afterglow” as one of my very first CDs. Songs like “Father of Mine” and “I Will Buy You A New Life” still play on the radio, and I could not be happier. They released several other albums following, including a series of “Songs From An American Movie.”

This modern band out of Portland, Oregon, bridges the gap between old school rock and the alternative rock of today. In 1997, Everclear consisted of lead singer Art Alexakis, who is still in the band, bass player Craig Montoya, and drummer Scott Cuthbert. Art’s voice is a significant difference-maker in setting the music group apart from other rockers, and with their range from soft, mellow music to grunge, hardcore rock, the band will easily stay one of my favorites.

Everclear has extensive work, but they have also been featured in dozens of films, supplying their soundtracks and even starring on a rare occasion. Lead singer Art Alexakis appeared alongside Heather Graham in the tiny movie “Committed,” also starring Casey Affleck and Luke Wilson. Art played a New York car thief. Even though it has been forever since viewing that film, I still remember his part. The entire band plays in concert in the movie “Loser,” starring Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari, both lead characters’ favorite band.

You can find the band’s music on the soundtracks like “American Pie,” “Blast From The Past,” “Detroit Rock City,” “40 Days and 40 Nights”, “Rock Star,” and “Saving Silverman.” These films include songs like “Everything to Everyone,” “When It All Goes Wrong Again,” “Rock Star,” and their mega-hit “Wonderful.” The music of the day, however, belongs to the song “The Swing,” which appears only in the 1997 film “Scream 2” during the opening credits (which would have been about the same year I discovered Everclear).