REVIEW: Orange County group brightens the Galaxy stage,
while the headliner provides neither light nor heat.
May 11, 1999

Eve 6, Lit
Where: Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana
When: Sunday night

By ROBERT KINSLER

Throw equal doses of Green Day, Cheap Trick and Stone Temple Pilots into a jar, and the resulting potion might well be Eve 6, minus the instantly memorable hooks, melodies and commercial bang that made each of those groups so successful at their peaks. At least that appeared to be the case Sunday night, when the Los Angeles-area trio played before a capacity crowd at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana. While the band has modest talents, much of Eve 6's self-titled album sounds like the work of a one-trick pony. Songs generally start quietly with lead singer Max Collins' voice accompanied by a muted guitar and build to a Nirvana-styled assault. It gets old. In concert, the band depended mostly on the same approach.

The group, which also includes guitarist-singer Jon Siebels and drummer-singer Tony Fagenson, rarely extended itself outside that formula, exploding into seasoned form only while unleashing its best-known tunes, "Inside Out" and "Superhero Girl," toward the end of the 70-minute set.

And a cover of the Divinyls "I Touch Myself" was only slightly entertaining, with the band's campy and amped-up version of the song begging the question, "Why?"

Anaheim-based Lit has come a long way since releasing its debut, "Five Smokin' Tracks From Lit," in 1996. The band's latest, "A Place in the Sun," features the instantly accessible "My Own Worst Enemy," which has catapulted the rock quartet to that same sort of fame enjoyed by other O.C. acts such as Sugar Ray, No Doubt and the Offspring.

Like Sugar Ray, Lit has a winning frontman, A. Jay Popoff, who accounts for much of the band's appeal. But on Sunday, Popoff proved he didn't have to deliver the goods alone, thanks to the strong guitar work of his brother, guitarist Jeremy, and in-the-pocket grooves of bassist Kevin Baldes and drummer Allen Shellenberger.

Although Lit had a 45-minute set and was plagued early by a problem with the sound system, the band struck out with the kind of force that has marked its legendary shows at Club 369 in Fullerton. Lit can roar, thanks to its hybrid of punk and heavy-metal thunder that has always fueled its music. But what sets Lit apart from the similar Seven Mary Three, Everclear and Eve 6 is more appreciation for melody.

"My Own Worst Enemy" was one of several songs from the new album that showcased Lit's emerging songcraft, with the tuneful "Quicksand" and harmony-rich "Zip-Lock" both worthy follow-up singles for the band.