Eve 6

Max Collins – vocals, bass
Jon Siebels – guitar, vocals
Tony Fagenson – drums, vocals

It might seem odd to want a “new beginning” after only two albums. But if you’re a teenager when you make your first CD, hit it huge, run ragged on tour, go through major life changes and reach legal drinking age all in the space of a couple years, some perspective is necessary. “We were in a whirlwind; we’d been on the road for a year and a half by late 2001,” Eve 6 reminisce. “We just needed time to live normal lives—and we didn’t even know what normal was!”

As has been widely reported, Eve 6 were signed by RCA Records out of their So Cal high school and have barely had time to sit down since the huge success of their self-titled debut in 1998. The album achieved platinum-status thanks to the #1 modern rock track “Inside Out” and the Top 10 follow-up single “Leech.” The trio continued to build upon that success with 2001’s gold-selling Horrorscope which produced the Top 5 modern rock hit “Promise” and the MTV/Top 40 smash “Here’s To The Night.” Amid all this media activity, Eve 6 maintained a steady presence–and built a solid fanbase–out on the road by touring with bands like Good Charlotte, while also being a staple at international festivals like Summersault and Fuji Rock.

With the release of It’s All In Your Head (July 22, 2003)–Eve 6’s third album for RCA–they’ve lived up to the “promise” of past praise. As Rolling Stone observed of Horrorscope, “Eve 6’s pop comes pumped up in the high-Gatorade style of athletic guitar punk…could well pave the way for a richer third one [CD].” It doesn’t get much richer than It’s All In Your Head.

Produced by up ‘n’ comer Gregg Wattenberg and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, (Rolling Stones, Hole, Marilyn Manson) and Jim Scott (Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters), the album runs the gamut both lyrically and musically. “All three of us are on the mic singing a lot, and sometimes one mic with three guitars. We let go of any strangleholds on ourselves,” says guitarist/vocalist Jon Siebels. “It was a very fun, easy, democratic thing. Plus, it’s always music first with this band. We don’t have side projects, clothing lines or movie careers.”

Containing a raw sound, crisp guitars, a booming, propulsive rhythm section and lead singer/songwriter/bassist Max Collins’ always dead-on lyrics in top form, It’s All In Your Head furthers the group’s brand of intelligent, powerful, punky pop. There’s the nasty snarl of the old Brit-punk sounding “Still Here Waiting,” the Dylan-esque, booming, mournful gem “Hey Montana” and the catchy chorus and warning tone of the first single “Think Twice.” Then there’s the nervous energy of the all-out rave-up “Without You Here,” and “Girlfriend” where the quietly smart ‘n’ sarcastic Max once again puts a twisted and clever spin on a love song.

When longtime friends–Max, Jon and drummer/vocalist Tony Fagenson–started the process of making It’s All In Your Head in late 2002, only one thought was in the band’s collective brain: staying true to themselves and their music, yet growing into themselves as artists. “We realized that there was growth that had to occur before we could make another album and show people what we were made of,” says Tony. Given that the band leapt straight from their parents’ homes to a tour bus–and now in their very early 20s are getting their first homes by themselves–the “real world” is a bit of a shock. “We were trying to pull at different things to make up for this hole, and the hole was, ‘we’re not kids anymore, how do you deal with that?!’ We were all a bit frightened,” Tony admits. “The process of this record was taking that fear and turning it into something.”

Adds Jon: “We had also essentially achieved our lifelong goal, and we were only 20. It was a blur until the end of the second record. Part of finding ourselves as a band is looking at what makes us special and what made people interested in us in the first place–which is why this record, sonically, is more guitar, bass and drums. We’ve taken steps forward.”

The overall freedom Eve 6 now enjoy–personally and professionally–was hard-won but the trio is grateful for the experience. “Opportunities are fleeting, you gotta take ‘em when they come,” Max believes. “You change, grow, deal with death and money, but you learn from that and try to keep hold of your innocence at the same time.”

“I think it’s the struggle that’s inherent in the music,” says Tony. “We know we’re different people now, yet still hold onto the fire, hope and passion we had when we first started the band. I think that’s the dichotomy and dilemma on this record.”