The Early November and The Spill Canvas

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.

Prior to forming the Spill Canvas as a solo project, lead singer Nick Thomas was the guitarist and back-up vocalist in a number of local punk and metalcore bands including Nodes of Ranvier. Wanting to pursue his own musical interests Thomas departed Nodes of Ranvier and formed his own acoustic emo act in a similar vein to Dashboard Cofessional, and signed with indie label One Eleven Records at age 19. The singer’s debut album “Sunsets and Car Crashes” arrived in 2004 and bar a few guest contributions, was recorded entirely on his own.

For a supporting tour of the album Thomas enlisted the help of a touring band consisting of Dan Ludeman on guitar, Scott McGuire on bass, and Joe Beck on drums. The success of the tour led the Spill Canvas’ subsequent album to be a collaboration between the new members and the result was 2005’s “One Fell Swoop”. In late 2006 the band announced it was changing labels to Sire Records, which marked the departure of McGuire on bass who was replaced by Landon Hell.

The band’s debut release on Sire Records was the EP “Denial Feels So Good” which was supported by a tour on the entire Warped Tour 2007. The tour earned the band a great deal of exposure and a bigger fan base, which led to their well-received third full-length album “No Really, I’m Fine” in 2007. The album peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart, featured revered cameo appearances from the likes of Anthony Green of Circa Survive and Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin, and was again supported by increasingly relentless touring until late 2008.

The EP “Honestly” also appeared in late 2008, followed up by a pair of EPs in 2010 with the titles “Abnormalities”, released in January and “Realities” in April. The band’s fifth studio album “Formalities” arrived later in 2010, followed by the album “Gestalt” in 2012.