The Promise Ring were one of the most popular emo bands of the '90s, epitomizing the poppier, more accessible wing of the style. Along with Sunny Day Real Estate, the Get Up Kids, Braid, and Jimmy Eat World, they helped bring emo from the punk underground to a wider indie rock audience in the latter half of the decade. Like the exact definition of emo itself, the Promise Ring's music evolved in ways that were difficult to pin down completely; starting out as both intricate and visceral, they simplified their sound into more straightforward punk-pop, then dabbled in introspective roots rock before disbanding. Different parts of their fan base often disagreed about which phase was their best, but their debut 30° Everywhere is usually cited as one of the best emo albums of its era.
The Promise Ring were formed in Milwaukee in early 1995 from the remnants of several other Midwestern emo outfits. Guitarist/singer Davey vonBohlen was still a member of the acclaimed cult band Cap'n Jazz when he started jamming with guitarist Jason Gnewikow (ex-None Left Standing), drummer Dan Didier (ex-Ceilishrine), and bassist Scott Beschta. When Cap'n Jazz disbanded later that year, vonBohlen focused on his former side project full-time. After a one-off debut single on the small Foresight label, "Watertown Plank"/"Mineral Point," the Promise Ring signed with the independent Jade Tree. Their first release was the three-song EP Falsetto Keeps Time, which included the emo classic "A Picture Postcard"; not long after, they also issued a split 7" with Texas Is the Reason that featured the track "E. Texas Ave."
Building a following through touring and word of mouth, the Promise Ring released their debut album, 30° Everywhere, in the fall of 1996. It quickly became an underground sensation, and started to earn the band some attention from indie rock publications. While on a supporting tour in early 1997, the band repackaged and reissued its early singles on The Horse Latitudes. After the tour, they re-entered the studio and recorded their proper sophomore effort, the slightly poppier Nothing Feels Good, which was released later in 1997. Nothing Feels Good expanded the Promise Ring's indie following by leaps and bounds, and received generally good reviews. However, it marked bassist Beschta's last work with the group; he was replaced on the supporting tour by Tim Burton, the onetime bassist for Gnewikow's None Left Standing.
Disaster nearly struck on that tour when the band's van flipped during a snowstorm; most of the members ended up in the hospital, and Gnewikow was in critical but stable condition for a time. Burton, who hadn't been working out anyway and whose arm was broken, was dismissed from the band in early 1998 and replaced by Scott Schoenbeck, who ironically had just formed a post-rock band called Pele with original Promise Ring bassist Beschta. The Promise Ring issued a quick three-song EP, Boys + Girls, in 1998, before finally completing their third proper album, Very Emergency, in 1999. Very Emergency concentrated on the pop side of their punk-pop formula to a greater degree than ever before, and while it was the subject of a backlash among their earlier fans, it continued to build their indie audience and earned some airplay on college radio. Also in 1999, vonBohlen and Didier joined forces in an acoustic-oriented side project band called Vermont, which issued the first of two albums that year.
Following the release of the Electric Pink EP in early 2000, the Promise Ring narrowly averted another tragedy when vonBohlen was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was surgically removed and fortunately turned out to be benign, although a subsequent infection kept vonBohlen in the hospital and off the road for some time. In the aftermath, the Promise Ring severed ties with Jade Tree in 2001 and signed with Epitaph subsidiary Anti. The following year, they issued their fourth album, Wood/Water, a drastic change of pace whose introspective tone and shimmering atmosphere were indebted to the more recent roots-pop efforts of Wilco. Though their reinvention was generally a critically successful one, the Promise Ring elected to disband in October 2002. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In their early years, their music was usually classified as emo, but their later albums could be described more accurately as indie pop.[1] The band was started in 1995 as a side project by Davey von Bohlen during his time as a guitarist/vocalist for Cap'n Jazz. Von Bohlen started the project alongside guitaristJason Gnewikow of None Left Standing, drummer Dan Didier of Ceilishrine, and bassist Scott Beschta.
1996 brought their first full-length album, titled 30° Everywhere, released by Jade Tree Records. The record was followed by 1997's Nothing Feels Good, which gained the band a larger following and rave reviews. The Horse Latitudes, which collected early tracks that were previously released as 7"s, was also released in 1997. After a change in bass players, 1998 saw the release of the Boys and Girls EP, which was released on both compact disc and 7", with the CD containing an additional song. In 1999 they furthered their success with the release of Very Emergency, which concentrated even more on their pop sound. Following their final release in 2002, wood/water, The Promise Ring decided to move on to new projects, like Von Bohlen's and Didier's new band named Maritime.
The band reunited for the Flower 15 Festival in late November 2005 in Chicago, IL at The Metro.
In mid-June 2009, a hidden webpage was discovered on the Anti website detailing an upcoming Promise Ring greatest hits compilation entitled, It's Not Brain Surgery: The Best Of. The page was subsequently removed and no official release information has yet surfaced about this posthumous compilation.
"12 Sweaters Red" - Ground Rule Double compilation CD, 2xLP (Divot / Actionboy Records, 1995)
"Ooh Do I Love You" - Ooh Do I Love You compilation CD, Core for Care Records, 1996
"Pink Chimneys" - (Don't Forget To) Breathe compilation CD, LP (Crank! 1997)
"Gouge Away" - Where Is My Mind? a tribute to the Pixies CD (Glue Factory Records, 1999)
"You Are So Unreal" - Metroschifter - Encapulated CD (Doghouse Records, 2000)
"Why Did Ever We Meet" - Nowcore! The Punk Rock Evolution compilation CD (K-Tel, 1999)
"Holiday Adam" - "A Very Milky Christmas" compilation CD (Milk, 2000)
