The Promise Ring
Encyclopedia
The Promise Ring is an American emo
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
. They split up in 2002 and temporarily reunited in 2005. The band has resurfaced again as of November 2011.
during his time as a guitarist/vocalist for Cap'n Jazz
. The name of the band was chosen due to Von Bohlen's fascination with the other band member's bum-holes. Von Bohlen started the project alongside guitarist
Jason Gnewikow of None Left Standing, drummer
Dan Didier and bassist
Scott Beschta, the latter two both being former members of Ceilishrine.
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. After the recording, but prior to the release of Nothing Feels Good, Tim Burton (ex-None Left Standing) replaced Scott Beschta. The Horse Latitudes
, which collected early tracks that were previously released as 7"s, was also released in 1997. After another 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
, which featured bassist Ryan Weber, The Promise Ring decided to move on to new projects, like Von Bohlen's and Didier's new band named Maritime
.
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.
On November 18, 2011, The Promise Ring alluded to a second reunion via their Twitter
, writing: "Hello again...". Four days later, the band announced that they would be performing live on February 24, 2012 at Turner Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which will be followed by a Chicago date at the Metro on February 25. According to drummer Dan Didier, there will likely be more shows. To coincide with the reunion, The Promise Ring will be releasing a rarities collection in the summer of 2012.
"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)
"Red Paint" - "The Basement Recordings-Live at Cicero's" compilation CD (On the Clock Records, 1997)
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. In their early years, their music was usually classified as emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
, but their later albums could be described more accurately as indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
. They split up in 2002 and temporarily reunited in 2005. The band has resurfaced again as of November 2011.
Career and breakup
The band was started in 1995 as a side project by Davey von BohlenDavey von Bohlen
Davey von Bohlen is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his roles as guitarist and vocalist in Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Vermont, and currently, Maritime...
during his time as a guitarist/vocalist for Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz was an emo band formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villareal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the...
. The name of the band was chosen due to Von Bohlen's fascination with the other band member's bum-holes. Von Bohlen started the project alongside guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jason Gnewikow of None Left Standing, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Dan Didier and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Scott Beschta, the latter two both being former members of Ceilishrine.
1996 brought their first full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, titled 30° Everywhere
30° Everywhere
-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Beschta – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums*Rachel Dietkus – violin on tracks 9 & 12*Casey Rice - engineer*Tim Owen & Scott Beschta – photography...
, released by Jade Tree Records
Jade Tree Records
Jade Tree International, Inc. was an independent record label formed by Darren Walters and Tim Owen in August 1991, out of Wilmington, Delaware....
. The record was followed by 1997's Nothing Feels Good
Nothing Feels Good
-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Beschta – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums...
, which gained the band a larger following and rave reviews. After the recording, but prior to the release of Nothing Feels Good, Tim Burton (ex-None Left Standing) replaced Scott Beschta. The Horse Latitudes
The Horse Latitudes (album)
**tracks 1-2 originally released on the Watertown Plank 7"**tracks 3-5 originally released on the Falsetto Keeps Time 7"**track 6 originally on The Promise Ring/Texas is the Reason Split 7"**tracks 7-8 never before released-Personnel:...
, which collected early tracks that were previously released as 7"s, was also released in 1997. After another change in bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
players, 1998 saw the release of the Boys and Girls EP, which was released on both compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and 7", with the CD containing an additional song. In 1999 they furthered their success with the release of Very Emergency
Very Emergency
-Personnel:The Promise Ring*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Dan Didier – drums*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitarAdditional personnel*Ryan Weber – piano...
, which concentrated even more on their pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
sound. Following their final release in 2002, wood/water
Wood/water
-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, acoustic guitar*Jason Gnewikow – electric guitar*Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums, percussion*Ryan Weber – piano...
, which featured bassist Ryan Weber, The Promise Ring decided to move on to new projects, like Von Bohlen's and Didier's new band named Maritime
Maritime (band)
Maritime formed in 2003 out of the ashes of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan. After these two bands broke up, singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen, drummer Dan Didier and bassist Eric Axelson hooked up and started a band called In English. The group quickly signed a deal with the record...
.
Reunions
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.
On November 18, 2011, The Promise Ring alluded to a second reunion via their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, writing: "Hello again...". Four days later, the band announced that they would be performing live on February 24, 2012 at Turner Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which will be followed by a Chicago date at the Metro on February 25. According to drummer Dan Didier, there will likely be more shows. To coincide with the reunion, The Promise Ring will be releasing a rarities collection in the summer of 2012.
Albums
- 30° Everywhere30° Everywhere-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Beschta – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums*Rachel Dietkus – violin on tracks 9 & 12*Casey Rice - engineer*Tim Owen & Scott Beschta – photography...
(September 9, 1996)
Jade Tree Records - Nothing Feels GoodNothing Feels Good-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Beschta – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums...
(October 14, 1997)
Jade Tree Records - Very EmergencyVery Emergency-Personnel:The Promise Ring*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Dan Didier – drums*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitarAdditional personnel*Ryan Weber – piano...
(September 28, 1999)
Jade Tree Records - wood/waterWood/water-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, acoustic guitar*Jason Gnewikow – electric guitar*Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums, percussion*Ryan Weber – piano...
(April 23, 2002)
ANTI Records
EPs
- Watertown Plank b/w Mineral Point
(May, 1995)
Foresight Records - Falsetto Keeps TimeFalsetto Keeps Time-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Beschta – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums...
(February, 1996)
Jade Tree Records - The Horse LatitudesThe Horse Latitudes (album)**tracks 1-2 originally released on the Watertown Plank 7"**tracks 3-5 originally released on the Falsetto Keeps Time 7"**track 6 originally on The Promise Ring/Texas is the Reason Split 7"**tracks 7-8 never before released-Personnel:...
(February 10, 1997)
Jade Tree Records - Boys + Girls
(October 27, 1998)
Jade Tree Records - Electric PinkElectric Pink-Personnel:*Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar*Jason Gnewikow – guitar*Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitar*Dan Didier – drums...
(May 16, 2000)
Jade Tree Records
Compilations
"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
(Don't Forget To) Breathe
Breathe is a Crank! Records compilation released in 1997.it was pressed to vinyl as a 12"+10" set, limited to 5,500 copies with screen printed artwork.it was later re-issued on CD with slightly altered artwork.-Track listing:...
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)
"Red Paint" - "The Basement Recordings-Live at Cicero's" compilation CD (On the Clock Records, 1997)