Aleka's Attic was an alternative folk/rock band from Gainesville, Florida, 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, his sister Rain on vocals and occasional percussion, Tim Hankins on viola, Josh McKay on bass 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 to develop the band and record a marketable album, 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: In 1997, Phoenix's friend Michael Stipe of R.E.M. bought the rights to all of Aleka's Attic's material from Island Records. 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, whose cast includes Aleka's Attic member River Phoenix, the character played by Dan Aykroyd 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 bassist Flea 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

Other tracks