Eels mastermind Mark Oliver Everett (who goes by the stage name E) has definitely seen some dark days.
In 2007 he published a touching autobiography, Things the Grandchildren Should Know. The book not only chronicled his career, but also his experiences with tragedy: His physicist father died when he was a teen, his mom lost a battle to lung cancer, his sister took her own life, and his cousin was killed in the attacks of 9/11.
It’s rough stuff, but Everett manages to stay positive despite his struggles. That positivity was in abundance at Eels’ show at the Beachland Ballroom last night.
This article appears in Aug 3-9, 2011.