Mae and The Spill Canvas came to Baltimore in celebration of 20 years and 2 albums: Mae’s “The Everglow,” and “One Fell Swoop” from The Spill Canvas. Ace Enders of The Early November, and I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business joined them on a select number of dates, including Baltimore Soundstage.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten several opportunities to work with Ace and Jeff of Early November, most recently a 4-show acoustic run with my friend Gabe Woodrow as part of the tour package. When I saw that Ace was doing some solo shows with Mae and Spill Canvas, I knew the fans would be in for a treat. Ace Enders is a really versatile musician, and it shows in all of the work he has done. From recording artists’ music, his own bands The Early November and I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business, to his newly formed solo album, he’s always got something musically intriguing and beautiful up his sleeve.
Ace has a setlist for his solo shows, which includes a mix of Early November, Mess, and his own material. He also takes requests from the crowd, and sometimes will throw in personal stories or experiences relating to some of the songs he chose or requested by fans. Fans usually request songs like Baby Blue, Ava Maria, Decoration, and Call off the Bells, to name a few. After a fan yelled, “Call off the Bells,” Ace laughed and began telling the crowd about a story relating to that song. He played a wedding, and the couple asked him to play that song. Of course, the crowd laughed, but he said, “Hey, I asked them what they wanted me to play, they said that song, so I did…even if the family gave him weird looks during it.” He also explained how he came up with the riff for “I Want to Hear You Sad.” He began playing the strums, paused, and said, “A weird thing about that part; when I was 18/19, we were getting courted by these producers. They said we had to make a song that could live up to a level like Puddle of Mudd, in that range with those harmonics. So I played that riff, said ‘like this?’, and they were like ‘No'”, to which the crowd burst into laughter.
Midway through the set, Nick from Spill Canvas got his attention from the side stage, pointed to the screen behind Ace to reveal a surprise animated drawing of Ace that was very similar to a Bob’s Burgers character. Ace saw it, yelled “Heyyyy that’s me!” to which the crowd again laughed as he described that the photo was taken of him in California back in the day. At the end of his set, he explained he was leaving early, but that he still wanted to meet and talk to fans before that time, as he’d be back at his merch table. He’s 1 of the most humble and nicest guys I’ve met in the industry, and he was a great addition to this bill. The crowd was just as loud as him, and it was awesome that fans could see the acoustic side of his work.
There’s something about 10,15, and in this case, 20-year album tours; it’s definitely great to relive an entire album you grew up listening to as the lyrics are ingrained in memory. The songs make up part of who you are, somewhat shaping you into who you’ll become. And let’s face it; since these albums were hot in the early 2000s, you were probably listening to the songs at a Warped Tour; I know I was. On the other hand, going to a double-digit album tour show can lose its luster because you already know what songs will be played and what’s next. I have mixed feelings about these anniversary tours, but in the same breath, I also still enjoy them. They’re great for us contributors because we know what songs we get to write about and the memories we had while jamming out to them.
Mae was up next, and I was excited because it had been quite a while since I had seen them. The guys slowly came on during “Prologue,” with directions for opening the CD booklet and paying attention to when to turn the pages as certain sounds play. During this, the crowd was cheering in anticipation for them to start playing. Once the beginning of “We’re So Far Away” started, the cheers continued, and they began to sing along. The Everglow, Mae’s 2nd full-length album, is a mix of refreshing, melodic, slower and fast-paced songs, with catchy riffs and choruses that everyone can sing to.
The band’s name is an acronym for “Multisensory Aesthetic Experience”, based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University. The Everglow is described as a concept album in that it’s designed as a storybook, including illustrations for each song inside the booklet and a story-like nature. The first notification to turn the booklet page is before my favorite song, “Suspension.” When I found Mae, this was the song that reeled me in; so this show had special meaning to me. It brought me back to the 1st time I saw them at a Warped Tour and heard this song.
Midway through the set, lead singer Dave Elkins had asked the crowd about how long it had been since they visited Maryland. A bunch of answers were yelled out, including Towson Tiger Fest. He seemed very surprised to learn that it had been since 2015, and apologized for the long wait, but followed up with “Well, Baltimore, we’ve missed you.” During my 2nd favorite song, “Breakdown,” Dave spun the microphone around to the crowd for the end of the song, which, of course, the crowd was already singing, making all of the members smile while playing. Dave was introducing the band members, and when he got to guitarist Zach, he mentioned that while on this tour, Zach was going to George Mason for his doctorate and wasn’t going to miss the run. Their set flew by, and before we knew it, they thanked us for keeping their music alive, and Dave said they’d be back sooner than 10 years.
The Spill Canvas closed out the night in celebration of 20 years of their 2nd album “One Fell Swoop,” which was released August 9, 2005, by One Eleven Records. Another Warped Tour band, the band played the entire summer of 2007 Warped Tour, promoting the upcoming release of their third album, “No Really, I’m Fine.” While “One Fell Swoop” is not my favorite of their albums, it still has strong vocals, solid fast beats, and catchy guitar riffs that I enjoy listening to.
The crowd stayed for the guys as they started strong with “Lust A Prima Vista.” Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for the entire set, but I needed to stay to hear my favorite song, “Teleport A & B.” I felt like the crowd sang the loudest during this and the first song, but I was half paying attention since I was walking around snapping images. After the 1st song, lead singer Nick Thomas thanked us for coming out once again to celebrate another 10 years of this album, but also for coming out to support their music, which was greeted by lots of cheers and “Woos” from the crowd.
This album has slower songs as well as faster-paced ones that keep you guessing what’s next. As I was watching the crowd, I noticed a lot of fans with their hands up singing along, phones recording or taking photos, and some flashlights on during the slower songs like “This Is For Keeps,” which I left after. On my drive home, I listened to it again and found myself nodding along to some of the songs. Reviews for this album are mixed, with some praising it for its emotional lyrics, while others claim it’s lyrically weak and cliché pop-rock. I’ve covered the band in previous years at what is now Nevermore Hall, and along with this set, I was overall entertained.