lunchforthesky
12-07-2006, 01:24 PM
The Early November are an indie rock/pop punk band signed to Drive Thru Records from Hammonton, New Jersey. Their back catalogue comprises two full length albums and two EP’s, all of which were released on the Drive Thru label.
Band Members
Arthur "Ace" Enders – Vocals, Guitar
Joseph Marro – Guitar, Keyboard, Piano
Bill Lugg – Guitar
Sergio Anello – Bass
Jeff Kummer – Drums
Discography
For All of This EP (2002)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=660
Acoustic EP (2003)
http://www.punktastic.com/reviews/1558
The Room’s Too Cold (2003)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=663
The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path (2006)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=10382
In 2001 the band was founded by Ace Enders, Sergio Anello and Jeff Kummer, as with most bands they spent time writing and recording material the result of which was a five track demo recorded in Ender’s basement which was sent to Drive Thru Records. Sergio Anello then left the band to be replaced by new recruits Steve Nakovich (guitar) and Mike Klemash (bass). Little really happened for the band, aside of a few one off shows, until the band got in touch with Richard Reines of Drive-Thru Records, who luckily was visiting their hometown and agreed to meet with the band to give advice. Stunned by what he had heard, Reines returned to California to discuss a possible signing with Drive-Thru co-owner Stephanie Reines. A few weeks and yet another line-up change later (Joe Marro joined for Nakovich), Drive-Thru signed The Early November and put them, despite their practically non-existent on stage experience, on 2002's Skate and Surf Fest and on selected dates of the Warped Tour, the tour was a big step for the band and for a band with little stage experience they went down well on the tours.
Klemash and Marro left the band before the recording of their debut EP “For All of This”. Anello re-joined on bass, while a second guitarist was found in John Dubitsky. The CD came out on Drive-Thru Records in early November 2002. It is considered by most fans to feature some of the bands best material if not being their finest release to date. Highlights “I Want to Hear You Sad” and Every Night’s Another Story” continue to feature on almost any set they play. The songs have a raw feel to them and are far more edgy and creative than their Drive Thru peers at the time. However amongst the heavier moments of the EP there are more delicate songs. Sunday Drive showcases the Acoustic aspect of the band which continues to be prevalent on all their releases. It seems to be a Drive Thru Records tradition to release a debut EP for all their signings with The Early November being no exception. In my opinion this is the best EP Drive Thru have ever put out far surpassing the clones of generic Pop Punk that plagued the label during these years. As with Finch, The Early November stood out as an exception next to bands with a similar sound such as early Starting Line, Allister and Fenix TX.
Enders recorded The Acoustic EP on his own, featuring acoustic versions of most songs off their debut EP, which was released a mere two months later. Simultaneously, guitarist Marro had re-joined the band in exchange for Dubitsky. The EP contained Acoustic versions of most of For All of This and new song “Ever So Sweet” which was later the opener to This Room’s Too Cold. Not a great introduction to the bands itself but a good release for fans to tide themselves over until the release of their first full length. As with From All of This the best songs are similar as well as fan favourite “Ever So Sweet”
Fans didn’t have long to wait however until the full length of 2003. The Room’s Too Cold continues much in the same vein as their earlier work with not too much progression although that’s not a huge issue seen as their previous work was only an EP. In a way this CD was a bit of let down considering the promise shown on For All of This but that isn’t to say that this is a bad album. The more hard rocking songs such as “Something That Produces Results” and “The Mountain Ranges in My Living Room” stand up the previous work easily and there are other great tracks such as “Baby Blue and “Fluxy.” The sound of the album is very hard to pinpoint but contains a very melodic pop punk sound with at times the more aggressive feel of Finch and at others a mellower feel. Ace Enders has a unique voice which may not be to everyone’s tastes but it all the better off for as A lack of consistent good songs holds it back from a higher rating and at times it seems quite rushed with hindsight. Yet at the same time the release built them a solid fan base as did touring almost relentlessly in support of it from 2003 to early 2005. By this time the band has grown from a minor band to one of the pioneers of the new Drive Thru sound. No longer content to release a legion of similar artists The Early November amongst other led the new breed of Drive Thru artists which pushed the boat out a lot more whilst retaining the pop sound which made the label a household name.
