Student.Conversation: Eve 6

Two years ago, a young, unknown band from Los Angeles came out of nowhere and landed a pop anthem called "Inside Out." Twelve months later, Eve 6 had sold over two million copies of its debut album, while songs like "Leech" and "Open Road Song" became alt.rock radio staples. With Horrorscope, Eve 6 has clearly hurdled the dreaded sophomore slump. Student.Com recently chatted with vocalist Max Collins and asked him about fame, fortune, and what he thinks of Napster. Student.Com: Your first album sold over 2 million copies in the US. Did that put any pressure on you when you headed into the studio to record Horrorscope? Max: Zero bands that were selling when our first album was selling have come out with their second albums. So we were nervous, sure. But I think it ended up becoming a great motivation for us. Producing something better than our first effort actually increased our work ethic, which actually took some weight off our shoulders. Student.Com: Has RCA been supportive of Eve 6? A lot of labels get nervous once their freshman stars get set to release their sophomore albums... Max: When we did our first recording, we were on a tiny budget and nobody at the record company knew who we were. So they left us alone. Once we recorded the album and they played it and liked it, it sort of proved that we knew what we were doing. So this time around, they ended up leaving us to our own devices... thank God. Student.Com: What did Eve 6 set out to do with Horrorscope? Did you have any specific goals in mind when you hit the studio? Max: I don't know if we really had anything specific in mind. But we did want to top ourselves. When we started this thing, we were totally green to the experience of being a band, and touring, making videos. This time, we went into things and it was easier. For me, I became more critical of myself. I think I gave this album an underlying, dark sense of humor. Some of the songs have a wry smile running through them. Student.Com: What are some of your favorite tracks on the record? Max: "Rescue" and "On The Roof." Both of them have really different elements the bridge to "Roof" has a different vocal feel than I'm used to, while "Rescue" has keyboards and synthesized sounds, and is a little more plugged in than usual. Student.Com: You guys were all teenagers when the first record came out. Even though you're all in your twenties now, has age hampered the band, or is it a part of Eve 6's overall vitality? Max: With me, I keep myself in check. It's so good to have family and friends, because they help keep you in check. We're not out there playing stadiums and being rock stars. We're on a large club tour right now. We really do keep level heads... and we've found the best way to do that is to realize that every touring band in the world has at least four or five "Spinal Tap" moments per day. If you can laugh that off, you'll do alright. Student.Com: What do you think of the current state of pop music? Max: It's not so hot (laughs). This happens to be a different time than when we released the first record. We're definitely... We're not one of those pissed off, heavy rock bands. I have nothing against them, but that's just not our thing. I think that'll work both for and against us… for some people, we'll be a breath of fresh air, and for others, they'll just want to listen to the same thing they've been hearing for the past year. Student.Com: You guys started playing together back in high school. What words of advice would you give to bands that are just starting out today? Max: We got really, really lucky. What we did which is what I would tell other bands to do is we played a lot. We were in high school, playing in dingy bars we weren't even old enough to hang out in after the show. We were making our own patches and giving them away. We were at Kinko's printing flyers. Student.Com: So what goes into writing an Eve 6 song? Max: I think I pay attention to a lot of pop culture in general movies, television. I'm even influenced by magazine articles. I mean, even an album review has a concise charm to it that you just can't get from a novel. Subconsciously, I think I apply that to my own writing. Student.Com: Where did the Eve 6 name come from? Max: The "Eve" episode of the XFiles, which I think showed in the second season. Student.Com: So there's an example of popular culture right there. Max Yup. Student.Com: Speaking of popular things, what's the band's stance on Napster? Max: We are totally proNapster. From what I've seen, it does nothing but help bands. There were these kids at one of our shows last week, and they'd already downloaded our new album, which doesn't even come out until next week. But there they were, singing along to every single song. However that happens it's just fucking cool. These are fans who want as much of the band as possible. They'll buy the albums after they download them. They'll come to the shows and buy our tee shirts. They'll support us in other ways. Metallica… those guys need to check themselves. They're looking at the whole thing in business sense, instead of an artistic one. Student.Com: So, are you down for a little game of word association? Max: Aww, cool! Student.Com: Reality TV. Max: The Sims. I know it's not television, but my girlfriend has it, and we just can't get enough of it. From "Survivor" and "The Real World" and "Big Brother" all the way down to computer games... people are living vicariously through these little characters, who are just going along and living their mundane little lives. Student.Com: Harry Potter. Max: Great fucking book! Oh, wait... you wanted one word? Umm... Max. Me, Max Collins. Student.Com: Baseball? Max: Boring. Student.Com: Touring. Max: Touring good! Student.Com: The Internet... Max: That's just another language to me. I don't even know how to turn a computer on. Eve 6's latest disc, Horrorscope, hit stores on July 25.