PropertyOfZack had the chance to sit down with Evan Weiss, aka Into It. Over It., not too long ago on his tour with Fake Problems. Evan and I discussed touring, the Koji split, his new album being produced by Ed Rose, Stay Ahead Of The Weather, and more. Chris from Fake Problems also sat in on the interview, so read up and enjoy!

The tour is about halfway over for both Fake Problems and Into It. Over It. How have the dates been?
Evan: You’ve been on this tour way longer than I have.
Chris: It’s been pretty fantastic. We started on April 13^th and the first three weeks were pretty good. They were in weirded markets on the west coast. Not our strongest places, but since we’ve met up with this guy, the shows are really turning around [Laughs]. We do a lot better on the east coast.
Evan: Is this your first headliner?
Chris: It’s our first headliner for this record. We do headlining shows all the day on support tours.
Evan: Did you do a headliner before this?
Chris: We did for our last album as well, but we had to cancel it.
Evan: It’s interesting for me because I have never quite toured with bands like you guys. I usually tour with like pop-punk or emo bands. It’s interesting for me because I’ve been playing to crowds that I typically wouldn’t be playing to.

Have fans been receptive to you in the markets you didn’t think they would necessarily be?
Evan: Oh yeah. Also, playing first is also tough because you’re in charge of warming everybody up. First is always a tough spot. I feel like the shows where I was playing second were slightly better because people know they’re at a show. I know my role. I know how to take it. I can hold my own.

And you are still supporting your Koji split.
Evan: This is my last push supporting it. Those are the songs that people sing along to the most and that people are the most stoked to hear. Those are the songs that I think are the best too. It’s been really cool seeing that reaction and getting new people to the shows that have that record. What’s also cool is seeing people who have heard about me through that split that were fans of him and vice versa. It’s doing exactly what a split record should do, which is cross-promote.

Koji said you and he might do some other stuff as well.
Evan: Koji and I are always brainstorming. We were talking about doing a bonus recording of covers for another press. We have an idea to do a show that we want to push on Food Network. There’s a bunch of different ideas that we’ve had. I know Koji definitely markets himself much differently than I do. We definitely have a different approach, so it’s about trying to find a good middle ground. The idea for the show was that we would book a ten-day house show tour in towns where we have favorite restaurants and before the show go to the restaurant, but with organic and independent and punk vegan restaurants. We’d splice that stuff with footage of us at the shows. It’d be a punk cooking show. We’d pitch it to Travel of Fuse. If NOFX can get a show, Koji and I will be alright.

Your next release is the Such Gold split. How has the feedback been?
Evan: It’s funny because those songs were recorded in 2009 and they’re only finally coming out now. That’s the last Twelve Towns. It was cool to have that project come to a close. When I started I didn’t have any labels or bands. I posted on the Internet that that’s how I wanted to do it, and that’s how I did it. Eventually people said they’d put the 7” out. I began to think that it would work. The record went out of print in two days.
POZ: Do you want to press the full series?
Evan: Topshelf is doing the full LP and it’ll be out in July and that’ll be something that’s treated as a full-length because not all the songs were recorded at the same time, but they work really well together. We wanted to keep them available even though the 7”’s will be rare. We wanted to see if we could make something of it and have it be a big box set. If they were be repressed we’d only do it as a box set. We couldn’t be happier with how that turned out. I love the Such Gold guys, we’ve known each other for years.

You’ve been hard at work with a full-length. Can you talk about that?
Evan: I was home in February and I’m home again in April, and Nick from Stay Ahead Of The Weather, we’ve been working on the full-length. I’ve written about twelve or thirteen songs and we’re recording at the end of June. We’ll get into writing mode working hard and then I have to go on tour for a month. I get home on June 7^th and then I have about two weeks to put finishing touches on everything. I have to write all the lyrics and second guitar parts. I feel like I can do it because I wrote the Koji split from scratch in twenty days. I feel like I can pull it together. We’ll probably do twelve songs. Ten will be on the record. The record is going to be called Proper and we’re recording with Ed Rose. I’m a total nerd about everything he’s done. I’m really excited about it. I had lunch with him in Kansas to see if he was into it and we’re on the same page about everything. I can write him an email and he’ll write me back right away. I didn’t want to write a record and have it be concrete, I want him to produce it and help me. I’m only one person.

How would you compare the music to the Koji split?
Evan: It’s a rock record. There are only a few slow songs.
Chris: Electric?
Evan: For the most part everything I do is electric. Live, because I don’t have a band, I have to do it this way. I’m going to try to put a band together this year. This tour was going to be full-band, but then we booked the recording time and I had to use the time at home to write songs and not rehearsing with a band. I only had a month so I needed to work on it. I’d imagine it would be December of this year.

When would you like to have Proper out?
Evan: In September, I think. In time for me to tour again this fall.

For Stay Ahead Of The Weather,how many songs will be on The Wonder Years split?
Evan: We each did one. It’s a split 6”. We recorded that one song. We love their band and they love their band. I love their old band and they love my old band. We’ve been friends and it really made sense to do something. And it’s going to be cool to do something a weird size and we’re in charge of the layout. Hopeless is putting it out. I’m home all summer though, so Stay Ahead is going to write the next 7” and I think we’ll press both of them together as a set.
POZ: When is the split coming out?
Evan: I have no idea. That’s all up to them. They’re in charge. They have deadlines and dates. Meanwhile, Stay Ahead’s played ten shows. We’re hardly a band.
POZ: Are you surprised by how much that has taken off though?
Evan: Totally. We wrote them for fun, and they were actually going to be the songs on my side of the Koji split, but they were too heavy and aggressive. I didn’t want to pigeonhole my sound. I think he figured with what we’re doing that it would come together, and it did. It’s really awesome.

Are there any Stay Ahead shows set up?
Evan: I think we’re playing a show in Chicago in June and we’re playing The Swellers record release on the 18^th. For us to play at all is tough, but we try to when we can. I’d imagine we’ll play a few shows this summer.

How long will the Frank Turner tour be for?
Evan: It’s a seven week tour here and in Canada. I have no idea about the details yet though. I get left in the dark because I’m the opener. I’m lucky enough to even be on that tour.

Is there anything else planned touring wise by Into It. Over It.?
Evan: There is stuff in the works, but it’s not confirmed. Next year is going to be a busy year. I might be on the road for about eleven months.