Joseph Marro - The Early November (15/11/2012)
The 59th Sound recently spoke with Joseph Marro of The Early November about their sixth studio album In Currents and their upcoming appearances at the 2013 Soundwave Festival.
Hey, Joe. How are you?
Hey, I'm good. How are you doing?
I'm great, thanks. For those that don't know, how did The Early November form?
Oh jeez, we're going back a few years now. It was 2001 when the band actually started, which was the year that our singer Ace (Enders) and I finished high school. We were previously in a band together but we broke up like a lot of high school bands do and so Ace got together a few people from local area bands and through high school and stuff and we formed The Early November.
You guys actually went on a hiatus of about 3 or 4 years, what did you get up to in that time?
Everybody sort of did their own thing. I joint a band called Hellogoodbye and we actually went to Australia twice in that time. Ace, our singer, released a bunch of solo albums and he also travelled to Australia for Soundwave as well (in 2009) and he had a couple of kids as well. Our drummer (Jeff Kummer) got work at a television station in Philadelphia and Bill (Lugg, guitars) and Serg (Anello, bass) both went back to school and got pretty solid jobs out of it.
So what made you realise you wanted to come back to the band?
It was something we'd been talking about off and on for the past 4 years. I mean we never actually split up and there was no ill blood towards one another we just needed to take a break. We still met up a lot and it just never felt right all the times we talked about it, mostly because it was hard for people to just drop what they were doing but then all of a sudden it just kinda worked for everybody, everybody was available and so we did those 2 reunion shows (in late 2011) and just took it from there.
You released 'In Currents' not long ago which was your first studio album in 6 years, what was the recording process like for that?
It was pretty good. We have the ability now to record whenever we want because Ace owns a studio in his hometown whereas before we'd have to lock down time and a studio and be on more a stricter schedule so with 'In Currents' we could record a few days, then take a few days off to kinda clear our heads so it was really nice to do it how we wanted to.
What's the reaction been to the new album?
It's been great. Since the day it came out people have been really receptive towards it. We actually just finished a tour which was our first since releasing that record and I'd say the new songs got just as good a reaction as any of the old songs which was fantastic because we were pretty nervous because it's tough to go to something new when you've been away for 5 years or however long it's been and still keep people interested but they seemed to enjoy the songs and we enjoyed it too so that was great.
I wanted to ask about that tour actually. That was with Cartel, how did that go?
It was great, a lot of fun. We've known those guys for a long time and it was a really laid back tour. It was just like old times. It was nice to do.
I know that you and Ace have been to Australia with various bands but is it true it's the first time The Early November as a band are coming to Australia?
Yeah, we never got the opportunity and I dunno why that was. Maybe nobody wanted us at the time but we always wanted to. We've had plenty of friends bands play there but we just never got the chance. I've got to go twice and I absolutely love it there so I'm over the moon to be going back.
What was the reaction when you were asked to join and when you saw the bands you'd be playing alongside?
Pretty much the day we got back together we'd already decided we'd do more than 2 reunion shows so I emailed my agent and said I wanna do Soundwave, I knew it was coming up and we had to be on the lineup. So we got the offer and I was on vacation in Florida and I kinda just freaked out. I quickly called all the other guys and made sure they were free and could do it and they could. We actually got our offer relatively early so when I eventually found out who else was on the tour I kinda flipped out again because these are bands that in a million years I never thought I'd even see, let alone tour with which is part of the fun of being on Soundwave, you get to tour with these huge bands who you'd never normally tour with. Bands like Blink, obviously, Metallica and Slayer which is just insane and Paramore I'm super excited for and then there's Fucked Up who are awesome and we'd never get to play with them so it's just awesome.
That's the great thing about Soundwave. There's such a huge variety of bands that it's great for the fans and it's great for the bands.
Yeah, I'm super excited to see how it's gonna turn out seen as we have never been there and been away for a few years. I know we've had a lot of requests to come down so it'll be interesting to see how it goes down in reality.
Are you into an Australian bands?
I am, yes. They aren't around any longer but they were a band called The Locksmiths, they were a little indie-pop band from Melbourne. There's a band called The Bank Holidays from Perth that are fantastic. Oh and I love Cut Copy too, they are Australian right?
I believe they are, yes.
Oh and there is another band called The Middle East, but they broke up too. They were really good as well.
What about new bands? Are there any you are loving right now?
Umm....I dunno about new bands but there are a lot putting out great records. The new Hot Chip record was really good. I'm excited for the new Tegan and Sara record too. I listen to new music all the time because I'm on Spotify all day but I'm struggling to bring any names to mind.
Who would you say are your biggest influences?
Bands like Jimmy Eat World for sure. I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock so bands like Refused, who recently got back together and At The Drive-In who did the same thing but then I love some of the modern rock like Coldplay who are great.
They are. I agree. So, who who writes the music and lyrics and what influences them?
