Some New, Must Read Interviews With Tony Of Eve 6

Unfortunately, time doesn't permit a long-winded analysis, but here are a couple of new interviews with Tony of Eve 6. It is great to see Tony embracing the digital world, and looking forward to NEW Eve 6 music.

First, from a well-written article by Alternative Addition:

As much as the guys love to work with other musicians, Fagenson says that they’re now committing their time to new EVE 6 material.

“In the last few months we’ve been purposely turning down other stuff because we are trying to focus on our band now. It’s very easy to say yes to these things and then another year has gone by.”

Once the new material is done, the band hasn’t decided how they plan to release it. With the changing climate of the music industry, and one stint signed to a label behind them, Fagenson says the band still may opt to release the album through a major label if the right opportunity is available.

And next, a wide-ranging Q&A by Mammoth Press:

Q: Speaking of a fourth album which you kind of touched on a little bit give me what fans want to hear about that.

A: I think everything that fans like about the band is still gonna be there, we’re still all about the song and we try to write good songs that mean something to us and then therefore hopefully to other people. You know Max our singer and lyricist is still doing his thing and he has a special way with words and that’s still very strong and will be very represented on the record. But we are adding some different sounds into the mix; Sugi Tap was sort of a chance for us to experiment a little bit so we’re going to bring some of that in and I won’t say it’s going to sound like our first record but it’s always going to have the energy of that - the passion put into it. I think that people hopefully will be pleasantly surprised by it. We don’t really know when it’s gonna be yet because we haven’t officially started recording it.

That article is accompanied by a great photo gallery that all Eve 6 fans should check out. Seems like things are really starting to get exciting again.

For all of the loyal Eve 6 fans out there, it looks like the long wait for new music will finally be over at some point in 2009.

A Fantastic Interview WIth Tony Fagenson About the Music Industry

Thought I'd pop in quickly and link to a really good interview that Tony recently did with HypeBot:

Part 1

Part 2

I find this part particularly interesting:

Q: Looking back on it now, what was your experience like being signed to a Major Label?

Fagenson: I'd be lying if I said the experience was anything but great overall. Like anything it has it's ups and downs, strikes and gutters. Sure they f$&ked a few things up, and communicating ideas could be a very laborious process with a large company...

But we were very fortunate to have a team of people that was behind the band for a long time, and fought hard to break down walls for us and get our music heard. We wouldn't have had that success without the powerful reach and $$ of a major record company. We had a good relationship with many of the employees of RCA at the time and enjoyed seeing the various folks when we'd pass through their particular town or what have you. Lots of bands end up despising their labels, but that never really happened with us.

It looks like Tony has undying love for the label, even though they dropped them on their heads back in '04. I really don't understand this viewpoint from Tony, but I reckon it has something to do with his father being a relatively successful producer and a product of the old music industry (Don Was). Tony is very savvy, but still has ties to the old guard - it makes for an interesting interview.

Also interesting is the post in the comments section of that article by Brendan from the early 2000's one-hit wonder "Wheatus" (I will never forget "I'm Just a Teenage Dirtbag" blaring over speakers all over my freshman dorms - ahhh, simpler times):

Eve6 is one of the best live bands I've ever seen. Toured with them back in the 2000 and then some.... they bring it. And in the spirit of kissing even more websternet ass....Tony is one of my fav. modern drummers.

But I lovingly disagree with you Tony....grey haired baby boomer execs who don't know what the f' TCP/IP stands for are 90% the problem....they didn't even know what Napster was when our 1st USA sales week came in under expectations and I asked if they could get those sharing numbers.

They could have made deals and monetized in 1998 but they were arrogant and entrenched old men...very, very conservative. They really thought the internet would blow over...then they thought they could overpower it by being draconian and protectionist....and when that didn't work they began to abuse the only people who did care about their products. Couple that with THE CRAP they put out year after year = 2009.

many thanks for the article....and go see Eve6...they are the real thing.

brendan b brown
wheatus.com

ps...Tony, and all other recording and performing musicians...make sure Soundexchange hasn't forfeited your royalties!

Looks like I wasn't the only one who questioned Tony's loyalty to the ones who botched a huge opportunity for the music industry.

Eve 6 Media HQ exclusive interview with Max and Tony from October, 2007

I felt that this got lost in the fray back in October, so I am reposting it for all to enjoy once again:

Max and Tony of Eve 6 were kind enough to take time out of their lives and answer some burning questions for the Eve 6 Media HQ community. What follows are the answers - unedited - straight from the guys. Enjoy!

