Special thanks to honorary Eve 6 historian Alex Mezey for penning this wonderful biography.
It’s been fifteen years since Max Collins (vocals, bass) and Jon Siebels (guitar) signed their first record contract, with RCA Records, as high school seniors. The pair, along with drummer Tony Fagenson, collectively known as Eve 6, have released three albums, gone through a hiatus or two, dissolved, branched out, branched back in, and raised the familiar Eve 6 flag. All en route to a brand new record contract with Fearless/Sony Red records, and their first album of new material in eight years, set to be recorded in June. With a crop of new songs– “Lost and Found,” “What Do You Think of Me Now?,” “Bad News,” as well as revitalized older fan favorites– “Victoria,” “Best Friend’s Girlfriend,” and “Pick Up the Pieces.” There is certainly no shortage of material in the setlists to fill out a much-anticipated new record.
In the first incarnation of Eve 6, the trio of young musicians first rose to prominence in 1998, with their debut album, Eve 6. The band, while younger than most of their contemporaries (signed to a recording contract while still in high school,) nevertheless found a niche in the late 90′s post-grunge wave. Singles “Leech,” “Open Road Song,” and especially “Inside Out” were staples of top 40 radio throughout the year.
By the spring of 2000, on the heels of their breakthrough (certified platinum) success, Eve 6 recorded their sophomore album, “Horrorscope.” Initially propelled by lead single “Promise” album sales remained steady, but unspectacular, until the surprising release of a final single– “Here’s to the Night.” Nearly a year after the album dropped, there was renewed interest in the band, as “Here’s To The Night” resonated with the high school crowd as a prom night and graduation anthem. The backing string section and low-key, acoustic vibe was uncharacteristic of the band’s punk and alternative roots, but the surprising hit ensured that Horrorscope would sell over 500,000 records and go “gold.”
2002 brought a hiatus for Eve 6. Over four years of alternating recording and touring had left the band members burned out. Interest waned and as radio shifted away from its brief flirtation with pop-punk post-grunge. However, in the summer of 2003, following months of complete silence, a third album was announced. Released in July of that year, “It’s All in Your Head” carried a mature sound for a group of musicians already mature beyond their years. Despite a warm reception from critics and fans, official singles “Think Twice,” and “At Least We’re Dreaming” sputtered with wider audiences, and plans for a third release were axed, with RCA eventually ending their relationship with the band in early 2004. The band announced a final group of shows before an indefinite hiatus. Eve 6 played their final show in St. Louis, Missouri in July of 2004, just before the one year anniversary of “It’s All in Your Head”s release.
Thus began a shifting set of musical projects from the band members. Tony Fagenson, son of famed record producer Don Was, took to producing for other musicians. Jon Siebels joined Los Angeles alternative group Monsters Are Waiting, while Max Collins began an acoustic solo project, known as Brotherhood of Lost Dogs. BOLD fizzled after a few months, and following more silence from the former bandmates, it was announced in 2006 that Tony and Max had begun working together, though in what capacity was not known.
The reunited Max and Tony would become The Sugi Tap, a project offering a more electronic and calculated sound than anything they had released before. After a modest groundswell of support for the Sugi Tap, and a digital-only EP release, Max and Tony dropped a bomb on their fans, the Sugi Tap was gone, and Eve 6 was back.
With Jon Siebels electing not to rejoin the group, but giving his blessing for his ex-bandmates to take up the old name again, Eve 6 auditioned guitarists, eventually choosing Matt Bair of Bandcamp to fill the role. The new Eve 6 charged into a battery of shows, seeing particular success on college campuses. New songs filtered, bit by bit, into the setlists, with plans to record a fourth album slowly taking shape.
On December 1st, 2010, Matt played his last show as a member of Eve 6, having decided to focus more on his solo career. Eve 6 subsequently stalled, with focus allegedly being turned to the crafting of a new record. However, in March of 2011, another bombshell– Jon was rejoining the band.
Jon’s return renewed the quieting interest in the band, and not long after, the most significant Eve 6 news since the “indefinite hiatus” in 2004, a record deal with Fearless Records/Sony RED, and a concrete schedule for recording of a new album, came across the wire.
The Eve 6 community is abuzz with a vibrancy not seen in nearly a decade, with stalwart fan community Eve 6 Media HQ undergoing a facelift, and fans who had long ago lost interest, or simply forgotten about the band flocking back to the message boards and shows. Be sure to stay tuned for developments as they become known (hopefully with a greater frequency than has been recently) in these very exciting times for Eve 6 fans across the country!