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The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: '' 30° Everywhere'' (1996), '' Nothing Feels Good'' (1997), '' Very Emergency'' (1999), and '' Wood/Water'' (2002). Their first two albums solidified their place among the emo scene; their third effort shifted toward
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
, while their final record was much more experimental in nature. The band initially broke up in 2002 and has reunited sporadically since then to perform live, but no new material from the band has since been released. They were last active for a live performance in 2016. The Promise Ring was formed in 1995 by guitarist Jason Gnewikow and drummer Dan Didier. Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey von Bohlen joined the band soon thereafter and became the band's vocalist. The trio remained the Promise Ring's core members throughout its history. The band has employed a host of other bass guitarists throughout its existence, but their last bassist Scott Schoenbeck has remained with the group the longest. The Promise Ring have had a significant impact on emo music, influencing numerous bands such as Dashboard Confessional, Basement, Title Fight, and Pet Symmetry.


History


Formation (1995)

The Promise Ring was formed in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, from the aftermath of two groups in February 1995: guitarists Jason Gnewikow and Matt Mangan (both from None Left Standing), and drummer Dan Didier and bassist Scott Beschta (both from Ceilishrine). Mangan moved to
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
soon after the group formed, prompting the band to invite Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey von Bohlen as Mangan's replacement. Bohlen was friends with Gnewikow prior to this, but Didier and Beschta became new acquaintances to him after joining the group. The band recorded a three-track demo which included "Jupiter", "12 Sweaters Red" and "Mineral Point" that March, and played their first show shortly afterward. In June, the group went on a 10-day tour of the East Coast; Bohlen soon returned to tour with Cap'n Jazz to support the release of their debut, '' Shmap'n Shmazz''. After the ninth day of that tour, Cap'n Jazz broke up, and Bohlen was able to focus his time on the Promise Ring.


Early releases and ''30° Everywhere'' (1996–1997)

The Promise Ring released a 7-inch vinyl single through Foresight Records, which contained the tracks "Watertown Plank" and "Mineral Point". Foresight was owned by a friend of theirs. The band then went on tour, performing in church halls and basements across the US. Texas Is the Reason guitarist Norman Brannon acquired copies of the group's demo and 7-inch single and gave them to Jade Tree co-founder Tim Own. Shortly afterwards, the band was signed to the independent label for a three-album contract. After further touring at the start of 1996, the ''Falsetto Keeps Time'' EP was released in February, and was followed by a split single with Texas Is the Reason in May. Both releases were successful, with the band continuing to tour and work on material that would feature on their debut album. The Promise Ring's first studio album titled '' 30° Everywhere'', was released by Jade Tree in September 1996. 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." 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." Despite this, the release was an underground success, earning the group's attention from independent publications. The attention was drawn and aided by the inclusion of "A Picture Postcard", which had earlier appeared on ''Falsetto Keeps Time'' and would go on to become a staple of the emo genre. The song again appeared as part of an EP titled '' The Horse Latitudes'', which effectively reissued the band's earlier work in early 1997. Although the band had 500–600 copies of ''30° Everywhere'' to sell over the course of several gigs, the album sold out at CBGB's. The band further promoted ''30° Everywhere'' starting with a six-week US tour with Texas Is the Reason, followed by a European tour in April–May 1997.


''Nothing Feels Good'' (1997–1998)

Immediately following the European tour's conclusion, the band began writing new material for their second album, sometimes jamming for inspiration. The group went to Memphis, Tennessee, and recorded the album, titled '' Nothing Feels Good'', at
Easley McCain Recording Easley McCain Recording is an American recording studio, based in Memphis, Tennessee, notable for recording musicians such as Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Oblivians, Grifters, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Come, White Stripes, Townes Van Zandt, ...
with producer
J. Robbins James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, is an American rock musician. Career Robbins began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led five of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, Channels (band) ...
of
Jawbox Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...
. The relationship between Didier and Beschta throughout the sessions progressively deteriorated. Around the release of ''Nothing Feels Good'', For the album's supporting tour, Beschta was replaced on bass by Tim Burton, a former bandmate of Gnewikow's in None Left Standing. A music video was made for the album's fourth track, "Why Did Ever We Meet"; it was directed by Darren Doane. Though the sessions were marked by turbulence, the album received excellent critical reception, and was featured on best-of album lists for the year by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and '' Teen People''. In February 1998, the band was traveling back home from a showSalamon 1999, p. 148 while on tour with Hum during a snowstorm. While driving through Nebraska, their van flipped over after Bohlen hit a bump on the road; Bohlen flew head-first through the windshield. Bohlen (who had
head trauma A head injury is any injury that results in trauma to the skull or brain. The terms ''traumatic brain injury'' and ''head injury'' are often used interchangeably in the medical literature. Because head injuries cover such a broad scope of inj ...
), Burton (who had broken bones), and Didier were released from the hospital the following morning. Gnewikow, however, was in the intensive care unit for three further weeks due to a broken collarbone and other injuries. Following the van accident, the band decided to replace their bassist once again, hiring Scott Schoenbeck in favor of Burton. The band took a six-week break to recover from the van accident before resuming shows with
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...
in the East Coast of the US, 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.


