Art Alexakis, frontman of Portland-based rock outfit Everclear [ tickets ], will launch a 16-date solo tour March 21 at Detroit's St. Andrew's Hall.

Sets will consist of Everclear songs from the band's 2000 effort, "Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile," and its sequel, "Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude," as well as a preview of tunes from the band's next album, due in 2002.

The decision to embark on what amounts to an Everclear tour without bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Greg Eklund echoes Alexakis's solo run prior to the 1997 release of the multi-platinum "So Much for the Afterglow."

The outspoken frontman, known for his clashes with the press, has spent the last decade living down negative attention he garnered in 1993 for a domestic-violence-related arrest. In 2000 he testified at a congressional hearing on the need for federally enforced child-support laws. He began his acting career in 2001 in "Committed" alongside Heather Graham.