If you’re even faintly aware of emo, chances are you’re familiar with The Promise Ring and Braid. Together they carved an indelible thoroughfare for the revitalized genre that ran straight through the Midwestern cities of Champaign, Chicago, and Milwaukee and into the hearts of countless people between the mid ’90s and early 2000s. Braid’s seminal 1998 record Frame & Canvas and The Promise Ring’s 1997 classic Nothing Feels Good remain two of the most influential and beloved emo albums of all time and are still referenced today with regularity. If those bands’ accomplishments weren’t sufficient, members from Braid and The Promise Ring went on to form Hey Mercedes and Maritime, respectively.
On this week’s episode of On The Record, host Tyler Maas spoke to The Promise Ring/Maritime drummer Dan Didier and Braid/Hey Mercedes bass player Todd Bell about their bands’ role in emo’s second wave, the rise and fall (and in Bell’s case, rise again) of Braid and The Promise Ring, and whether they embrace or combat being called the “E-word” today. Between reminiscing—mostly forced upon them by Maas being a fanboy—and liberal gulps of Ale Asylum, Didier gave some updates on Maritime (whose great album Magnetic Bodies/Maps Of Bones will be released on October 16 and at Cactus Club October 17) and Bell got listeners up to speed on what Braid is doing now.
As always, this episode is brought to you by our friends at Ale Asylum, which was enjoyed on air, and 42 Ale House/42 Lounge. Music in this episode comes courtesy of Braid (“Killing A Camera”) and Maritime (“Roaming Empire”). Subscribe to On The Record via iTunes or Stitcher (for free!)