Venues
Events
MediaMusic
Interview: Eve 6′s Max Collins
The group’s vocalist talks to us about their upcoming NYC shows
Max Collins (middle) and Eve 6
| | More
Eve 6′s upcoming concerts in the intimate setting of the Mercury Lounge is not only something that long time NYC fans have been waiting for (the group added a second show on November 1 after the first sold out within minutes); it’s also critical for the band’s career: the concerts will be a showcase of the band’s repertoire to big shot label execs.
According to Max Collins Eve 6′s vocalist/bassist, “We didn’t know what to say to it,” referring to the addition of a second show. “This is definitely the first time anything like this has happened. It’s a smaller venue, so it filled really quickly and the venue came to us and asked if we would do another show.
He added, “We haven’t played Manhattan with this form of Eve 6, so why not?”
The La Crescenta, California-based Eve 6—then composed of Collins, drummer Tony Fagenson and guitarist Jon Siebels—signed with RCA Records in 1995, right after the band graduated high school. Their first single, “Inside Out,” reached #21 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay in 1998. With lyrics like, “I burn burn like a wicker cabinet, chalk white and oh so frail/I see our time has gotten stale/The tick-tock of the clock is painful/All sane and logical/I want to tear it off the wall,” Eve 6 became a kind of cult, with fans singing every single word of every song.
While their first hit single off RCA is considered “catchy,” Eve 6 is no a one-hit-wonder. Eve 6 also contributed two solid albums, Horrorscope and It’s All in Your Head, to the label, with songs like “Promise,” “On the Roof Again” and the often misunderstood “Here’s to the Night.” But in 2004, the band decided to split up after being released from their contract with RCA. Collins started another band called Brotherhood of Lost Dogs, with Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne and Joe Howard of the Posies. Fagenson remained active in the industry as a producer, while Siebels joined Monsters Are Waiting. In 2007, an announcement was made stating that Eve 6 was back but with a new guitarist, Matt Bair of Band Camp.
When asked which album Eve 6’s new music is most similar to, Collins explains, “I think in a way, you could liken this to the first album. With the second and third albums, we were working with deadlines and the pressure of record companies to get the release out. With this, it’s more like the first record in that we have been writing in our own time. There’s no rush.”
Since reforming in 2007, Eve 6 have been on the road much of the time. They have been very persistent in reconnecting with their fans and introducing music to strange faces. “There are definitely those moments,” Collins said referring to growing weary on tour, “but just as quickly, those thoughts are replaced with, ‘Holy shit, I’m the luckiest fucker in the world for getting to play loud rock ‘n’ roll for a living and express myself through songs’.”
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Eve 6 walks out of their upcoming shows with a record deal. Though the trio aren’t strangers to the scene, they still know to appreciate what matters most. “We’re extremely blessed that it’s been so long since we put a record out,” said Collins, “and we still have this touring base, and we have fans who want to hear more from us. We don’t take that for granted. The music is still coming from our influences in punk rock. For me, personally, I have to be honest and vulnerable as a songwriter and make music that makes us feel really good and hopefully makes other people feel good—or feel something. Whether it’s good or not, we want to have some sort of reaction.”