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.
Session 01
The Early November Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, so he just left?..
[Patient]
See there comes a point in everyone's life
Where they just start seeing things differently
Or you know they're put in a situation where they have to
I guess it was just his night
[Shrink]
If you don't mind, what's his name?
[Patient]
His name is Matt, and I think his fathers name is Matt too, but I don't know
[Shrink]
Okay, so what happened next, where did he go from there?
[Patient]
Well he stood in his girlfriend's dorm room for a little while
He couldn't stay there long
I think her father actually felt bad for him
So he offered him a job as a file clerk at his law firm
Nothing special, just sorting papers
And her dad made him a deal he said, if you take this job seriously
And if you start going to school and you're serious about my daughter
I'll help you guys out with an apartment
So he took it, and maybe Matt really didn't want that
Maybe he didn't really want to go to school or work at a place like that
But he also wanted to prove to his father that he was better off without him
That he wasn't a waste
And he also knew that making that deal with her dad would make his dad so much more mad
Because he hated her father
He always said how lazy he was, and he steals peoples money
And he doesn't have a real job, and he doesn't know what it feels like to work
I guess that's the motivation he needed to straighten out his life
But I don't think they ever talked again anyway
So I don't think it really mattered
The Early November's song Session 01 is a conversation between a psychiatrist, referred to as "Shrink," and a patient who opens up to him about a man named Matt. According to the patient, everyone at some point in their lives has to deal with difficult situations, and that is what Matt went through. Matt was put in a tough spot and had to make some decisions. He went to his girlfriend's dorm room after leaving, but eventually left because he couldn't stay there for long. Her father felt bad for Matt and offered him a job sorting papers as a file clerk at his law firm. He also made a deal with Matt that he will help him and his girlfriend with an apartment if he takes the job seriously and starts going to school, and is serious about his daughter.
Matt took the job, but the patient thinks that maybe he didn't want to work at a place like that or go to school. However, he did it to prove to his father that he was better off without him and that he wasn't a waste. Matt's father had never been supportive and was always critical of her girlfriend's father who offered him the job. He hated her father and everything he stood for. The patient believes that the anger and hatred towards her father gave Matt the motivation he needed to straighten out his life. Despite all of this, they never talked again, so it didn't really matter.
Overall, the song Session 01 is about the struggles of a man named Matt and how he dealt with them. The lyrics depict the tough decisions he needed to make to prove himself to his father and others around him. The conversation between the shrink and the patient showcases the importance of talking to others about your struggles and seeking help.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, so he just left?..
The therapist is asking the patient if Matt has left the situation that caused him to seek therapy.
See there comes a point in everyone's life
Where they just start seeing things differently
Or you know they're put in a situation where they have to
I guess it was just his night
The patient explains that at some point, life situations can arise that can change people's perspectives and Matt's experience was simply one of those moments.
If you don't mind, what's his name?
The therapist asks for Matt's name to better understand the patient's story and be able to support him better.
His name is Matt, and I think his fathers name is Matt too, but I don't know
The patient introduces Matt to the therapist and shares some information he has about him.
Well he stood in his girlfriend's dorm room for a little while
He couldn't stay there long
I think her father actually felt bad for him
So he offered him a job as a file clerk at his law firm
The patient shares that Matt stayed at his girlfriend's dorm for a while, but her father empathized with him and offered him a job as a file clerk.
Nothing special, just sorting papers
And her dad made him a deal he said, if you take this job seriously
And if you start going to school and you're serious about my daughter
I'll help you guys out with an apartment
So he took it, and maybe Matt really didn't want that
Maybe he didn't really want to go to school or work at a place like that
Matt was offered a job as a file clerk by his girlfriend's father with conditions to help him improve his life. He took the job even if he wasn't sure if he wanted to go to school or work there.
But he also wanted to prove to his father that he was better off without him
That he wasn't a waste
And he also knew that making that deal with her dad would make his dad so much more mad
Because he hated her father
Matt wanted to prove his worth to his father and show him that he doesn't need him in his life. He also knew that accepting the job offer and help from his girlfriend's father would greatly anger his own father.
He always said how lazy he was, and he steals peoples money
And he doesn't have a real job, and he doesn't know what it feels like to work
I guess that's the motivation he needed to straighten out his life
Matt's father had a negative perception of his girlfriend's father, saying he was lazy and a thief. Matt's desire to prove his fathers' negative comments wrong motivated him to straighten out his life.
But I don't think they ever talked again anyway
So I don't think it really mattered
The patient feels that Matt's relationship with both his father and his girlfriend's father had no bearing on the outcome of his life or the progress he made in achieving his goals.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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