The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path
The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path is The Early November's second full-length album. The triple disc concept album was released on July 11, 2006 via Drive-Thru Records. Production. The recording of the album began on February 28, 2005, and took over a year until its completion due to the nature of a triple disc record, stress, Enders changing the concept of the story several times mid-record, and ultimately the lack of focus which led to a mid-recording nervous breakdown. This forced the album's release to be  postponed from its original June 2005 street date to July 2006. The third disc, "The Path", was written by Enders and Jeff Kummer, and co-produced by Enders. According to an interview with Enders on Episode 17 of the Voice & Verse Podcast, there were multiple versions of the story that were recorded and considered. Though the first version to be submitted to Drive-Thru Records was not immediately accepted, the label was supportive and asked that some changes and additional work be done. In the end, it was Enders and those artistically involved with writing and presenting the story who  ultimately re-worked the story and its presentation multiple times before it became the final product, despite rumors that Drive-Thru Records had turned down the story seven times for quality control issues before finally approving it. Enders also did the artwork for "The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path", drawing up a father in a mechanics uniform named Matt, a mother and a son named Dean, for the cover and booklet. Recording took place at Portrait Recording Studios in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, with Enders and Chris Badami producing the sessions. Badami also mixed and engineered the recordings. He  was assisted by Michelle Dispenziere and Paul Spinella. Several people contributed to the recordings: David Rimelis (string and horn arrangements, nylon guitar and banjo), Arthur Fiacco (cello), Elizabeth Hostetter (viola), Andrea Schultz (violin), Angela Cordell (French horn), Richard Dispenziere (trumpet), Peter McGuinness (trombone), Kenny Sorenson (harmonica), Brian O'Neal (Roark) and Lynsie Crespo (background vocals), and Badami (piano and percussion). George Marino mastered "The Mechanic" disc and Greg Calbi mastered "The Mother" disc, both at Sterling Sound in New York City. Badami mastered "The Path" disc at Portrait Recording Studio. Music and lyrical content. The concept album is broken down into  three chapters: Release. On May 1, 2005, the Early November's next album was announced for release in October that year. They band released a split single with I Am the Avalanche that featured a demo of "Outside" and a live version of "Ever So Sweet". Between October and December 2005, the Early November supported Saves the Day and Senses Fail on their co-headlining US tour. An EP, dubbed "Selections from the Forthcoming Triple Album", was posted on Downloadpunk.com in March 2006; it featured "Decoration", "Hair", "The One That You Hated", and a live video of "Sesame Shmesame". In  March and April 2006, the band supported Matchbook Romance and Silverstein on the Take Action Tour. On April 15, 2006, "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path" was announced for release in three months' time. "A Little More Time" was premiered through AbsolutePunk on May 30, 2006. On June 7, 2006, "Drive South" premiered through Fuse's website. "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path" was made available for streaming on July 2, 2006, before being released nine days later through Drive-Thru Records. During the first weeks of sales, purchases of "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path" from  Best Buy were accompanied by a bonus DVD (containing the music video to "Hair" and a 35-minute making-of documentary), while Target customers were rewarded with an exclusive bonus track. In mid-September, the band went on a UK tour alongside the Starting Line and Anberlin. In October and November 2006, the band supported New Found Glory on their headlining US tour. The music video for "Decoration" was posted online on October 31, 2006. They supported Fall Out Boy on their headlining US tour in January 2007. On March 13, 2007, the band announced they would be going on  an indefinite hiatus following their touring engagements. In March and April 2007, they went on a headlining US tour with support from the Rocket Summer, Mêlée, and the Verdict. Following this, the band appeared at The Bamboozle festival. , the band has sold 78,669 copies of "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path". In May 2014, the album was released on vinyl through TDR Records. Track listing. All songs written by Ace Enders. The Mechanic (disc one) The Mother (disc two) The Path (disc three) Personnel. Personnel per booklet. The Early November Additional musicians Production The Mother, the Mechanic, and the