The Promise Ring

The Promise Ring is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin that are recognized as part of the second wave of emo.[6][7] Formed in 1995, they first split up in 2002 and have reunited occasionally since 2005. The band has released four studio albums, plus various EPs and singles.

The Promise Ring
OriginMilwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1995–2002
  • 2005
  • 2011–2012
  • 2015–present
Labels
Associated acts
Members
Past members
  • Tim Burton
  • Scott Beschta
  • Ryan Weber

History

Career and breakup

The Promise Ring were formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from the aftermath of several Midwest emo groups[8] in February 1995: guitarists Jason Gnewikow and Matt Mangan (both formerly of None Left Standing), drummer Dan Didier and bassist Scott Beschta (both formerly of Ceilishrine). Mangan moved to Indianapolis soon after the group formed,[9] resulting in them inviting Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey von Bohlen as Mangan's replacement after he had moved to Milwaukee.[10] Von Bohlen was friends with Gnewikow prior to this, but Didier and Beschta became new acquaintances to him after joining the group.[9] The band recorded a three-track demo which included "Jupiter", "12 Sweaters Red" and "Mineral Point" that March,[11] and played their first show shortly afterwards.[12] In June, the group went on a 10-day tour of the East Coast; after a brief five-day rest, Bohlen went back on tour with Cap'n Jazz to support the release of their debut. After the ninth day of the tour, Cap'n Jazz broke up,[9] and Bohlen was able to focus his time on the Promise Ring.[8]

The band released a 7" vinyl single through Foresight Records, which contained the tracks "Watertown Plank" and "Mineral Point".[8] Foresight was owned by a friend of theirs.[13] The band then went on tour, performing in church halls and basements across the US.[13] Texas Is the Reason guitarist Norman Brannon acquired copies of the group's demo and 7" single and gave them to Jade Tree co-founder Tim Own.[9] Shortly afterwards, the band were signed to the independent label.[8] After further touring at the start of 1996,[13] the Falsetto Keeps Time EP was released in February,[14] and was followed by a split single with Texas Is the Reason in May.[15] Both releases were successful, with the band continuing to tour and work on material that would feature on their debut album.[13]

The Promise Ring's first studio album, titled 30° Everywhere, was released by Jade Tree in September 1996.[16] Retrospectively, band members have voiced their dislike of the record; according to Bohlen, the album was recorded in only five days. The band additionally was confused about how they wanted to approach the music on the new record; Bohlen described the situation as one "where we had no idea what we wanted to do or how we wanted it to come out."[9] Didier later spoke of his dislike of Casey Rice's engineering on the record, as well as Bohlen's illness during the recording: "it was the wrong recording at the wrong time with the wrong person."[9]

Despite this, the release was an underground success, earning the group attention from independent publications.[8] The attention was drawn and aided by the inclusion of "A Picture Postcard", which had earlier appeared on the Falsetto Keeps Time and would go on to become a staple of the emo genre.[17] Although the band had 500–600 copies of the album to sell over the course of several gigs, they managed to sell all the copies in one show when they reached CBGB's.[9] The band further promoted 30° Everywhere starting with a six-week US tour with Texas Is the Reason,[13] followed by a European tour in April and May 1997.[13]

Immediately following the European tour's conclusion, the band began writing new material for their second album,[13] sometimes jamming for inspiration.[18] The group went to Memphis, Tennessee and recorded the album, titled Nothing Feels Good, at Easley McCain Recording with producer J. Robbins of Jawbox.[13] The group opted for a cleaner, more pop-oriented sound with the help of Robbins, which contrasted 30° Everywhere and the punk rock-like approach Bohlen used in Cap'n Jazz.[17] The relationship between Didier and Beschta throughout the sessions progressively deteriorated.[9] Around the release of Nothing Feels Good,[19] Beschta was replaced by Tim Burton for the album's supporting tour. Burton was a former bandmate with Gnewikow in None Left Standing.[8] A music video was made for the album's fourth track, "Why Did Ever We Meet"; it was directed by Darren Doane.[20] Though the sessions were marked by turbulence, the album received excellent critical reception.[21][22][23][24]

In February 1998, the band were traveling back home from a show,[25] while on tour with Hum,[9] in the midst of a snowstorm.[8] Their van flipped over after Bohlen hit a bump on the road;[25] Bohlen flew head-first through the windshield. Bohlen (who had head trauma), Burton (who had broken bones)[17] and Didier, were released from hospital the following morning. Gnewikow, however, was in the intensive care unit for three further weeks due to a broken collarbone and other injuries.[25] Bohlen suffered further health setbacks after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and undergoing surgery for its removal, followed by a staph infection.[17] Following the van accident, the band decided to replace their guitarist once again, hiring Scott Schoenbeck in favor of Burton.[8] The band took a six-week break to recover from the van accident before resuming shows with Jimmy Eat World in the East Coast of the US,[9] and a European stint with Jets to Brazil. The band again toured with Jets to Brazil across the US in October and Japan in November.[26]

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.