The lyrics are written by Ace and the majority of the music is too so he will come to us with the skeleton of a song, or sometimes a pretty fucked up song and we'll start dressing it up, adding our parts, changing things around, things like that. And the influence side of things, we wanted to be respectful to the kind of band we were growing up and what we've done in the past but also moving forward because we're getting older so we wanted to make an age appropriate record that would sound like the band had matured.
I heard the reason you guys went on hiatus was because of your previous record, the 3 part album ('The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path'), was it anything to do with that?
It was a lot of things but I would definitely say it was partly that records fault *laughs* but I don't wanna blame it on that record but saying that by the time that record was down it was just such a tiring process, we were all arguing and we didn't quite know what to do with the record so once it was finished and it finally came out we were just so burnt out by the whole process and we didn't feel as excited as we should have releasing a new record. Like with 'In Currents', it was exciting but with that one we just weren't as excited as we should have been and that was pretty much when we decided we had to take some time off. Plus, at that time, we'd pretty much been touring for about 6 years straight so we were just getting so burnt out from that and being away from our families.
Is that why since the new album you've only done the one tour?
It's definitely part of it. It's harder for us to tour than it was in the past so that's definitely an issue. I'm recently married, our drummer's getting married in a couple of months, Ace has 2 kids and has been married for 5 years so it's harder to go out on tour and support the record as much as you'd like to or as we did in the past. What we do now is rather than just accept every tour like we used to we pick the tours that make the most sense.
So is there any tours planned between now and Soundwave?
No, there's nothing.
So what will you get up to in that time?
Just celebrate the holidays here and take it easy. We do have a lot of tours planned, just nothing before Soundwave.
What are the plans for after Soundwave?
A lot more international stuff then some really big US stuff that we can't actually talk about yet but we will be touring a lot in the summer of 2013. I would like to do some 10 year anniversary shows for 'The Room's Too Cold' which came out 10 years ago next year so we'll see how that goes but we probably will. So basically it's gonna be international touring, big US stuff then end the year of something else and then maybe make a new record, we'll see.
Any chance of a headline tour here?
I would love to, we just have to get the offer I guess. You don't have to convince me to go to Australia *laughs*
Hopefully an offer comes your way then. We'll end on this question, what is the best thing about being in The Early November?
Getting to tour the world with guys you grew up with, guys I consider to be brothers more or less. We've known each other for years so it's just great to do this with them and it's great to be around people that you truly wanna be around and love so that's the best part of being in the band.
Cool, thank you very much for your time and look forward to seeing you at Soundwave next year.
Thank you so much.
Matt Barton
Hey, Joe. How are you?
Hey, I'm good. How are you doing?
I'm great, thanks. For those that don't know, how did The Early November form?
Oh jeez, we're going back a few years now. It was 2001 when the band actually started, which was the year that our singer Ace (Enders) and I finished high school. We were previously in a band together but we broke up like a lot of high school bands do and so Ace got together a few people from local area bands and through high school and stuff and we formed The Early November.
You guys actually went on a hiatus of about 3 or 4 years, what did you get up to in that time?
Everybody sort of did their own thing. I joint a band called Hellogoodbye and we actually went to Australia twice in that time. Ace, our singer, released a bunch of solo albums and he also travelled to Australia for Soundwave as well (in 2009) and he had a couple of kids as well. Our drummer (Jeff Kummer) got work at a television station in Philadelphia and Bill (Lugg, guitars) and Serg (Anello, bass) both went back to school and got pretty solid jobs out of it.
So what made you realise you wanted to come back to the band?
It was something we'd been talking about off and on for the past 4 years. I mean we never actually split up and there was no ill blood towards one another we just needed to take a break. We still met up a lot and it just never felt right all the times we talked about it, mostly because it was hard for people to just drop what they were doing but then all of a sudden it just kinda worked for everybody, everybody was available and so we did those 2 reunion shows (in late 2011) and just took it from there.
You released 'In Currents' not long ago which was your first studio album in 6 years, what was the recording process like for that?
It was pretty good. We have the ability now to record whenever we want because Ace owns a studio in his hometown whereas before we'd have to lock down time and a studio and be on more a stricter schedule so with 'In Currents' we could record a few days, then take a few days off to kinda clear our heads so it was really nice to do it how we wanted to.
What's the reaction been to the new album?
It's been great. Since the day it came out people have been really receptive towards it. We actually just finished a tour which was our first since releasing that record and I'd say the new songs got just as good a reaction as any of the old songs which was fantastic because we were pretty nervous because it's tough to go to something new when you've been away for 5 years or however long it's been and still keep people interested but they seemed to enjoy the songs and we enjoyed it too so that was great.
I wanted to ask about that tour actually. That was with Cartel, how did that go?
It was great, a lot of fun. We've known those guys for a long time and it was a really laid back tour. It was just like old times. It was nice to do.
I know that you and Ace have been to Australia with various bands but is it true it's the first time The Early November as a band are coming to Australia?
