Into It Over It is the project of Chicago based singer and songwriter Evan Weiss. Crafting heartfelt songs that display raw emotion. It’s been a long time coming but Into It Over It are finally touring Australia in September 2016. We caught up with Evan ahead of the tour to talk album their newest album Standards.

SCENEzine
How’s 2016 going for you?

Evan Weiss
It’s been pretty busy man. We started out the new year by doing a five week tour, came home then made an LP. Now we’ve just started a four month tour until Christmas. So it’s been going pretty well, action packed so far.

SCENEzine
How was the Made In America festival playing alongside the likes of Rihanna and Coldplay?

Evan Weiss
(laughs) Dude it was so weird. So, so, so weird. We got asked to do this thing and a lot of our other friends bands got asked too so we were like ok this will be cool. We played on Saturday and I had to be at a wedding in Chicago on Sunday. They put all of our buddies bands on Sunday and we wound up playing Saturday. We were one of three rock bands that played the entire afternoon. We closed the stage that we were on immediately after this group called Grits and Biscuits. I didn’t click that it made absolutely no sense us being there until about 40 seconds into our first song (laughs). But we had a really good time and they took really good care of us. We had a nice little vacation together which was pretty cool.

SCENEzine
Congrats on your newest album Standards it feels really inspired, your passion for music shows throughout. Did you approach this album any differently?

Evan Weiss
Thank you. Yeah totally a big part of making that record was to not over think and just settle in and enjoy the process, the experience and each other while making it. Just really try to get back to having a good time while making music and not thinking too hard about what I was doing. I think when I wrote a couple of my records before that they were a lot harder to make. I was so focused on what they were supposed to be instead of what they could of been. Looking back on it I didn’t realise it while it was happening but I should of been more focused on enjoying those experiences rather than stressing out. So Standards was a really awesome breath of fresh air and positive experience all around, really rewarding.

SCENEzine
The album starts out with “Open Casket” what was your motivation behind writing that song?

Evan Weiss
We wrote the music first and when we first wrote the music I couldn’t really play it. So I had to get really comfortable playing the part. The lyrics for it were written right after I had taken a trip back to New Jersey where I grew up. Seeing everybody and what they were doing. Kind of getting some perspective on why I left. Why I live in Chicago now and do that things that I do now.

SCENEzine
You released a great video for “No Eq” can you tell us a bit about the making of it?

Evan Weiss
I can’t say anything about the making of it because I wasn’t there. We were on tour but my girlfriend who does wardrobe and costume design for movies and television has some short film director friends and kept suggesting that we make a video. I’m a huge fan of the directors work the stuff they do is really demented and funny. They have the same sense of humour that I have. So we approached them about some video ideas and sent them the song then they came up with the idea of the masks. They kind of gave us a brief outline but it was nothing like the final video was. I remember we got the rough edit of the video and I was smiling the entire time. They filmed it all in two or three days. I have no idea how they made that video but I love it though.

SCENEzine
So many great musicians and bands live in Chicago. Is there anything about the city that seems to make it a great place for song writing?

Evan Weiss
Well the main thing that I would say is that it’s because of Chicago winter (laughs). When winter hits in Chicago it’s like five months of not wanting to go outside and I think that really contributes to a lot of people making some really great art. You can’t really interact outdoors so you have to come up with stuff to do. Generally whenever records are written it’s during winter time, it’s stay inside and keep your mind preoccupied time. I think that’s also a common bond that the city has in the sense of community because everybody has to go through this shit together. We’re kind of like the bastard brother to New York and Los Angeles. Everyone seems to have a little bit more of a harder work ethic. You’re not just going to be handed anything you have to work really hard to get out of the Mid West. That breeds originality and creativity in the sense of everybody working together to see the common goal.

SCENEzine
Was playing Riot Fest Chicago a career highlight for you so far?

Evan Weiss
Actually playing Lollapalooza was more of a milestone than Riot Fest was. Riot Fest is awesome it’s a really great festival the people that run it are friends of the band. But as far as music festivals in Chicago Lollapalooza is the big one. For us to be invited to play that was really, really cool. That’s like a thing I can tell me Grandparents and they would know what Lollapalooza was. A stranger might ask hey do you play in a band? Have you done anything cool? I can say yeah we’ve done Lollapalooza (laughs) immediately everybody knows what that is. So that was a really big highlight.

SCENEzine
It’s not long until you are touring Australia. Are you excited to get down here?

Evan Weiss
Yeah absolutely the first show is on my 32nd birthday so I’m going to be spending my birthday there. Spending my birthday week with every Australian I can meet. I’m psyched to see the country and see some animals I’ve never seen before. I’m also psyched to keep those animals (laughs) it’s going to be awesome.

SCENEzine
Have any of your friends in other bands told you what to expect in Australia?

Evan Weiss
Some of them have. Our friend Brad plays drums in the band La Dispute and he lives in Sydney. So he’s been talking about it for the last few years. I’ve been trying to come down for five or six years now but this is the first time. I don’t want to know too much I’d rather be surprised.

SCENEzine
One of our favourite tracks of yours is “The Shaking Of Leaves”. Are you able to let us in on the meaning of the song?

Evan Weiss
The song is about the loss of a friend and how two years later they had thought they found my friends killer. I remember at first feeling really excited that they found him but then once I thought about it more I really didn’t care that the dude had been caught. Having someone get caught isn’t going to bring my friend back. So that song was about realising that.

Coping with a new part of loss that I hadn’t coped with before and it actually turned out that it wasn’t even the guy that did it. It’s really about coming to terms with the fact that I’m not as focused on them finding the person that took my friend. I’m focused on the fact that I miss my friend.

SCENEzine
Lastly can you leave us a message for your Australian fans excited to see you?

Evan Weiss
Well I’m excited to see them very soon. I’m probably more excited to see them more than they are to see me (laughs)

(Interview by Christian Ross)