Together, they recorded a 5 track demo in Enders' basement and sent it, along with a poorly edited videotape to only one label: Drive-Thru Records.
A couple of months passed while both Sacco and Anello had to budge for more skilled replacements, Steve Nakovich (guitar) and Mike Klemash (bass), until the band got in touch with Richard Reines of Drive-Thru, 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 Stefanie 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.
Klemash and Marro left the band before the recording of their debut EP For All of This. Anello re-joined on bass, while a temporary second guitarist was found in John Dubitsky. The CD came out on Drive-Thru Records in early November 2002. 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.
Throughout 2003, the band continued to tour and write songs in preparation for their first full-length CD The Room's Too Cold, which was released in fall of that year. Soon afterwards, Enders recorded a solo record under the name I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business. The CD was almost scrapped due to Enders wanting to focus on The Early November after Kummer left the band in summer 2004 and re-joined two weeks later.
While in the long and grueling process of recording their second full-length, the band had their guitar tech Bill Lugg aka UltraBill join, and the triple disc entitled The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path was released on July 11, 2006.
On March 13th, 2007, TEN announced that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus after they complete their current tour. They announced this both online and at their show at the Meridian in Houston that night. They played their last show at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 6th, 2007, and left open the possibility of one day returning to the stage but were grateful for everyone who supported them throughout the past 6 years.
An official statement from the band:
We would like to announce that at end of our upcoming headlining tour, The Early November will be taking an indefinite hiatus.
Throughout the past six years we have released two LP’s, two EP’s, played over one thousand shows, seen six wonderful countries, have met thousands of great people, made life-long friends, and have broken countless amounts of instruments. We have done more than we have ever thought possible for a small rock band out of southern New Jersey. We are very proud and very grateful of every moment we have spent as The Early November.
In case any of you are wondering, this is not a result of anything one can consider negative. No fighting, no one hates each other, no one has a substance abuse problem… none of the typical baggage that is usually carried along with rock bands taking a hiatus. The situation is actually much the opposite. We all love and care for on another tremendously. We’re as close of friends as we have ever been and, as long as the five of us exist, we will continue to be so. This “hiatus” or “break” is just a result of time and life. As we grow older, priorities change. We’ve decided we need to take some time and see that life isn’t all dirty rock clubs, rest stops at 2 am, and long distance phone calls. We have to be where we haven’t been in the past six years; with our friends, family, and loved ones.
We hope this isn’t completely somber news to anyone of you. We want to view it almost in the same way many cultures view the passing of a friend or loved one. Not to mourn but to celebrate their life and memory. In our small way, we’d like to do the same. We invite you to come and send off something that has meant so much to the five of us for so long. We may or may not be coming back. Who knows. But for now, all we can say is “Thank You.” “Thank You,” to everyone who was or has been a part of making our dreams a reality. Most importantly, “Thank You” to every single TEN fan. We hope you guys understand. We truly love all of you.
- Ace, Joe, Jeff, Serg, Bill
The Early November
Ace carried on writing his solo project and released The World We Know in 2010.
Since then, the band have announced their reunion 2011, and have done a full US tour in 2012. Their first album since the break is set to be released Summer 2012.
Driving South
The Early November Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every morning he wakes relieved of his sins.
Oh, after hours of losing himself,
He gets to his knees and he prays for his health.
And to the palm trees and driving south.
It's in the waves where we find ourselves,
Back at the ocean to meet with dirt where we will wait and find ourselves.
And see, there's always someone, always stepping on me.
Oh please, please, please, tell me.
Oh wake me, wake me, But don't tell me I'm lazy when I,
Pull the covers back over my face.
Oh wake me, wake me, because we're all going crazy,
And we're always preaching that everyone's wrong.
And to the palm trees and driving south.
It's in the the waves where we find ourselves,
Back at the ocean to meet with dirt where we will wait to find ourselves.
So we can talk of ways that life has been so mean.
And see there's always someone, always stepping on me.
Oh please, please, please, tell me.
The Early November's "Driving South" is a song about finding solace and healing in a friend's religious faith and the freedom and peace that can be found in venting out one's frustrations at the beach. The lyrics describe the singer's friend who was "born again" and lives a life free of sin since he prays every morning for his health. The singer finds comfort in his friend's faith, but also recognizes that life can be cruel and unfair sometimes, and there's always someone stepping on them. The lyrics are an honest depiction of the struggles of everyday life, and the need for human connection and hope to get through them.
The chorus of the song repeatedly mentions "palm trees" and "driving south" as a way to escape from the stresses of life. The singer and his friend find solace in the waves at the beach, where they can talk and express their frustrations, and wait to find themselves. They talk about how life has been mean and how everyone is always wrong, but being able to share their feelings with each other offers them some level of comfort. The lyrics also reference the feeling of laziness that can come with depression, but the singer pleads to be woken up and not judged for feeling that way.
Line by Line Meaning
I have this friend who was born again.
The singer has a friend who has been religiously 'reborn', possibly as a born-again Christian.
Every morning he wakes relieved of his sins.
The friend wakes up each day feeling mentally cleansed of any mistakes made in the past.
Oh, after hours of losing himself,
After a period of time spent feeling lost or disconnected from society,
He gets to his knees and he prays for his health.
The friend prays to God in a religious manner in order to maintain his physical and mental wellbeing.
And to the palm trees and driving south.
The singer and his friend appear to be traveling towards palm trees in a southern direction.
It's in the waves where we find ourselves,
The two friends feel most comfortable when near water, specifically at the beach where they can 'find themselves.'
Back at the ocean to meet with dirt where we will wait and find ourselves.
Returning to the ocean where they can be alone, the two friends will do some soul-searching and contemplate their lives.
And we will talk in ways that life has been so mean.
The friends will discuss how life can be difficult and unfair at times.
And see, there's always someone, always stepping on me.
The singer is likely feeling as though he is being oppressed or misunderstood by those around him.
Oh please, please, please, tell me.
The singer is requesting someone provide him with guidance or answers to help him through his struggles.
Oh wake me, wake me,
The singer is asking someone to physically wake him up from his slumber.
But don't tell me I'm lazy when I,
The singer is concerned that he may be judged for his apparent lack of motivation or productivity.
Pull the covers back over my face.
The singer may be struggling with depression and is using the covers as a way to hide or protect himself from the world.
Oh wake me, wake me, because we're all going crazy,
The singer appears to be acknowledging that everyone around him is also struggling with their own issues and perhaps feeling overwhelmed.
And we're always preaching that everyone's wrong.
The singer feels as though society is quick to judge and criticize others without truly understanding their stories or circumstances.
So we can talk of ways that life has been so mean.
To cope with their struggles, the friends will discuss how difficult life can be.
And see there's always someone, always stepping on me.
The singer still feels as though he is being oppressed or belittled by others.
Oh please, please, please, tell me.
The singer continues to plead with someone to provide him with guidance or answers to help him through his struggles.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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