Updated: 02/13/00

In My Eyes is a hardcore band based out of Boston who have just released their second album on Revelation Records. Entitled NOTHING TO HIDE, In My Eyes play short infectious songs mixing emo-core lyrics with a heavy sound. We recently conducted an e-mail interview with one of the In My Eyes guys. Read on for more insight...

Highwire Daze: Introduce yourself, tell me what you do for In My Eyes, and how long has the band been together?

Anthony: Ok, my name is Anthony I play guitar, Pete is the singer, Luke plays drums, Damian plays the bass and Jeff Neumann is our semi-new second guitarist -- we stole him from Better Than A Thousand. On March 7th, we will have been a band for exactly 3 years to the day which is also my birthday so it all works out nicely.

HD: Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?

Anthony: We are from Boston Massachusetts and I have to say that we have had a pretty amazing scene for the last 5 years. We have bands of all styles and sounds and everyone is really supportive of all the bands -- not just one specific thing. We have straight up hardcore bands like Bane, Reach The Sky, Close Call, Fastbreak and Right Brigade, we have more metally bands like Converge, Diecast and Cave In and bands that are more rock/indie sounding like Warren Commission, The World Is My Fuse, Six Going On Seven, the Shyness Clinic and of course we have an amazing Punk scene also headed by The Dropkick Murphys, and bands like the Unseen and Poor Excuse as well as Blood For Blood who ride the line between punk, HC and metal. They pull in a lot of different kids. It’s a pretty diverse and inspiring scene. It’s really cool too that all the people in the bands are truly a part of the scene and not just on a pedestal and only seen when their band is playing. I think that what separates a good scene from a great scene (like old NYC and DC) is the involvement and rapport between the fans and the bands and that they are all a part of it. Each person in each band is just as much a fan as the kids who support them. We have a lot of characters too; it’s a pretty colorful scene.

HD: Describe the music of In My Eyes to someone who has never heard you before.

Anthony: Fast and aggressive hardcore with a touch of melody and a lot of passion. Honest hardcore, we aren’t putting up a front, pretending to care about things we don’t really stand for. We aren’t trying to be something we are not -- we aren’t trying to crossover -- we are just happy being a hardcore band and being a band that you can have fun to. It’s all about getting away from the outside world and just having fun and I that’s what we stand for. I think that if you are into fast, energetic music be it Pennywise or Gorilla Biscuits, you might dig us.

HD: Where do the ideas for the lyrics come from?

Anthony: Sometimes it’s a direct parallel to what is going on in your life, other times you get a phrase or an idea in your head and you build the song around it. You get an idea or a spark and you just roll with it and the whole thing comes out. A lot of times it stems from something that is bothering you and you just pen the words; it’s very therapeutic. The important thing is that Pete and I don’t write lyrics to just have them spit back at us. We mean what we write and I want people to sing along and have fun if you feel what the thing is about and sense what is going on. The main difference between HC and any other music is the lyrics and I don’t want to ever lose sight of that. We might not be writing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or anything, but it’s honest and relevant.

HD: In particular, what is the song "Welcome To Boston" about? Or who and what are you welcoming or not welcoming to Boston?

Anthony: Well contrary to Dan O’Mahony (singer of Speak 714), it’s not about him! He thought it had to do with him but the song was written before we met him, sorry Dan! It’s basically about dealing with anyone (parent, teacher, peer) who can’t let you just have your own opinion or let you be happy with things. There is always one person who has to be a monkey wrench in the program, the loose gear -- and the song is about that. I am very supportive of my peers and some people choose to be competitive with their friends and it’s counter-productive. It’s called "Welcome to Boston" because years ago Suicidal Tendencies were on a comp called Welcome To Venice and it was a slogan they had on their shirts and the breakdown part of the song was very inspired by that style of hardcore so we figured it would be a cool reference. We had to pay homage to that first Suicidal record -- it stands as one of the best hardcore records ever and I will always have a soft spot for it.

HD: Do you feel any sort of camaraderie with other bands from the East Coast?

Anthony: Definitely, the same way I feel about Boston, I feel about other spots on the coast and all over the country too! It's what hardcore is about -- meeting people and supporting each other. Whenever a friend or band we played with on tour is in town we try to support them and return the favor.

HD: What do you think sets In My Eyes apart from other bands?

Anthony: Passion. None of this is an act or contrived. This is how we feel about hardcore and we live it everyday and In My Eyes is an extension of it. The thing that made bands from NY and DC special and important was their passion. Listen to Minor Threat, Youth Of Today or Rites Of Spring -- their passion and energy shows through in those records and you can hear it in the voices and how the strings are hit. That is what is special about hardcore and good music. When I hear Creed or Godsmack I just hear prepackaged machines, not human emotion.

HD: What is a live In My Eyes show like for those of us who have yet to see you live?

Anthony: It is about energy and exchanging it with the crowd. We give it 100% and we turn it up a notch when the crowd responds and if they just stand there, we give them 110% and leave an impression. We jump around and try to play our best while doing it. It’s a big release and we love doing it night after night -- we try to put on a show, not just play.

HD: Is there any difference between East Coast and West Coast audiences?

Anthony: East coasters usually have more stylish clothes and better hair but there are less females at shows here which is odd. I have noticed more girls involved with HC on the west.

HD: What are your thoughts on the straight edge scene/lifestyle?

Anthony: It works for me and it’s kept me out of trouble and it’s my anchor. It’s something that I grew up with and chose to do -- not chose to follow what others do. I think that despite what it has become, it’s a great way to live. I feel that it’s my job to represent what it means to me, rather than just complaining about how it’s portrayed. It my job to show that it’s just a level headed lifestyle choice like being Christian, Vegetarian, Bhuddist, or whatever -- it’s just a personal choice. I don’t push it on anyone and I just live by example.

HD: What ridiculous day jobs have you or other guys in the band had (or may even have)?

Anthony: Nothing too crazy. I worked at a Deodorant factory for about an hour putting Right Guard into boxes and Jeff gave jungle tours in Thailand. Luke works at a daycare and I would like to be a ticket scalper someday -- that’s a great job!!

HD: How did you wind up celebrating this New Years Eve?

Anthony: I was in Las Vegas with some of my closest friends. We partied in the streets when the ball dropped and it was amazing. Everyone was tense before it hit and when every thing went down and was cool. It was a pretty amazing and fun vibe. We climbed light posts, danced to Lionel Ritchie in the streets and threw confetti. I would do it every year if I could.

HD: Do you have any other releases in addition to NOTHING TO HIDE?

Anthony: We have an LP called THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN on Revelation Records and an EP of our Demo and some live tracks on Big Wheel called simply Demo.

HD: Speaking of NOTHING TO HIDE, what is the title of the CD in reference to?

Anthony: It’s just about not being ashamed of who we are -- we are just a hardcore band, we are straight edge, we like to have fun, meet people, tour and make friends, not fans. We aren’t putting up an image by being funny, evil, scary, jocks, goths, etc. (not that any of that is bad), but we are just being Luke, Pete, Damian, Jeff and Anthony. I think that so many people try to please everyone and candy coat things. We just want to be ourselves but at the same time we want to push the limits of what we can be and what people expect from us.

HD: If there was one thing you'd like to leave someone with after hearing your music, what would it be?

Anthony: The sense that we care about what we are doing. I would love for them to have a guitar lick or lyric stuck in their head -- something just ringing out and haunting them.

HD: Any plans for shows in Southern California?

Anthony: Look for us this summer. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!