When a band finally decides to break up, it is usually unexpected, and often credited towards "personal differences." After the band's demise, their fans are left with the feeling that they should have appreciated them more during their existence. Illinois post-hardcore legends Braid did not abandon their fans in this way, but rather gave them every opportunity to experience their live show before they called it quits. Braid formed in 1993, when Friction drummer/singer Bob Nanna started a side project in which he would play guitar. He met drummer Roy Ewing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who recruited several friends from other bands that were looking for new people to play with.
Braid's lineup underwent many changes at the beginning. Bassist Jay Ryan left the band early on, and was replaced by Todd Bell, who played with Ewing in Lowercase N. They also briefly had a female singer, Kate Reuss, who quit after only their second show in 1993. In 1994, Friction broke up, and Nanna became much more serious about the Braid project. Chris Broach joined in 1994, and eventually took over as second guitarist as well. With their lineup finally set in place, Braid released their debut album, Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five. This record contained 26 tracks - one for each letter of the alphabet. Their sound was inititally very similar to Chicago's Cap'n Jazz, being very complex yet rough hardcore.
By 1996, Braid sounded like a completely different band. Their sophomore LP, The Age of Octeen, found them reaching for a much more pop-oriented sound, though still maintaining their dynamic instrumentation. Songs like "The Chandelier Swing" and "Eulalia, Eulalia" successfully found the right balance between Broach's caustic yelling and Nanna's sweet, sing-song crooning. In 1997, Ewing left the band, and they brought Figurehead drummer Damon Atkinson in to replace him. This incarnation of the band is primarily what they are remembered for. In 1998, they went into the studio with J. Robbins to record Frame & Canvas, which was not only a landmark album for the band, but for the entire genre.
From the opening drumbeat of "The New Nathan Detroits" to the closing goodbyes of "I Keep A Diary," Frame & Canvas is nearly perfect. Elements of pop, emo, hardcore, punk, and indie blended seamlessly into Braid's signature style, which finally realized its potential with this album. Despite the success of this record, Braid determined that they had accomplished far more than they ever had intended to, and decided to break up in 1999. However, rather than simply dropping the band then and there, they announced that they would be playing a final show in each of their hometowns. This gave both the band and their fans the sense of closure that they deserved. The tour was later documented for the film, Killing a Camera.
After breaking up, Nanna, Bell and Atkinson went on to form Hey Mercedes, who released 2 LPs and 3 EPs in the early 2000's. Odd-man out Chris Broach formed The Firebird Band, with whom he still plays today. Nanna and Bell currently play in The City on Film, which they have had as a side project since their days with Braid. In 2001, Polyvinyl Records released a 2-disc set of Braid B-sides called Movie Music Vol. 1 &2, which contained early demos and cover versions of Smiths and Pixies songs, among others. These releases, along with Frame & Canvas, built a posthumous following for the band. In 2004, they decided to cater to these new fans by doing a US/Canada/Japan summer reunion tour. All of these things make Braid's death one of the easiest to deal with, considering that their fans were able to celebrate them in their final hours, rather than mourn them, knowing that they never got to say goodbye.
Check out a live video of "First Day Back" from Frame & Canvas here:
Braid's lineup underwent many changes at the beginning. Bassist Jay Ryan left the band early on, and was replaced by Todd Bell, who played with Ewing in Lowercase N. They also briefly had a female singer, Kate Reuss, who quit after only their second show in 1993. In 1994, Friction broke up, and Nanna became much more serious about the Braid project. Chris Broach joined in 1994, and eventually took over as second guitarist as well. With their lineup finally set in place, Braid released their debut album, Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five. This record contained 26 tracks - one for each letter of the alphabet. Their sound was inititally very similar to Chicago's Cap'n Jazz, being very complex yet rough hardcore.
By 1996, Braid sounded like a completely different band. Their sophomore LP, The Age of Octeen, found them reaching for a much more pop-oriented sound, though still maintaining their dynamic instrumentation. Songs like "The Chandelier Swing" and "Eulalia, Eulalia" successfully found the right balance between Broach's caustic yelling and Nanna's sweet, sing-song crooning. In 1997, Ewing left the band, and they brought Figurehead drummer Damon Atkinson in to replace him. This incarnation of the band is primarily what they are remembered for. In 1998, they went into the studio with J. Robbins to record Frame & Canvas, which was not only a landmark album for the band, but for the entire genre.
From the opening drumbeat of "The New Nathan Detroits" to the closing goodbyes of "I Keep A Diary," Frame & Canvas is nearly perfect. Elements of pop, emo, hardcore, punk, and indie blended seamlessly into Braid's signature style, which finally realized its potential with this album. Despite the success of this record, Braid determined that they had accomplished far more than they ever had intended to, and decided to break up in 1999. However, rather than simply dropping the band then and there, they announced that they would be playing a final show in each of their hometowns. This gave both the band and their fans the sense of closure that they deserved. The tour was later documented for the film, Killing a Camera.
After breaking up, Nanna, Bell and Atkinson went on to form Hey Mercedes, who released 2 LPs and 3 EPs in the early 2000's. Odd-man out Chris Broach formed The Firebird Band, with whom he still plays today. Nanna and Bell currently play in The City on Film, which they have had as a side project since their days with Braid. In 2001, Polyvinyl Records released a 2-disc set of Braid B-sides called Movie Music Vol. 1 &2, which contained early demos and cover versions of Smiths and Pixies songs, among others. These releases, along with Frame & Canvas, built a posthumous following for the band. In 2004, they decided to cater to these new fans by doing a US/Canada/Japan summer reunion tour. All of these things make Braid's death one of the easiest to deal with, considering that their fans were able to celebrate them in their final hours, rather than mourn them, knowing that they never got to say goodbye.
Check out a live video of "First Day Back" from Frame & Canvas here:
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