''Boys + Girls'', ''Very Emergency'' and ''Electric Pink'' (1998–2001)

In October 1998, the band released the ''Boys + Girls'' EP, which contained the two tracks "Tell Everyone We're Dead" and "Best Looking Boys". In March 1999, the band performed new material during a few shows, leading up to their European tour that April. Following that stint, the group began recording their next album '' Very Emergency'', at Inner Ear Studios in Washington, D.C. J. Robbins would return as the producer of the new album, but production credit was this time split between Robbins and the band. Robbins,
Jenny Toomey Jennifer Gillen Toomey (born 1968) is an American indie rock musician and arts activist. Career Toomey was a member of the bands Geek, Tsunami (Virginia band), Tsunami, Liquorice, Grenadine (band), Grenadine, So Low and Choke, among others, a ...
and Smart Went Crazy member Hilary Soldati made guest appearances on the album. The recordings were mixed at
Smart Studios Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, Nirvana, Hawthorne H ...
, before they were mastered by Alan Douches at West Side Music. Jade Tree released ''Very Emergency'' on September 28, 1999. Around the time of release, they went on a brief tour to promote the album on the East Coast and in Canada with Euphone. Doane returned to film the music video for "Emergency! Emergency!"; the band agreed to make the video because Doane volunteered to do it for free.Jacks 1999, p. 68 It premiered on ''120 Minutes'' in October. The band reconvened with Robbins to tour the US with his band,
Burning Airlines Burning Airlines was an American rock band from Washington, D.C. J. Robbins and Bill Barbot of Jawbox formed the band with Peter Moffett (formerly of Government Issue) in 1997. The band released two full-length albums, a self-titled 7", and sp ...
, through October and November; they were joined by Pele and
the Dismemberment Plan The Dismemberment Plan is an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C. on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or the Plan, the name was derived from an industry phrase used by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the 1993 comedy film ...
, among others. Further shows were added with Burning Airlines, pushing the trek into early December. The band performed in Japan in February 2000, before taking a break. They went on an American East Coast and Midwest tour the following month with Rich Creamy Paint, the Explosion and Pele. In May and June, the band was scheduled to go on a European tour with Burning Airlines, however, on the day they were due to leave to begin the shows, Bohlen was diagnosed with
meningioma Meningioma, also known as meningeal tumor, is typically a slow-growing tumor that forms from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms depend on the location and occur as a result of the tumor pressing ...
, a
brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
variant. The tour was immediately cancelled and Bohlen underwent surgery on May 8. Up to this point, he had been suffering from strong headaches whenever the band performed for a year and a half. Two outtakes from the ''Very Emergency'' sessions were included on the '' Electric Pink'' EP, released in mid-May. The band took the next few months off to recuperate. They began playing shows again in September, when the band supported
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
for three weeks on their US tour; however, Bohlen developed a post-operative infection during this stint that resulted in the group dropping off. They played shows in February 2001 to make up for the cancelled shows they had planned for December.


