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If you are looking for a fun, soft-core punk band to listen to, then Eve6's is it. Their songs are catchy on and every song is creatively lyrical, addressing issues such as small town boredom, broken hearts, and fascination towards the opposite as well as deception and desire. The songs are creative and original and the lyrics are never boring. This band seems to be influenced by groups such as Green Day and Blink 182 but seems to retain the originality that makes them unique. Their sound is pure California Punk but cleaned up so that they sound refined. At the Fillmore show in San Francisco ,EVE 6 played their hearts out , with the popular single, "Inside Out" but also includes "Small Town Trap" a song about small town boredom, "Leech", and "Open Road Song". These four songs are perfect examples of the "Eve6 sound", fast peppy songs and leave the slower, melancholy songs to others. "Shower Head", for example, is a bit repetitive and almost boring by the two minute mark. The L.A. area-trio may still be young, but the core of the band have been writing and performing together for five years--developing songs that capture angst and frustration with a refreshing honesty and poeticism as well as musical sophistication and raw power. Nineteen-year-old singer and bass player Max Collins, who also writes the lyrics, and 18 year-old-guitarist Jon Siebels have been collaborating together since 1993, drawn together by a seriousness about playing in a rock band and a love of punk music. They were signed to The RCA Records Label two years ago while still in high school. Now, having teamed up with 19 year-old drummer Tony Fagenson and adopting the Eve 6 moniker, the band has recorded an infectious, self-titled debut album. The first single, "Inside Out," about "wanting people to understand you," states the album's theme of the distance between outside appearances and internal reality, while the seductive catch-and-hold chorus of "Leech" underlines the tale of an emotional parasite ("Sucking on my brain/You're the teacher/I'm the student/Turning things around/Your story's not congruent"). However, the majority of the songs are pleasing, catchy and after a few listens to. Eve6 has the power to make the young appreciate their youth and the older feel 18 again. The ability to do this is the mark of a good band. The charisma that this band has on their live performances. This trio obviously set out to make a well-beaten path: the intros are short, and the hooks are strong and the vocals are edged wish just the right amount of frustration, anger and heartache. But if you dig through the Outer polish, you'll find a solid rock 'n' roll heart pumping underneath Eve 6's more refined exterior. Comparable to Bush, Matchbox 20 and the Verve Pipe, Eve 6's sound is defined by simple guitar licks and driving rhythms (marked by tinny cymbals and taught snare thuds), suggesting that the band are fans of angsty rock à la the Replacements. Bassist Max Collins takes the lead vocal duties, scratching and straining his voice through most of these songs about love, alienation and life on the road. "Super Hero Girl," "Tongue Tied," "Showerhead" and "Open Road Song" are the tunes that will help Eve 6 make a name for itself.

By Randy Cohen

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