It’s always difficult to predict what comes next once a band ceases to exist. For many, The Early November, and specifically their enigmatic front man Ace Enders were the glorious little slice of alternative thinking and song writing within a vastly overcrowded and stagnating scene. In March 2007 came the news that nobody who passionately follows a band wants to hear; The Early November announced on their MySpace that they were set to take an “indefinite hiatus.” They weren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last, but on that day a big piece of thousands of fans’ musical dietary routine became sadly insufficient.
It wasn’t entirely out of the blue: “ I think we went as far as we could together and it was just time for all of us to move on and let the band lead us to the next phase.” The next phase for Ace is new project Ace Enders and A Million Different People, though fans of Ace’s previous solo project I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business shouldn’t lose heart: “It's really the same thing, just a different name.” Everything he’s touched musically has always had an undercurrent of biography and at times his life affirming lyrics invoke an attachment deeper than just three minutes of music: “I never expected that we could make an impact on so many people's lives. It's probably my favorite thing about making music, being able to create a mood or make someone's day a little better.”
A Million Different People now allows Ace to expand on what may in the long run turn out to be his musical apprenticeship: “I wanted to change it to my name (from I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business) because it's easier to let the music change and evolve rather than a band name that has expectations attached to it.” This new project will undoubtedly allow Ace to continue his journey and endear himself further to the legions of loyal fans. When it comes to Ace Enders, you feel that the word loyalty doesn’t quite do justice to the connection he’s made with people: “We've always been really close to our fans and it's really cool to have that kind of relationship with them and see them coming out to support what I have going on now after The Early November.”
The transition appears to have been almost seamless for Ace: “ I've always made the songs on my own so that's the same as it's always been for me.” Ultimately, despite any similarity, Ace Enders and A Million Different People will probably not appeal to every hardened The Early November fan, but that’s not stopping Ace from seeing the positives: “ The reaction has been great. I think the best reaction is when we play live, because the songs have changed a lot since the demos and there are so many new ones. It's really cool to see a room full of people who have never heard any of our music and don't know who we are and they're getting into it and singing along by the end of the song.”
Ace clearly took a lot away from The Early November, and you feel it’s something which will always hold a place in his heart, however the focus now is definitely on this new project: “We did two shows in Philly and the fans were awesome. It was a really great way to end that chapter. It also makes me really proud to be able to start from scratch now and have so much support from my old fans.” Ace Enders and A Million Different People is certainly about continuation rather than starting completely afresh: “Hopefully I'll pick up where I left off with the old band and just keep going.” Slightly humble in his expectations, Ace has also taken a lot from the support he’s received: “It makes me really proud to be able to start from scratch now and have so much support from my old fans.”
You get the sense that Ace is fully committed and excited when it comes to this new project, when asked which record has been the most fun to work on of all of them, he confessed: “The one I'm making in my studio right now.” He’s lapping up the unique challenges of creating a solo album completely alone as well: “ I do like recording in my own studio, but there's a different kind of pressure when you have to play every instrument and also be behind the board and the computer. It's definitely great to have all the time I need.”
Ace is keeping busy, besides the music he’s also set up a label, which he admits isn’t a top priority right now: “ It's been hard to start up a label at a time when the industry is changing so much, so it's kind of on hold for right now. We're definitely going to focus on it in the future.” However, watch this space, Ace is concerned about the state of the industry: “ Right now the music industry is going through a hard time adapting to the new ways. Downloading and myspace are good and bad at the same time. It's great that so many people have easier access to music and bands have easier access to fans, but the worst part of that for me is that people are getting lazy and they don't have the same respect for music that they used to.”
It’s not all talk and no action though, Ace’s other extra-curricular activity is the aptly named ‘The Sound of Evolution’ project. A pioneering idea intended to bring credibility back to the music industry and re-define a new sense of respect for the music industry: “ Ideally, I'd release my music for free and try to build the respect for music back, kind of like the Radiohead thing, but I thought of it before they did it! It's something we really have to work out and plan a little more, but when we get to the right place I want to be able to get it going and help other bands starting up to do the same.” It’s a brave and ambitious idea in such an uncertain musical climate. However, you do feel if anybody has the drive and determination to follow it through then it certainly is Ace Enders. As he explains: “ I'm trying to put our ideas for that into practice with this next record.” it becomes apparent that Ace Enders and A Million Different people isn’t just a new band and a new set of songs, but a new way of thinking about music on a wider scale. At 26, it’s hard to believe there is so much to say about someone still so young. Ace Enders is set in his ways and knows exactly what he wants from this business, and you wouldn’t bet against him pulling it off eventually.
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Ace Enders and A Million Different People
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