New record label, ''Wood/Water'' and disbandment (2001–2002)

After finishing the rescheduled tour dates in February, the Promise Ring went and worked on material with Kristian Riley of Citizen King. By March 2001, the band had parted ways with Jade Tree, as the label was unable to give the amount of financial support that the band was looking for. After being courted by
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...
, the group signed with their imprint
Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...
later that year. With Anti-, the group were also looking to move further away from emo, which the band had become increasingly known for while on Jade Tree. Bohlen would liken his band and the label to each other as stylistically synonymous. The group also experienced licensing conflicts with Jade Tree, resulting in difficulties distributing the Promise Ring's releases to labels in other countries, including European releases of ''Electric Pink'' and album releases in Japan. Coinciding with an April and May 2001 tour with Camden, their frontman William Seidel was welcomed to the Promise Ring as their touring keyboardist. With Didier, Bohlen, and Gnewikow being fans of
the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
and Blur, the band chose
Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English record producer best known for his work with the Smiths, the Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...
to produce their fourth album, as he had produced for both of those groups. The band ran into budget issues after Street went on vacation and were unable to contact him, so they instead decided to split the recording between Street in the London and Mario Caldato Jr. in Los Angeles. "Say Goodbye Good" was produced by Caldato during this period, but the majority of the record ended up being produced by Street at Jacobs Studios in
Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...
. Schoenbeck was unhappy with the stylistic change during the Los Angeles sessions and left before working with Street. He was replaced by Ryan Weber of Camden for the remainder of the albums recording. The title, '' Wood/Water'', was announced in December 2001; it would be released on April 23, 2002. It was preceded by an online release of "Get on the Floor" in March, as well as an appearance at
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
later that month. During this performance, Bohlen fainted; he had additional surgery over the next few weeks involving a plate being implanted in his head. ''Wood/Water'' was made available for streaming in its entirety on March 26, 2002, via a
microsite A microsite is an individual web page or a small cluster of pages which are meant to function as a discrete entity (such as an iFrame) within an existing website or to complement an offline activity. The microsite's main landing page can have its ...
before its April 23 release. The album spawned a single and
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Stop Playing Guitar". The video was posted online on May 3, and it was directed by former
GusGus GusGus is an electronic music band from Reykjavík, Iceland. Although initially a film and acting collective, the group is mostly known for its electronic music. The group's discography consists of twelve studio albums. History GusGus was in ...
members Arni + Kinski. The song was also released as a single on July 9 on
7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...
and CD. To promote the album, the Promise Ring began by delivering two acoustic in-store performances, and then headlined a US tour in April and May 2002, being supported by
the Weakerthans The Weakerthans are a Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive. History The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he l ...
. On May 24, 2002, the band performed on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'', then moved on to a supporting slot on
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...
's tour of the UK. ''Wood/Water'' was released in the UK during this stint on May 27, 2002. The Promise Ring's supporting slot for Jimmy Eat World continued into some US dates in late July and early August 2002. In September and October, the band made what would be their final appearances as part of the 2002 Plea for Peace tour. Although the Promise Ring planned to film a video for "Suffer Never" after Plea for Peace, Epitaph and Anti- announced on October 14, 2002, that they had broken up. The band explained the following week that they had decided to focus on other projects, and had been considering parting ways for several months.


Related acts and reunions

The first side project originating from the Promise Ring began in 1999, when Bohlen and Didier formed the acoustic side project
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
, which featured Chris Rosenau of Pele. Seidel and Weber formed Decibully in 2001, with Gnewikow joining them briefly as their drummer. In late 2000, Bohlen was a guest on " A Praise Chorus" by Jimmy Eat World, who the Promise Ring had befriended on tour; the song became a promotional single for its parent album, '' Bleed American'', in 2002. In 2003, Bohlen and Didier formed In English with Eric Axelson, formerly of
the Dismemberment Plan The Dismemberment Plan is an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C. on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or the Plan, the name was derived from an industry phrase used by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the 1993 comedy film ...
; the group would later become known as Maritime. They released their debut studio album ''Glass Floor'' in 2004 through
DeSoto Records DeSoto Records is an American record label based in Washington, D.C. History DeSoto was founded in 1989 and is run by husband and wife team Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta (both formerly of the band Jawbox). It was first founded by members of the ba ...
after it had been passed on by Anti-, and have since released four more studio albums. The Promise Ring has reunited for several reunion shows and tours. These began with a one-off show at the Flower 15 Festival in late November 2005 at
Metro Chicago Metro (formerly the Stages Music Hall and Cabaret Metro) is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. Th ...
. Following a tweet in November 2011, the band played two reunion shows in February 2012. 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 Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is home to artists from around the world and part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. The label has had international success from its small roster of ...
; this collection never surfaced. Between May and September 2012, the band played a variety of US shows and festivals, including
The Bamboozle The Bamboozle was an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and was scheduled for a 2023 revival in Atlantic City by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event ...
,
Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...
, and
Fun Fun Fun Fest Fun Fun Fun Fest (often abbreviated as "FFF" or "F3F") was an annual music and comedy festival held in Austin, Texas, United States. It featured stages that focused specifically on hip-hop / electronica, indie rock, punk / metal, and comedy. S ...
. Around the time of the latter performance, Didier said they had "no interest at all to write new music" and that they had "no plan whatsoever" to play together again. On New Year's Eve 2015, the band played ''Nothing Feels Good'' in its entirety at a one-off show at Metro Chicago; when asked about more material, Didier said: "Maybe more shows, but definitely not new music". They then appeared at the 2016 Wrecking Ball festival.


