Interview with Ace Enders, by Laila Hanson


Most people know Ace Enders from his days as frontman for The Early November. Since the band's hiatus in 2007, though, Enders has fronted two other projects—I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business and the more recent Ace Enders And A Million Different People. I had a chance to sit down with the busy musician when he opened for The All American Rejects on their recent college tour.

Laila Hanson: Ace Enders and a Million Different People isn't your first spin off from The Early November. Do you think you're going to go further with this than I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business?
Ace Enders: I hope so. I definitely would like to. I Can Make A Mess was more of just a project, [just something] to make a record with.

LH: You've put out your first album with A Million Different People recently. How's the reaction been?
AE: Good, it's been really great. There's been a lot of new people too.

LH: You've played at college campuses as well as clubs. What do you think of that sort of fest atmosphere compared to club shows?
AE: I definitely prefer club shows. You know, [festivals] are cool, but they're so hot and sweaty and there's nowhere to go. So I definitely love clubs a little bit more because you have your own sort of place to go and relax.

LH: I was listening to your album on the way here, and it seems like you've got a pretty wide range of music; you have some mellower stuff, and the lyrics are definitely progressive. Was that intentional? Did you write it all in one block of time, or separate times?
AE: I like to just do whatever. I think it's also neat to have a different sound for each song, but it all fits together. For me, I want to do that because it keeps it fresh. It keeps the songs fresh and it doesn't get like the same [thing] over and over again. I try to make my writing process as natural as possible.

LH: What do you think of the music industry these days compared to when you were growing up?
AE: I think it's gone far downhill, I think everyone can agree with that. It's a pretty sloppy mess right now. I don't like [popular music] and I think some people are doing it for the wrong reasons, but they're successful, so good for them.

LH: I noticed that you covered “Bittersweet Symphony.” What made you decide to do that?
AE: It's one of my favorite songs ever, I guess you could call it a safe place. It always takes me to the same place.

LH: All of the proceeds [from that song] went to the Save The Music Campaign. How did you get involved with that?
AE: We reached out to them. They were really supportive of it, and did a great job as well.


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