To follow up The Room’s Too Cold the band decided to take on one of the most ambitious projects ever for a band that plays this kind of music. Their follow up would be a three disk concept album with two discs of material and one which tells the story to a musical accompaniment. It took over a year to record and was re-recorded several times at the request off the label. However eventually it was released in July 2006. During the recording process of the album, guitar tech Bill Lugg joined the band as a third guitarist. The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path are a huge departure from all of their previous work. It features the hard rocking Mechanic disc which is more like their previous work except possibly more aggressive and the relaxed often piano driven Mother disc. The Path tells the story albeit in an extremely strange and complex manner. The Mechanic is according the Ace Enders the record the band would have made had they only made a single album and it is both the most accessible and overall most enjoyable listen. “Money in His Hand” is more rock than anything they’ve ever made before, “Decoration” is a more traditional song for the band and while the album is heavier it is still very catchy and it is clear that the songs have more definition and are better crafted than previous efforts. The Mother is predominantly acoustic and is more like Enders’ side project I Can Make a Mess like Nobodies Business. It features the single “Hair” which is a great catchy tune and a personal favourite. The Path mixes dialogue between a young man named Dean and his psychiatrist with soft background music. The psychiatry sessions that narrate the story are interrupted by short songs from Enders which sound nothing like anything else the band has made. The songs cover a wide range of musical genres, including blues, country and folk. In a way it works and is a great achievement for any band to transcend so many genre boundaries on one album. However The Path in particular has little replay value and as with most double albums this would have made a hell of a single album.
As a live act the Early November are very strong. They have toured extensively in their short history with fellow Drive Thru acts New Found Glory and The Starting Line as well as Fall Out Boy and obviously many others. They are extremely solid and energetic, Ace has a strong live voice and unlike other singers in this genre his voice is clearly little altered in the studio which is a nice change. With the addition of third guitarist, Ace tends to drop his guitar on older material and simply cover vocals where as on new material Joseph Marro moves onto keys or they play with the three guitars.
Anyways most of you will have heard of The Early November but i'm not sure how many listen to them all that often. Regardless their one of my favourite bands.
Recommended Songs
I Want to Hear You Sad
Every Night’s Another Story
Sunday Drive
Baby Blue
Ever So Sweet
Something That Produces Results
Decoration
Hair
Money in His Hand
http://www.purevolume.com/theearlynovember
http://www.myspace.com/theearlynovember
http://www.theearlynovember.net
Ben.
Band Members
Arthur "Ace" Enders – Vocals, Guitar
Joseph Marro – Guitar, Keyboard, Piano
Bill Lugg – Guitar
Sergio Anello – Bass
Jeff Kummer – Drums
Discography
For All of This EP (2002)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=660
Acoustic EP (2003)
http://www.punktastic.com/reviews/1558
The Room’s Too Cold (2003)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=663
The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path (2006)
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=10382
In 2001 the band was founded by Ace Enders, Sergio Anello and Jeff Kummer, as with most bands they spent time writing and recording material the result of which was a five track demo recorded in Ender’s basement which was sent to Drive Thru Records. Sergio Anello then left the band to be replaced by new recruits Steve Nakovich (guitar) and Mike Klemash (bass). Little really happened for the band, aside of a few one off shows, until the band got in touch with Richard Reines of Drive-Thru Records, who luckily was visiting their hometown and agreed to meet with the band to give advice. Stunned by what he had heard, Reines returned to California to discuss a possible signing with Drive-Thru co-owner Stephanie Reines. A few weeks and yet another line-up change later (Joe Marro joined for Nakovich), Drive-Thru signed The Early November and put them, despite their practically non-existent on stage experience, on 2002's Skate and Surf Fest and on selected dates of the Warped Tour, the tour was a big step for the band and for a band with little stage experience they went down well on the tours.
Klemash and Marro left the band before the recording of their debut EP “For All of This”. Anello re-joined on bass, while a second guitarist was found in John Dubitsky. The CD came out on Drive-Thru Records in early November 2002. It is considered by most fans to feature some of the bands best material if not being their finest release to date. Highlights “I Want to Hear You Sad” and Every Night’s Another Story” continue to feature on almost any set they play. The songs have a raw feel to them and are far more edgy and creative than their Drive Thru peers at the time. However amongst the heavier moments of the EP there are more delicate songs. Sunday Drive showcases the Acoustic aspect of the band which continues to be prevalent on all their releases. It seems to be a Drive Thru Records tradition to release a debut EP for all their signings with The Early November being no exception. In my opinion this is the best EP Drive Thru have ever put out far surpassing the clones of generic Pop Punk that plagued the label during these years. As with Finch, The Early November stood out as an exception next to bands with a similar sound such as early Starting Line, Allister and Fenix TX.
