When we think of musicians, story treat we think of natural talent. People who seemingly came out of the womb playing acrobatic guitar solos or thunderous drum fills. And when we think about songwriters, purchase we think of those who have an uncanny knack for turning mundane statements into clever hooks that we want to sing along to. We remember lyrics that have perfectly conveyed a feeling we could never put into words and wonder, “how in the world did they do that?”
What we often fail to associate with musicians is how hard they work to get to that point. When you look at the career trajectory of Evan Weiss, however, “hard working” is actually the first thing that comes to mind. That’s because Weiss, who is the mastermind behind Into It. Over It., has written more songs over his short career than even Bob Dylan should shake a stick at.
In fact, Weiss has released at least 88 Into It. Over It. songs across four records since 2009. That includes 52 Songs, a project were he recorded a song a week for an entire year. Add to that the fact that Weiss is also in a number of other bands (Stay Ahead of the Weather, Pet Symmetry, and Their/They’re/There to name a few), and you’ve got the equivalent of Bradley Cooper writing his novel on that super drug in Limitless. (Check out this scene if you have no idea what I’m talking about)
Did I mention the guy also finds time to tour in between these epic writing sessions? Weiss and the Into It. Over It. crew came through a sold-out Sinclair on Thursday night with The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, and Dreamtigers.
Sonically, Into It. Over It. occupies a space somewhere between Death Cab for Cutie and The Get Up Kids. Most tracks lack the poppy punch provided by TGUK’s best work, but they aren’t quite a subdued as a Ben Gibbard love note set to music. That makes for somewhat of an odd live dynamic, as no one is really sure if they should be singing along or starring down at the floor, so everyone does a little bit of both.
To try and claw his way out of this live show purgatory, Weiss brings as much energy as he can muster, swinging his guitar and bouncing around the stage. He also does an outstanding job of connecting with his audience, even in a somewhat larger venue like the Sinclair.
At one point, Weiss stopped to have a conversation with a couple on the balcony about their wedding. While he did use it as a segue into the next song, it seemed like Weiss was genuinely interested in what they were saying. Moments like this made the 20 songs set seem like a gathering of friends, and made the man standing on stage seem to be no different than anyone else standing on the floor watching him. Overall, a great night of music with a man who works really hard but makes it look really easy.