The Early November, Story of the Year, and Eve 6

Formed by frontman Arthur Enders, guitarist Jim Sacco, bassist Sergio Anello, and drummer Jeff Hummer in the blueberry capital of the world Hammonton, New Jersey, The Early November’s earliest output was a five-track demo recorded in 2001. The band then sent the demo to Californian label Drive-Thru Records and Drive-Thru Records only, who ultimately signed the band after representative Richard Reines paid them a visit in their hometown. Guitarist Sacco departed the group during this time and was initially replaced by Steve Nakovich, and subsequently Joe Marro.

With very little stage presence and a limited number of songs The Early November were thrown into the deep end and put on the bill on 2002’s Skate and Surf Fest and Warped Tour. In November 2002 the band released their debut EP “For All of This” aided by the summer’s touring success, which introduced the Early November’s style of post-hardcore grittiness to a wider audience. The EP paved the way for another “The Acoustic EP” later in 2002, featuring acoustic covers crafted by Enders of songs from their debut.

After the departure of Marro who was replaced by John Dubitsky, the band issued their full-length debut “Room’s Too Cold” in October 2003. Complete with string and ballad accoutrements and a strong vocal performance by Enders, the album earned strong reviews and peaked at No. 107 on the Billboard 200. A year later frontman Enders recorded his eponymous debut solo effort under the moniker I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business.

With the addition of guitarist Bill Lugg, the Early November recorded and released a split EP with the band I Am the Avalanche in 2005, before issuing their triple-disc sophomore album “The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path” in 2006. The album which showcased three different sides of the band debuted at No. 31 on the Billboard 200, making it the Early November’s most successful album. After the release and subsequent tour alongside The Rocket Summer and Mêlée, the group announced an indefinite hiatus in May 2007, which lasted until June 2011.

After a stream of sold-out comeback gigs across the U.S., the band signed with Rise Records who issued their third full-length album “In Currents” in 2012. The album was debuted at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by an extensive touring schedule including slots on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour and an anniversary show at Bowery Ballroom in New York City, U.S.

Like most bands, Story of the Year went through inevitable name changes and genre bending before finding the style that they were comfortable with, however transcended with the release of each album whilst maintaining fans.

They struck a deal signed to Maverick Records, and released their debut album “Page Avenue”, on September 16th 2003. The album peaked at number 51 in the Billboard 200 chart and featured the debut single “Until the Day I Die” which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Alternative Chart and number 62 on the UK Singles Chart. It also featured the songs “Anthem of Our Dying Day” which reached number 10 in the Billboard Alternative Chart. They concluded the campaign of “Page Avenue” with the release of “Sidewalks” an acoustic ballad that reached number 40. In 2005, they released a live album in their hometown of St. Louis called “Live in the Lou” which made it to 138 in the US Charts.

Next came the release of “We Don’t Care Anymore”, which would be the debut release of “In the Wake of Determination”, later released on October 11th 2005. It also peaked at number 38 on the Australian Chart too. They also released “Take Me Back” the following year, complete with a video.

“The Black Swan” was a notable departure from the major labels, as the band signed with Epitaph Records, and charted higher than they had before with album reach number 4 in the Billboard Alternative charts. It also reached number 18 in the Billboard 200, and 25 in Australia. Following their routine of touring international touring, the band, with their explosive and memorable live shows, would go back into the studio to record an album called “The Constant”. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200.

In a way, debuting so early was the best and worst thing that could have happened to Eve 6. The band signed their first major label record deal when every member was still in high school, and while that gives you a fast track to genuine success and a shot at having a decades long career right off the bat, it also means growing up in public. In all seriousness, who wants to do that? Originally named Eleventeen, the band signed to RCA soon after their very first concert at the North Hollywood rock club Eagle’s Coffee Pub in 1995. Within a year, the band had changed their name to Eve 6 (a reference to the sci-fi TV show The X-Files, which the band’s drummer was a big fan of), and in 1998, the band released their self-titled debut album. The record was a platinum sellling success, helped massively by its lead single “Inside Out” hurtling into the Billboard Modern Rock charts at number one and eventually climbing into the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The band were comfortably on top of the world, and stayed there once the 2000 release of their second album “Horrorscope” came along. Their sophomore effort was a Gold-ceritified success with another mainstream hit single in the form of high school graduation standard “Here’s To The Night”. However, cracks had begun to show in the band and by the release of their third album “It’s All In Your Head”, singer Max Collins’ drinking had spiralled out of control and the sales of their newest effort were slow enough to get them released from their RCA contract in 2003. The following year, the band went on hiatus, citing a need to grow up a little more away from the public eye. Even though they’d been performing together for just under a decade, the average age of the band was still 26.

Three years later, after some low-key solo efforts from the band members, singer Collins and drummer Tony Fagenson came back together in 2007 for a few eagerly awaited live shows. The band resumed business properly in 2008, touring the world, writing new material and generally reconnecting themselves to their fan-base. Wisely, they waited until they felt truly ready to release anything and their first album since reconvening, “Speak In Code”, was released in April 2012. The record ended up getting the best reviews of their entire career, and ever since then, the band have enjoyed one of the most succesful career renaissance’s of any reunited band of today. For that, Eve 6 come highly recommended.