We (Dopefiend) did this interview at Shawn Jennings house and we were there for a while...Actually most of the night. We waited for everyone to get there (which was a long long time) but it was worth the wait, they were cool, and we had a good time hanging out.
DF: How long has eye 2 eye been around?
TONY: Summer of.......94?
DF: Who were the orginal members?
KENNY: Tony, me, Jay and that is it at first. Then this kid Gregwas in it. And then Roger joined and then we kicked Greg out and then he joined.
TONY: He meaning Shawn.
KENNY: Sorry about that feet.
DF: Where did you get the name "eye 2 eye" from?
KENNY: The eye glass place in the mall. (Laughing)
JAY: I really don't remember...
DF: Where is your favorite place to play out??
TONY: I think the pipeline is my favorite place.
SHAWN: I like the Planetarium.
ROGER: Yea, I like the Planetarium too.
SHAWN: What did you think of Knuckle Heads?
ROGER: I liked palying there but they are a bunch of assholes.
SHAWN: I liked the stage. Sucks that you cant dance, even though we did anyway!
DF: Who writes the songs in the band?
TONY: we all do.
DF: Musically you all write it, but lyrically....
KENNY: Musically we each throw in our own ideas. The guitars are Tony and...2 of the songs Roger wrote, and 2 of them me and jay wrote. So it's kinda a mixture.
DF: What does your music represent?
JAY: Kenny's love life. (everyone laughs)
KENNY: The lyrics, i don't know, just whatever I write down and goes with the songs. Whatever comes to my head.
DF: What are some influences as a band
TONY: Alcohol. (laughing)
KENNY: Like Musically? Uhh...Tony you go first you got the biggest list.
TONY: I listen to everything like British punk, to ska groovy, so everything. Not like opera though. I don't like Marilyn Manson.
ROGER: Do you like Korn Tone?
TONY: Yea, I like Korn.
ROGER: I dont.
TONY: I like Green Day too.
ROGER: Old Green Day is not bad.
KENNY: I listen to A tribe Called Quest, Agnostic Front, KRS-ONE, Cranberries, 25 ta life. A lot of shit. Everything except Country. Jazz is alright.
DF: Roger???
ROGER: I listen to a lot of stuff, i like ummm, Hardcore pretty much. I like Chain of strength, Judge, Gorilla Biscuits, Killing Time, Blood for Blood. Blood for Blood the bomb thats my favorite band.
JAY: I listen to basically anything. I love hardcore. Hardcore is the first thing, one of the first things I started listeing to. I get down with Tori & Cranberries and all kinda shit too.
DF: What kind of music did everyone grow up around?
KENNY: Rap music.
SHAWN: I grew up listening to rap too.
TONY: Beastie Boys, Bad Religion, yea all thaat stuff...Sex Pistols.
ROGER: I grew up on like, Bad Religio, like old punk. Well really not old punk. I did't really like that much old stuff. I like DeadKennnedys.
TONY: Definitely Dead Kennedys.
ROGER: I listen to them a lot. Green Day, stuff like that pretty much. Green Day was the bomb dude. Back in like.....92?
JAY: Actually what i first started listening to was rap music. The first hardcore band i ever heard was Token Entry. I used to live across the street from a band called Killing Time. I used to go to their house and watch them practiceonce in a while. But I used to Mainly listen to rap back then. When I moved up here, I listen to all sorts of shit like...metal.
DF: How do you feel about the scene becoming more popular??
TONY: I think if they start playing it on MTV more then they do now, it's getting a little out of hand.
ROGER: It will never become like mainstream, but there will be like the select bands that will probably make it. Like Sick of it All. Their pretty much a mainstream hardcore band, but they are not going to appeal to everyone.
KENNY: I think the more the merrier! As long as they know what its all about and not not a bunch of assholes.
JAY: As long as they know its not about the money. Money Sucks in hardcore.
DF: What do you think about girls in the pit?
Oh that's great! I think more girls should dance.
ROGER: Girls in the pit is cool. As long as they know their in there, and if they get hit...I'll look out for a girl, but if i ancing and hit someone by accident, and they are going to get upset about it, thendon't go cry about it. I'm not going to hit them on purpose or anything. Except it does happen.
DF: Do you think any of the band in OC are overrated?
KENNY: NO.
DF: Do you think everyone gets due respect?
KENNY: I think all of them, pretty much all of them are the bomb. All Out War, Inner Dam, Beneath the Remains, they are all good!
ROGER: Pretty much all the bigger bands that play out a lot aren't overrated at all.
KENNY: I think their underrated.
ROGER: Exactly. If you look at other peoples scenes were saturated with like really good bands. You could go out to another state or area and listen to the bands, and there might be like one or two good bands. OC is packed with a lot of good bands. Not only hardcore, but Punk.
DF: Do you think any of the bands that came out with new releases this year really sold out?
KENNY: Like around here....?
DF: No just hardccore in general....
ROGER: That all depends on what you think selling out is.
TONY: Earth Crisis....
JAY: With Earth Crisis, I don't think they really sold out, they changed.
KENNY: They definitely changed their style but that's not selling out.
ROGER: IF you change your style to appeal to a different crowd, like offspring has totally cchanged their stylr from their first album to what they are now. I heard a song by them on the radio todaay, worst thing i ever heard in my life. With Earth Crisis, their stylus gonna change, they have been a band since...92? Or whatever....
KENNY: Earlier then that!
ROGER: You can't ay every album is gonna sound like Firestorm, cause obviously their musical tastes and influences are gonna change fom like 92 to now or whatever..
KENNY: I think all the bands that came out with albums this year or that already had albums out, I think their all pretty good.
ROGER: I don't like personally like the new SICK of it All, but I'm not gonna comment on that anymore.
KENNY: To tell you the truth, I like the new Sick of it All better then the last one.
ROGER: I don't, I don't like it al all. Their still a good band, I just don't like their new one that much.
DF: What are your upcoming projects you guyss are working on?
KENNY: T-Shirts...we got a split 7inch coming out on Back ta Basics with Groundd Zero....ummm, that comp....
SHAWN: Call for Untiy comp.
KENNY: With my body my blood, deaththreat, 25 ta life, inner dam, BTR, All Out War, Tued Down, and LOTS more!
ROGER: Irate is on there to!
SHAWN: Thin Ice is on that shit too, so is ground zero.
ROGER: We have a 7 inch coming out but that's pending the label, but that's coming out!
DF: What are your favorite bands around here?
TONY: Inner Dam
KENNY: All Out War, BTR, Thin Ice, Atlas Shugged, Irate from the Bronx, Fall Out...
ROGER: Ninety 9 cents
KENNY: I'm not into punk much, I like them their like that poppy punk.
JAY: Their pretty cool guys too.
DF: Does anyone just want to add anything?
JAY: I got a bad stomach ache.
ROGER: I got a comment, just support all the bands coming up, and the shows or if you don't support the scene there's not gonna be a scene so just keep coming out and supporting.
KENNY: Support all scenes not just ours!!!!