Yeah, we never got the opportunity and I dunno why that was. Maybe nobody wanted us at the time but we always wanted to. We've had plenty of friends bands play there but we just never got the chance. I've got to go twice and I absolutely love it there so I'm over the moon to be going back.
What was the reaction when you were asked to join and when you saw the bands you'd be playing alongside?
Pretty much the day we got back together we'd already decided we'd do more than 2 reunion shows so I emailed my agent and said I wanna do Soundwave, I knew it was coming up and we had to be on the lineup. So we got the offer and I was on vacation in Florida and I kinda just freaked out. I quickly called all the other guys and made sure they were free and could do it and they could. We actually got our offer relatively early so when I eventually found out who else was on the tour I kinda flipped out again because these are bands that in a million years I never thought I'd even see, let alone tour with which is part of the fun of being on Soundwave, you get to tour with these huge bands who you'd never normally tour with. Bands like Blink, obviously, Metallica and Slayer which is just insane and Paramore I'm super excited for and then there's Fucked Up who are awesome and we'd never get to play with them so it's just awesome.
That's the great thing about Soundwave. There's such a huge variety of bands that it's great for the fans and it's great for the bands.
Yeah, I'm super excited to see how it's gonna turn out seen as we have never been there and been away for a few years. I know we've had a lot of requests to come down so it'll be interesting to see how it goes down in reality.
Are you into an Australian bands?
I am, yes. They aren't around any longer but they were a band called The Locksmiths, they were a little indie-pop band from Melbourne. There's a band called The Bank Holidays from Perth that are fantastic. Oh and I love Cut Copy too, they are Australian right?
I believe they are, yes.
Oh and there is another band called The Middle East, but they broke up too. They were really good as well.
What about new bands? Are there any you are loving right now?
Umm....I dunno about new bands but there are a lot putting out great records. The new Hot Chip record was really good. I'm excited for the new Tegan and Sara record too. I listen to new music all the time because I'm on Spotify all day but I'm struggling to bring any names to mind.
Who would you say are your biggest influences?
Bands like Jimmy Eat World for sure. I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock so bands like Refused, who recently got back together and At The Drive-In who did the same thing but then I love some of the modern rock like Coldplay who are great.
They are. I agree. So, who who writes the music and lyrics and what influences them?
The lyrics are written by Ace and the majority of the music is too so he will come to us with the skeleton of a song, or sometimes a pretty fucked up song and we'll start dressing it up, adding our parts, changing things around, things like that. And the influence side of things, we wanted to be respectful to the kind of band we were growing up and what we've done in the past but also moving forward because we're getting older so we wanted to make an age appropriate record that would sound like the band had matured.
I heard the reason you guys went on hiatus was because of your previous record, the 3 part album ('The Mother, The Mechanic and The Path'), was it anything to do with that?
It was a lot of things but I would definitely say it was partly that records fault *laughs* but I don't wanna blame it on that record but saying that by the time that record was down it was just such a tiring process, we were all arguing and we didn't quite know what to do with the record so once it was finished and it finally came out we were just so burnt out by the whole process and we didn't feel as excited as we should have releasing a new record. Like with 'In Currents', it was exciting but with that one we just weren't as excited as we should have been and that was pretty much when we decided we had to take some time off. Plus, at that time, we'd pretty much been touring for about 6 years straight so we were just getting so burnt out from that and being away from our families.
Is that why since the new album you've only done the one tour?
It's definitely part of it. It's harder for us to tour than it was in the past so that's definitely an issue. I'm recently married, our drummer's getting married in a couple of months, Ace has 2 kids and has been married for 5 years so it's harder to go out on tour and support the record as much as you'd like to or as we did in the past. What we do now is rather than just accept every tour like we used to we pick the tours that make the most sense.
So is there any tours planned between now and Soundwave?
No, there's nothing.
So what will you get up to in that time?
Just celebrate the holidays here and take it easy. We do have a lot of tours planned, just nothing before Soundwave.
What are the plans for after Soundwave?
A lot more international stuff then some really big US stuff that we can't actually talk about yet but we will be touring a lot in the summer of 2013. I would like to do some 10 year anniversary shows for 'The Room's Too Cold' which came out 10 years ago next year so we'll see how that goes but we probably will. So basically it's gonna be international touring, big US stuff then end the year of something else and then maybe make a new record, we'll see.
Any chance of a headline tour here?
I would love to, we just have to get the offer I guess. You don't have to convince me to go to Australia *laughs*
Hopefully an offer comes your way then. We'll end on this question, what is the best thing about being in The Early November?
Getting to tour the world with guys you grew up with, guys I consider to be brothers more or less. We've known each other for years so it's just great to do this with them and it's great to be around people that you truly wanna be around and love so that's the best part of being in the band.
Cool, thank you very much for your time and look forward to seeing you at Soundwave next year.
Thank you so much.
Matt Barton