American punk-pop trio
Eve 6 released two platinum- and gold-selling albums (
Eve 6 and
Horrorscope) and scored three Top 40 singles, including the chart-topping "Inside Out," during the late '90s and early 2000s. The group disbanded after the release of 2003's
It's All in Your Head, but reunited for a series of tours with a new lineup in 2007. They re-formed the original trio in 2012, issuing their long-awaited fourth LP,
Speak in Code, followed by an EP,
Grim Value, in 2021.
The band's two founders, guitarist Jon Siebels and bassist/vocalist
Max Collins, signed a contract with RCA Records while still attending high school in La Crescenta, a neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. Originally called
Eleventeen, the bandmates took three long years -- during which time they added a new drummer,
Tony Fagenson -- to prep their debut album. The delay was intentional, as RCA Records had demanded the boys graduate from high school before releasing any material. While waiting to issue an album (which ultimately arrived in 1998),
Eve 6 sharpened their act by playing local coffeehouses.
"Inside Out," the leadoff single from
Eve 6's self-titled debut, became a number one modern rock hit in 1998, ousting
the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" from the chart-topping position. "Leech" also proved to be a popular single, and
Eve 6's record went platinum as a result. Two years later, the band returned with
Horrorscope, which went gold on the strength of "Promise" and the power ballad "Here's to the Night," which was also a Top 40/MTV smash.
Eve 6 toured the globe throughout 2000 and 2001 while writing songs for a third record,
It's All in Your Head, which was released in mid-2003. Despite the moderate success of the single "Think Twice," sales for the record never truly took off, and
Eve 6 were dropped by RCA Records in March 2004. Shortly thereafter, the members announced their decision to disband, and
Eve 6 played their final show in July.
Siebels went on to play guitar with
Monsters Are Waiting, while
Collins and
Fagenson resurfaced in mid-2006 with their new band, the Sugi Tap. In 2007,
Collins and
Fagenson added guitarist Matt Bair and put the Sugi Tap on hold to tour as
Eve 6 in 2008. In 2011, with new songs, new management, and with Siebels back on board, the band officially re-formed and signed with Fearless Records. A new album,
Speak in Code, produced by
Don Gilmore (who produced
Eve 6's first two albums), appeared in April 2012. Longtime kit man
Tony Fagenson left the fold in 2018, making room for new drummer Ben Hilzinger (Beautiful Ben, Unmistakable Stems), who made his studio debut on the 2021 EP
Grim Value. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Steve Leggett