•1. What was the best part about taking that year off from any major projects (other than the songs that you wrote) and did the time off teach you any new insight that will reflect in your new music with The Sugi Tap?
It gave us a chance to look at our lives objectively, outside of any band context. It was a very liberating feeling for us. And in that, we found a sincere appreciation for this thing that we're privileged enough to do: create music. It also made us realize that we do in fact enjoy making music together, so why not keep doing it?

•2. If Jon wasn't in Monsters are Waiting, would you guys have called him to see if he would be interested in playing in the Sugi Tap or possibly reuniting as Eve 6?
We actually did just that, and he expressed that he was content playing in Monsters full-time and also starting his own career as a producer here in LA. We have an agreement with him and he's totally OK with us carrying on the band name in his absence. Things are good between us.

•3. Max: What is the writing process like for you? Can you explain the journey a song takes from an idea in your notebook to being a finished work? Roughly how long does it take from start to finish and has this process changed from the days in Eve 6 to today with the Sugi tap?
Max: "It just comes from an inspired moment. Sometimes a lyrical phrase will pop into my head along with a melody and that can start it off. The truth is, how does it happen? You sit down with an acoustic guitar and it either happens or it doesn't. Once an idea feels like it has potential, Tony and I sit down and try to make it as good as possible. Tony helps guide the process from a raw idea or emotion of mine into a finished song. Sometimes it takes a day, sometimes it takes weeks. We've sort of found our natural balance over the years. But we just do whatever it takes to make it feel great to us."
We've also been spending the last few months writing/producing for other artists. Look for our song "We Don't Have To Look Back Now" (aka "Geographic";) on the upcoming Puddle of Mudd album (we produced the track also). There's other things in the pipeline we can't discuss at the moment, but we'll be sure to let everybody know when we can.

•4. Now that you're in another established musical act, is there anything either of you did in Eve 6 (musically) that you wish you hadn't? IE: "I wish I had taken more time with _____" or "I don't want people to remember me for ______" etc? Or are you still proud of it all?
No regrets! You can't judge too harshly the things you did when you were 18. We made the music we wanted to make at the time, just following our hearts. We're glad people enjoy it!

•5. Victoria, BOLD, Mr. Bones, and Familiar Face are old BOLD songs that have become Sugi tap songs; are there any others that will be finished within the Sugi Tap? (we heard "Can of Worms" might be Sugi-tized, any confirmation of that?)
We worked on a lot of other ideas, old and new, that nobody has heard (about 8 more fully recorded). If they surface they will be under the Eve 6 umbrella, ella, ella, ey, ey, ey...."Can of Worms" was Sugi-tized, and might be heard as an Eve 6 song in the future.

•6. What has been the most significant change in both of your lives over the past few year's since Eve 6's break-up?
Very big question, we'll save it for a rainy day or another interview!

•7. When you had your band name crisis, what (if any) were some of the other names you considered before "the Sugi Tap?"
Here's some choice selections (some serious, some not): Central, The Plaster Saints, The Sound Life, Sterling Creatures, Lucas, Hush Hush, Hey Cat!, The Bee's Knees, Remedios the Beauty, The Chamber Maids, Neuroboner. We have pages and pages more of band names that will never see the light of day....

•8. Was there ever an Eve 6 song that you got absolutely sick of performing and was there ever an Eve 6 song that you wished you performed live that you never did (and why)?
We honestly never got "sick" of playing any of our songs. Some ended up being more fun and going off more at live shows, but we never got tired of songs from overplaying them. "Anytime" is a song that we never played live, but in the last few years it's really taken on a life of it's own and become a favorite among fans. We'll be incorporating that into future sets.

•9. Tony: Do you have a preference between "behind the scenes" work w/ other bands or center stage for yourself? (Do you like producing more than performing?)
Love 'em both. They satisfy the two opposite sides of my psyche. Producing is a little more intellectual, you've got keep your eye on a multitude of things at once and make sure the ship is headed in the right direction. It's a bit of fortune-telling involved, predicting the future. It involves a lot of people skills as well, and knowledge in many areas of music. It's a fun and challenging process. Playing on stage is the opposite. It's all spirit and good times. It's living in the divine moment. Limbs and heart, that's all it takes!

•10. A few months ago, you mentioned you had roughly 15 new songs written; has that number grown? Can you also give us a listing of the tracks that you have written?
We've been writing constantly and there's too many songs and ideas to list. You'll see some of them appear on future releases.