The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path

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.[1]

The concept album[2] is broken down into three chapters:

• The Mechanic – the proclaimed "rock" disc of the album, showcasing the heavier side of the band. According to singer/guitarist Ace Enders, The Mechanic is the group's "safe bet", the album they would have made if it had only been one disc. It represents the technical progression from its predecessor The Room's Too Cold (2003), hence the title.
• The Mother – a mostly unplugged effort in the vein of The Early November's The Acoustic EP (2003) and Enders' solo CD I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business (2004). The disc focuses on the band's mellow facet, featuring a more natural sound, conveyed by the use of predominantly acoustic instruments and few effects or filters.
• The Path – an audio theatre of sorts, which mixes dialogue between a young man named Dean and his psychiatrist with soft background music. The psychiatry sessions that narrate the story are interrupted by short "musical"-esque songs, also introducing the interaction of other characters. The songs cover a wide range of musical genres, including blues, country and folk.

"A Little More Time" was premiered through AbsolutePunk on May 30, 2006.[3] The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path was released on July 11. Once released, Drive-Thru Records made an effort to boost record sales with various promotion campaigns, bonus offers and price discounts. 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.[4]

As of January 2007, the band has sold 78,669 copies of The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path.[5] In May 2014, the album was released on vinyl through TDR Records.[6]

All songs written by Ace Enders.[1]

• "No Good at Saying Sorry" has been rereleased under Ace Enders' side project, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business, album titled "Dust'n Off The Ol' Guitar"

Personnel per booklet.[1]

• The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path at AllMusic