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The principals of the Early November were youthful enough to have grown up with the Drive-Thru Records sound, a formula that incorporates sensitive emo, pop, and punk revivalist amalgams with a bit of post-hardcore grit. The boys in the band first came out of the box in 2000, fighting to secure shows in their busy south Jersey scene, and hoping to land a deal with Drive-Thru. One way or another, their wish came true. Label figureheads Richard and Stefanie Reines signed vocalist/guitarist "Ace" (Arthur) Enders, bassist Sergio Anello, drummer Jeff Kummer, and guitarist Joseph Marro in early 2002 on the strengths of their demo and a solid MP3.com buzz, and by November 2002 the band had made their label debut with the For All of This EP. Promising appearances on the Warped Tour's Drive-Thru stage that summer spread the word, and by 2003, anticipation for an Early November full-length was brimming. Room's Too Cold dropped in October 2003. It was a particularly lush take on the Drive-Thru sound, with strings and ballads and a focus on the rich vocal presence of Enders. The band toured extensively behind the record; Enders later issued the first effort from his solo project I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business in late 2004 and briefly toured behind the disc. Enders then turned back to TEN and writing began that summer for their follow-up sophomore release. Recording commenced in February 2005 with a fifth member on board, guitarist Bill Lugg. The band also released a summer split EP with I Am the Avalanche, Vinnie Caruana's post-Movielife project. The resulting The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path was eventually issued in July 2006 as an ambitious triple album. (The band took a cut in royalties to make sure it was offered at a single-disc price). Boasting a rock-oriented disc ("The Mechanic"), a more mellow, stripped-down disc ("The Mother"), and a third character-based soundtrack with dialogue to intermingle among the first two ("The Path"), the album was conceptually based around a troubled father-son relationship and the subsequent imperfect relationship between the then-adult son and his own child. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
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