Musical style

The Promise Ring's style has been described at various points throughout their career as emo,
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
,
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...
, and
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
. The group began as a continuation of the founding members' previous bands: emo bands None Left Standing, Ceilishrine, and Cap'n Jazz, all of whom played a particular kind of emo localized in the
Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. The Promise Ring became known as part of " second wave" emo, which was more geographically diverse than the first; Theo Cateforis wrote in ''
Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
'' that the Promise Ring became leaders of this period alongside Austin, Texas-based
Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...
and Seattle, Washington-based
Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate is an American emo band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran ...
. Over the duration of their original run, the Promise Ring would progressively distance themselves from the genre, moving towards pop between ''Nothing Feels Good'' and ''Very Emergency'' and starting from scratch on ''Wood/Water'' with their new label. Their debut record ''30° Everywhere'' carried
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
and
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
influences, and has been praised as a benchmark and blueprint for emo as a whole. Though the band reportedly did not like the album in retrospect, it was praised for its "very catchy, very intense, ndvery powerful" material. The group opted for a cleaner, more pop-oriented sound on ''Nothing Feels Good'', which contrasted ''30° Everywhere'' and the punk-like approach Bohlen used in Cap'n Jazz, with critics noting a shift toward power pop in addition to the band's already established emo sound. ''Nothing Feels Good'' is noted for pushing the band to the forefront of the emo scene, which helped to forge the way for subsequent landmark releases by their peers, such as '' Something to Write Home About'' (1999) by
the Get Up Kids The Get Up Kids are an American emo band from Kansas City. Formed in 1995, the band was a major act in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the " second wave" of emo music. Their second album '' Something to Write Home About'' r ...
and ''Bleed American'' (2001) by Jimmy Eat World. ''Nothing Feels Good'' and the ''Boys + Girls'' EP foreshadowed the Promise Ring completely shifting toward pop, which was fully displayed on ''Very Emergency''. The sessions with Riley sparked another stylistic turn, differing significantly from that of ''Very Emergency''; ''Wood/Water'', the only full-length to follow the band's releases on Jade Tree, was an
alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
,D'Angelo 2002, p. 5 indie rock, and pop album,Citations regarding publications calling the album pop: * D'Angelo 2002, p. 5 * * * * with elements of
roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...
,
alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, and
psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is a genre of pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the mid-to-late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, ...
.


Members

Most recent lineup * Davey von Bohlen – vocals, guitar * Jason Gnewikow – guitar * Dan Didier – drums * Scott Schoenbeck – bass guitar Past members * Matt Mangan – guitar * Scott Beschta – bass guitar * Tim Burton – bass guitar * Ryan Weber – bass guitar Touring members * William Seidel – keyboard


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums * '' 30° Everywhere'' (1996) * '' Nothing Feels Good'' (1997) * '' Very Emergency'' (1999) * '' Wood/Water'' (2002)


References

Citations Sources * * *


External links


The Promise Ring
at
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The Promise Ring discography
at
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The Promise Ring artist page
at Jade Tree {{DEFAULTSORT:Promise Ring, The Musical groups from Milwaukee American emo musical groups American pop punk groups Indie rock musical groups from Wisconsin 1995 establishments in Wisconsin Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 American musical quartets Jade Tree (record label) artists Dangerbird Records artists Anti- (record label) artists