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 08
The Early November Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I'm not the type of person to just go get what I want. I usually wait for it to casually come to me. Something hit me that day like a ton of bricks. I know it sounds cheesy, but I fell in love. And that's what kept me there for the next few years. I would've run away if it wasn't for her.)
Well it was just the same as any day I was looking to run far from the school
And I was at the door ready to go when I heard some books hit the floor
So then I stopped, jaw dropped, I said, this must be love
Cause when I pulled myself together you were already gone
I screamed wait a minute, listen to the voice in my head
(So I chased after her, running down the hallways. Running up to her and grabbed her arm. Actually just stood there frozen, didn't know what to say to her. I think she kinda felt the same thing so it worked out. I felt like I had a reason to finally be happy, you know. She would be the first person in my life who was completely honest with me. I had a reason to trust. When I was with her it just felt like my problems with my parents didn't seem to big anymore. Oh well, I just didn't care about them.)
The Early November's song Session 08 is a powerful reflection on life, love and the pursuit of happiness. The lyrics speak to the struggles of adolescence and the desire for freedom from the confines of school and family. The singer describes the difficulty of his formative years and the strained relationship he had with his parents. He holds a grudge against them for not making things easier for him and for giving up too quickly when he became difficult to manage. The singer is not an easy person to please and he admits to making things difficult for those around him as well.
Despite his struggles, the singer is a believer that everything happens for a reason. He explains that even though his teenage years were slow and uncomfortable, he is grateful for the experience as it led him to fall in love. The person he falls in love with is able to provide him with the honesty and trust that he craves. The love he feels for her gives him a reason to be happy and allows him to put his problems with his parents aside.
In essence, Session 08 is a song about redemption and the transformational power of love. It shows the importance of having a reason to live and hope that the future can be better than the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it was just the same as any day I was looking to run far from the school
I was trying to escape from school, like I would on any other day.
And I was at the door ready to go when I heard some books hit the floor
I was about to leave when I heard someone drop their books on the floor.
So then I stopped, jaw dropped, I said, this must be love
When I saw her, I was so astounded that I thought it must be love.
Cause when I pulled myself together you were already gone
By the time I composed myself, she had already left.
I screamed wait a minute, listen to the voice in my head
I shouted for her to wait, and thought about what to do next.
It said, kid you better run cause she's getting away with it
I heard a voice in my head that told me to chase her before it was too late.
So I chased after her, running down the hallways. Running up to her and grabbed her arm.
I ran after her through the hallways and caught up to her, grabbing her arm.
Actually just stood there frozen, didn't know what to say to her.
When I caught up to her, I was so nervous that I couldn't speak.
I think she kinda felt the same thing so it worked out.
I think she was also nervous, but things worked out between us.
I felt like I had a reason to finally be happy, you know.
Her presence gave me a reason to be happy, something I had been lacking.
She would be the first person in my life who was completely honest with me.
She was the first person in my life who was always truthful with me.
I had a reason to trust. When I was with her it just felt like my problems with my parents didn't seem too big anymore. Oh well, I just didn't care about them.
Being with her made me feel like I could trust her, and my problems with my parents didn't feel as big anymore. I didn't care about them as much when I was with her.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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