From D-Wing to on tour: A look through Evan Weiss’s (’03) music journey

Creativity has sprouted from other people’s work since the beginning of time. Artists known for their musical talent have once looked up to another artist. Essentially everyone starts somewhere, even the biggest stars. With just one listen to the simple tune of a song, the brilliant lyrics, or the instruments that add a tinge of flair, it’s easy for one to be utterly enthralled in another’s work. Appreciating and listening to others’ music started the careers of those whose songs have left a lasting impact on our society.

Evan Weiss(‘03), Cherry Hill East Alumni, kickstarted his music journey using the most popular method: listening. From a young age, Weiss was constantly surrounded by music. With parents who had both played in bands, it wasn’t very easy escaping it. Day and night songs drifted through Weiss’s Cherry Hill home ingraining his mind with flawless melodies and genius lyrics. Inspiration jumped from anything his parents played to the teenage angst band widely known as Green Day.

It’s not unusual to obsess over a band or artist, after all, where would famous stars be without their fans, but what is unusual is that in Weiss’s case, Green Day wasn’t even his favorite band.

“I was so unbelievably into Green Day, and not in a way where they were my favorite band, cause they weren’t, but in a way where Green Day made you feel as a young person that it was easy to start a band,” says Weiss

From that moment on Weiss knew just what he wanted to do and nothing in the world could change his mind.

Beginning in 5th grade, while all other kids were busy on the swings or engaged in a heated game of Four Square, Weiss and his friends gathered to create their band, The Progress. Their special meeting ground was none other than Stockton Elementary School.

“We started in 5th grade and refined our skills through middle school. It was in high school when we really went for it,” Weiss says.

The Progress performed at Battle of the Bands in Weiss’s Junior Year and won, becoming one of the only bands to win over the seniors. They Played local shows and wrote their own songs. Their dedication proved to many that, in their eyes, making music wasn’t just a hobby but also a future career and a lifestyle.

Despite the different cliches that emerge in high school Weiss and his bandmates continued to stay close. Though each of them fell into separate circles, it was the band that always kept them connected.

Weiss’s circle revolved around East’s D-Wing. Specifically during his junior and senior years, he was always found in his orchestra, and theater classes, yet was never to be seen in any of his core classes. In fact, Weiss saw high school as less of an educational opportunity and more of a joke.

“The whole time I was just wondering how I can move on and what is next to come,” Weiss admits.

However, regardless of his indifferent feelings about high school he now realizes how much of an impact it has left on his life. Being an avid member of Casual Harmony and orchestra gave Weiss the ability to sing with a group of people and harmonize. He’s been able to use those skills years after he graduated.

“I carried [those vocal skills] with me through my career, It helped me be a better singer with other people, learn how to produce myself as a vocalist better and strengthen my skills, which gave me the work ethic as an adult musician,” Weiss says.

In June of 2003, Weiss graduated from East with one big goal, talent, and a lot of ambition. While most of his classmates left for college he chose to stay home and continue working with his band, The Progress. Though they stopped making music together in 2008, Weiss still considers his high school bandmates some of his closest friends.

Weiss moved to Chicago, making sure to carry his passions with him. There he created his new alternate moniker: Into It. Over It. When he turned 23 he started writing and recording one song each week for 52 weeks. Those songs were released in 2009 under the first album of Into It. Over It. titled “52 Weeks”. In 2010 Into It. Over It. collaborated with Koji, another underground artist, on the album “Split”. 2011 was followed by the launch of a sequence of Extended Plays titled “12 Towns” and an album titled “Proper”. In February of 2023 “Proper” was reissued with the live performance versions of all the songs included on the album. The next albums “Intersections” and “Standards” were released in 2013 and 2016.

The last formal album that Into It. Over It issued was in 2020 called “Figure”. It was not just Weiss’s favorite album but also the most difficult album that he’s ever assembled. He and his bandmates worked on it for 3 years, putting each song through writing and revision changes an innumerable amount of times. Weiss even built a recording studio in Chicago to be able to work on the album as often as he could. “Figure” covered eminently personal feelings and emotions throughout Weiss’s life, which was why it was so significant to him. It took heaps of hard work, commitment, and passion to create. By the time it was finished, Weiss wanted to share it with the world.

“It was the first time I poured all of myself into a project and I think it paid off because of that,” Weiss reveals.

Despite the sedulous work and dedication that went into “Figure” it had some difficulty attracting fans in the beginning due to its release being amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It spawned a lot of really excellent, creative, and unique ways for us to release music and to promote music and to move forward as artists,” Weiss says.

Over the years Into it. Over It. has gone through different bandmates, however, Weiss has always stuck around. As of now, and likely for a while, the band’s members consist of Adam Beck (the drummer), Matthew Frank (the bass player), Joe George Shadid (the guitarist), and Weiss (the vocalist). Weiss describes his band as a casual space where everyone has a say. He finds that this is the best way to keep the band operating efficiently, without any issues.

As a musician challenges have been thrown at him and his band left and right. It’s easy in the music industry for artists to get taken advantage of, but Weiss has done everything in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“I’ve done most of what I can to reject the need to rely on the music industry to have to do anything,” Weiss says, “We play by our own rules instead of playing by someone else’s and we’ve reclaimed the rights to most of our records”

One of the biggest career challenges that Weiss has gone through was in 2016. As he and his bandmates were in their early thirties, when this band was their only job, they became worried about financial issues, so they all decided to take a step back for a few years. During that time Weiss continued writing, yet no music was officially produced until a few years later.

But to Weiss, the good outweighed the bad time and time again. Following his dreams and becoming an accomplished artist within a successful band has opened doors to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. From traveling the world, seeing these he never thought he’d see before, to creating lasting bonds with colleagues, Weiss is more than thankful for where he is today and the determination that has helped him get here.

“I’ve been able to fall into really good opportunities and experiences through working hard,” says Weiss, “The people I’ve met are easily the most rewarding thing.”

Now for Weiss, the music scene has winded down… but only slightly.

“Music is more than a hobby but we don’t live and die by it anymore,” Weiss states, “That’s made it easy to say no to things that we don’t want to do and to say yes to the things we do and to go into each decision we make knowing that we’ll be financially and emotionally supported”

Weiss currently lives in Chicago where he manages his own record label. Though production within Into It. Over It. has slowed down a bit, his creativity has yet to come to a stop. Weiss works with multiple other bands, which have given him the opportunity to perform and tour both locally and internationally.

“I wanted to be a touring musician and I did it,” says Weiss. “My advice to students, in general, is to find the things you love and commit yourself to them 100%. If you focus on it and have the determination to work on it, and to really own your craft and take it seriously, you’ll see the returns from that”

Though Weiss has traveled the world showcasing his artistry for the past 20 years, one place always comes back to him, the place in which the start of his music career is rooted: Cherry Hill East D-Wing.