Reunions

The band reunited for the Flower 15 Festival in late November 2005 in Chicago, at Metro Chicago.[27]

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...".[28][29][30][31] Four days later, the band announced that they would be performing live on February 24, 2012 at Turner Hall in Milwaukee, which was followed by a Chicago date at the Metro on February 25.[32] Drummer Dan Didier said that there would likely be more shows. To coincide with the reunion, The Promise Ring announced they would be releasing a rarities collection in the summer of 2012 on former (and reunited) manager Jeff Castelaz's record label, Dangerbird Records.[33] As of October 2015, the collection has not been released.

The Promise Ring performed at the 2012 Bamboozle Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey with Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and others.[34]

The band played at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on November 4, 2012.

The performed again in 2015 on New Year's Eve at Metro Chicago, playing their second album, Nothing Feels Good, in its entirety.

On August 14, 2016, The Promise Ring played the second Wrecking Ball festival in Atlanta. This event was the last to be held at The Masquerade.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
30° Everywhere
  • Released: September 9, 1996
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, DL, LP
Nothing Feels Good
  • Released: October 14, 1997
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, CS, DL, LP
Very Emergency
  • Released: September 28, 1999
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, DL, LP
Wood/Water
  • Released: April 23, 2002
  • Label: Anti-
  • Format: CD, DL, LP

Extended plays

Title Details
The Promise Ring
  • Released: March 1995
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CS
Falsetto Keeps Time
  • Released: February 9, 1996
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: 7" vinyl
The Promise Ring/Texas Is the Reason (split)
  • Released: May 10, 1996
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: 7" vinyl
The Horse Latitudes
  • Released: February 10, 1997
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, DL, 12" vinyl
Boys + Girls
  • Released: October 27, 1998
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, DL, 7" vinyl
Electric Pink
  • Released: May 16, 2000
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Format: CD, DL

Singles

Title Year Album
"Watertown Plank"/"Mineral Point" 1995 Non-album single
"Stop Playing Guitar" 2002 Wood/Water

Music videos

Title Year Director(s)
"Why Did Ever We Meet" 1997 Darren Doane
"Emergency! Emergency!" 1999
"Stop Playing Guitar" 2002 Arni + Kinski

Other appearances

Title Year Album
"Ooh Do I Love You" 1996 Ooh Do I Love You
"Pink Chimneys" 1997 (Don't Forget To) Breathe
"Red Paint" (live) The Basement Recordings – Live At Cicero's
"Gouge Away" (Pixies cover) 1999 Where Is My Mind?: A Tribute to the Pixies
"You Are So Unreal" (Metroschifter cover) 2000 Encapsulated
"Holiday Adam" A Very Milky Christmas
"Easy" 2002 Location Is Everything Vol. 1

References
  1. "The Promise Ring Reunite at Milwaukee's Turner Hall". Rolling Stone. February 25, 2012.
  2. "The Promise Ring | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  3. "Promise Ring Poppier On 'Woodwater'". Billboard.
  4. "The Promise Ring | Jade Tree". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013.
  5. "Metroactive Music | The Promise Ring". Metroactive.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  6. Sims, Josh (2014). 100 Ideas that Changed Street Style. London: Laurence King.
  7. Cateforis, Theo (25 July 2013). "Emo". doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2240803. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Huey, Steve. "The Promise Ring | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  9. Galil, Leor (February 24, 2012). "An oral history of The Promise Ring". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  10. Huey, Steve. "Cap'n Jazz | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  11. The Promise Ring (sleeve). The Promise Ring. Self-released. 1995.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. "FAQ". The Promise Ring. Archived from the original on October 18, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. "The Promise Ring". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 20, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. "Falsetto Keeps Time - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  15. "The Promise Ring/Texas Is the Reason - The Promise Ring / Texas Is the Reason". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  16. "30° Everywhere - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  17. Cepeda, Eduardo (August 31, 2017). "The Promise Ring's 'Nothing Feels Good' Proved There Was Room for Pop in Emo". Vice. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  18. Hiller, Joachim (September–November 2000). "Promise Ring". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  19. "Nothing Feels Good - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  20. "FAQ". The Promise Ring. Archived from the original on October 18, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  21. Butler, Blake. "Nothing Feels Good – The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  22. Hiller, Joachim (1997). "Promise Ring Nothing feels good CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  23. Mirov, Nick (December 1997). "Promise Ring: Nothing Feels Good". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 19, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  24. Pelone, Joe (December 9, 2011). "The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  25. Salamon 1999, p. 148
  26. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 21, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  27. Tanzilo, Bobby (February 15, 2012). "Is The Promise Ring back for good?". OnMilwaukee. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  28. Aubin (2011-11-18). "Are the Promise Ring back together?". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  29. James (2011-11-18). "Breaking News: The Promise Ring Reunites". Under the Gun Review. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  30. Copeland, Chip (2011-11-18). "The Promise Ring launch Twitter account. Reunited?". sockmonkeysound.com. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  31. Ableson, Jon (2011-11-18). "The Promise Ring Reunite?". Alter the Press!. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  32. "Exclusive: The Promise Ring announce Milwaukee and Chicago shows, plan rarities album". Altpress.com. 2011-11-22.
  33. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2011-12-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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