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.
Make Believe
The Early November Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes it gets tough believeing in myself
Or is it just me?
It could be that I'm always wrong
I hear it in my head
Twisting and lies,
closure I long
But I forget how you broke my heart,
or how you find yourself
so deathly falling for someone else, dear
And everytime
something like this happens
you always make it seem like I've done something wrong to you
Well guess what
I cant do this anymore
So next time
you're thinking about telling me what I do wrong,
think about all I let myself FORGET!
Why cant you have me and be happy at the same time??
The song "Make Believe" by The Early November conveys the struggles of trusting oneself and others in a relationship. The opening lines, "Is enough to believe that you are real? Sometimes it gets tough believing in myself," suggests that the singer is uncertain about the authenticity of their partner and their own worth. The following lines reveal the inner turmoil of the singer as they contemplate whether their doubts stem from their tendency to be wrong or their partner's actions. The phrase "Twisting and lies, closure I long" implies that the singer needs closure to clear the doubts and confusion in their head. However, they recognize the difficulty in forgetting how their partner hurt them before and cannot overlook the fact that their partner is falling for someone else.
In the next verse, the singer confronts their partner about the constant blame they put on the singer for things going wrong in their relationship. The phrase "you always make it seem like I've done something wrong to you" suggests that the partner is not taking responsibility for their actions or feelings. The line "I can't do this anymore" signifies the end of the relationship due to the toxicity and lack of trust. The final line, "Why can't you have me and be happy at the same time," indicates that the singer believes their partner is choosing their happiness over the relationship, resulting in the singer feeling unappreciated and unloved.
Overall, "Make Believe" is a reflection of the struggles of trust and communication in relationships, particularly in acknowledging one's worth and understanding the true intentions of their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Is enough to believe that you are real?
Do I have to deceive myself into thinking that you are real?
Sometimes it gets tough believeing in myself
At times, it becomes difficult to believe in myself
Or is it just me?
Could it be that the problem is with me?
It could be that I'm always wrong
Maybe I am always the one who is wrong here
I hear it in my head
These thoughts keep replaying in my head
Twisting and lies, closure I long
These thoughts are filled with twisted lies and I yearn for closure
But I forget how you broke my heart,
I tend to forget how you shattered my heart
or how you find yourself so deathly falling for someone else, dear
Even though you are falling for someone else, you do not realize how deadly it is for me
And everytime something like this happens
Every time a similar incident occurs
you always make it seem like I've done something wrong to you
You always make it appear that I am to blame
Well guess what
Well, here's a surprise
I cant do this anymore
I cannot keep going on like this anymore
So next time you're thinking about telling me what I do wrong,
Therefore, the next time you intend to blame me for something
think about all I let myself FORGET!
Consider all the things that I have chosen to forget
Why cant you have me and be happy at the same time??
Why can't you be with me and still be content at the same time?
Contributed by Henry B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stephen NehemYAH
That last bit man,used to give me chills like crazy lol. Takes me back to 18,when girl problems was life or death 😂😂 tough times,yet I'd give anything for a time machine.
Matt C
Best early November song of all time. Love that I can come back and listen all the time. Thanks 🙏
Jake Schoer
What a banger. Reminds me of being 15 and sitting in a cold room with a computer and headphones, chatting on msn.
6jer0sey9
i love and miss this. thanks for the memories.
TheKubrick182
GOOD TIMES¡¡¡¡ great band¡
MrJonnykronic
I miss this sound.
Gerns
Just listened to Twenty three times! Here we go again….
jodiefoster
where did you find this track?
c'est la vegan
What release is this from? I remember stumbling upon it when I downloaded it off Limewire forever ago.
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