Enders recorded The Acoustic EP on his own, featuring acoustic versions of most songs off their debut EP, which was released a mere two months later. Simultaneously, guitarist Marro had re-joined the band in exchange for Dubitsky. The EP contained Acoustic versions of most of For All of This and new song “Ever So Sweet” which was later the opener to This Room’s Too Cold. Not a great introduction to the bands itself but a good release for fans to tide themselves over until the release of their first full length. As with From All of This the best songs are similar as well as fan favourite “Ever So Sweet”
Fans didn’t have long to wait however until the full length of 2003. The Room’s Too Cold continues much in the same vein as their earlier work with not too much progression although that’s not a huge issue seen as their previous work was only an EP. In a way this CD was a bit of let down considering the promise shown on For All of This but that isn’t to say that this is a bad album. The more hard rocking songs such as “Something That Produces Results” and “The Mountain Ranges in My Living Room” stand up the previous work easily and there are other great tracks such as “Baby Blue and “Fluxy.” The sound of the album is very hard to pinpoint but contains a very melodic pop punk sound with at times the more aggressive feel of Finch and at others a mellower feel. Ace Enders has a unique voice which may not be to everyone’s tastes but it all the better off for as A lack of consistent good songs holds it back from a higher rating and at times it seems quite rushed with hindsight. Yet at the same time the release built them a solid fan base as did touring almost relentlessly in support of it from 2003 to early 2005. By this time the band has grown from a minor band to one of the pioneers of the new Drive Thru sound. No longer content to release a legion of similar artists The Early November amongst other led the new breed of Drive Thru artists which pushed the boat out a lot more whilst retaining the pop sound which made the label a household name.
To follow up The Room’s Too Cold the band decided to take on one of the most ambitious projects ever for a band that plays this kind of music. Their follow up would be a three disk concept album with two discs of material and one which tells the story to a musical accompaniment. It took over a year to record and was re-recorded several times at the request off the label. However eventually it was released in July 2006. During the recording process of the album, guitar tech Bill Lugg joined the band as a third guitarist. The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path are a huge departure from all of their previous work. It features the hard rocking Mechanic disc which is more like their previous work except possibly more aggressive and the relaxed often piano driven Mother disc. The Path tells the story albeit in an extremely strange and complex manner. The Mechanic is according the Ace Enders the record the band would have made had they only made a single album and it is both the most accessible and overall most enjoyable listen. “Money in His Hand” is more rock than anything they’ve ever made before, “Decoration” is a more traditional song for the band and while the album is heavier it is still very catchy and it is clear that the songs have more definition and are better crafted than previous efforts. The Mother is predominantly acoustic and is more like Enders’ side project I Can Make a Mess like Nobodies Business. It features the single “Hair” which is a great catchy tune and a personal favourite. The Path mixes dialogue between a young man named Dean and his psychiatrist with soft background music. The psychiatry sessions that narrate the story are interrupted by short songs from Enders which sound nothing like anything else the band has made. The songs cover a wide range of musical genres, including blues, country and folk. In a way it works and is a great achievement for any band to transcend so many genre boundaries on one album. However The Path in particular has little replay value and as with most double albums this would have made a hell of a single album.
As a live act the Early November are very strong. They have toured extensively in their short history with fellow Drive Thru acts New Found Glory and The Starting Line as well as Fall Out Boy and obviously many others. They are extremely solid and energetic, Ace has a strong live voice and unlike other singers in this genre his voice is clearly little altered in the studio which is a nice change. With the addition of third guitarist, Ace tends to drop his guitar on older material and simply cover vocals where as on new material Joseph Marro moves onto keys or they play with the three guitars.
Anyways most of you will have heard of The Early November but i'm not sure how many listen to them all that often. Regardless their one of my favourite bands.
Recommended Songs
I Want to Hear You Sad
Every Night’s Another Story
Sunday Drive
Baby Blue
Ever So Sweet
Something That Produces Results
Decoration
Hair
Money in His Hand
http://www.purevolume.com/theearlynovember
http://www.myspace.com/theearlynovember
http://www.theearlynovember.net
Ben.