The Dismemberment Plan

One could make the argument that the late 90's/early 00's was the worst period in rock and roll history. Radio was divided between boy/girl pop and butt rock, pop-punk was just breaking through to the mainstream, and originality was at an all time low. It is easy to see how a groundbreaking band like the Dismemberment Plan fell through the cracks in such an environment. Forming in 1993 while still in high school, the D-Plan initially took their cues from local D.C. heroes, Fugazi and Jawbox. Their first two albums, 1995's ! & 1997's Is Terrified, exhibited their oddball take on post-hardcore, but it was not until the turn of the millenium that they reached the height of their genius.

From the outset, the Dismemberment Plan were tied to DeSoto Records, which was and still is owned by members of Jawbox. In 1998, they were briefly picked up by Interscope Records. During this time, they recorded what would be their masterpiece, Emergency & I. However, their only album that Interscope released officially was The Ice of Boston EP. The label postponed the release of the full-length indefinitely, and in 1999, they dropped the D-Plan with Emergency & I still not seeing the light of day. They went back to DeSoto, and released the album, which won over even the toughest critics. Pitchfork even placed it as their #16 album of the 90's just weeks after it came out.


It is obvious that the band poured every drop of their enthusiasm into Emergency & I, and on top of that, the album conveys a great sense of humor, something that indie rock was missing for the most part. The album opens with "A Life of Possibilities," which instantly launches into an unfathomable rhythm with Travis Morrison soaring in and out of his freestyle falsetto. There are keyboards present, but not your typical Cure-aping soaring synth lines. Here, the Rolands and Korgs bellow and pulse in truly bizarre fashion, yet somehow help to keep the song cohesive. From here, the band goes all over the place. "What Do You Want Me To Say?" bounces between scrambled verses and supertight choruses. "You Are Invited" is mostly just a programmed drum beat that occasionally teases with chiming guitars, until the entire band explodes onto the track without warning.

The underground success of Emergency & I afforded the band much better touring opportunities, as they were invited to open for Pearl Jam's 2000 European tour. However, they still were not able to cross over into the mainstream. In 2001, they recorded their final proper LP, Change, which was by far the band's most straightforward and approachable work. In 2002, they put all of the tracks from Emergency & I and Change on their website, and encouraged their fans to rearrange and submit them (which may have been the birth of the indie remix). They picked their favorites, and released them as A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan. Despite this novel idea and their new polished sound, the band broke up in January of 2003. They played one reunion show in 2007, at a benefit for Callum Robbins, the son of Jawbox/Burning Airlines singer J. Robbins, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.

Since the Dismemberment Plan's demise, Travis Morrison has released two solo LPs under his own name, working closely with Chris Walla and Jason McGerr from Death Cab for Cutie. Bassist Eric Axelson joined ex-members of the Promise Ring in Maritime from 2004 to 2006, and now plays with D-Plan drummer Joe Easley in a band called Statehood. None of these bands, however, have met either the commercial or critical success of the Dismemberment Plan.

Check out this fan-made video for "You Are Invited" from Emergency & I here:

The Promise Ring

There is a great dilemma that nearly every band must face when their youth begins to fade. They can adjust the sound and subject matter of their music, at the risk of alienating their fans, or they can simply give up. Sometimes, they do both at once, as in the case of the Promise Ring. In 1995, Cap'n Jazz guitarist/vocalist Davey von Bohlen started the band as a side project with a few friends from his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. When Cap'n Jazz called it quits that same year, the Promise Ring became his primary focus. They released their first album, 30 Degrees Everywhere, in 1996 on Jade Tree Records. This record was severely underproduced, and although the music was certainly catchy, von Bohlen's vocals were nearly inaudible.

After a year of touring, the band entered the studio with producer/Jawbox singer J. Robbins, who was the premier post-hardcore producer at the time. The result was Nothing Feels Good, a flawless integration of indie rock and pop music. With von Bohlen's vocals mixed properly, audiences could finally hear his clever wordplay delivered through an endearing lisp. Despite the critical praise that the album received, the Promise Ring were the first band that was truly tormented by the term "emo." They were constantly referred to as the posterboys for the genre, even though they denied their affiliation at every press opportunity. After several EP's that expanded their sound a bit, they went back into the studio with Robbins to record Very Emergency in 1999.

Very Emergency found the Promise Ring leaving their indie/emo sound in the dust, focusing completely on the pop aspect of their music. In most cases, this would devastate the fanbase for an indie band, but the record was so upbeat and exuberant that it not only maintained current fans, but increased their commercial popularity exponentially. The band toured for 3 years on this record, and eventually released their final album, Wood/Water in 2002. It was clear at this point, with the band well into their 30's, that they were simply too old to write the joyous teenage anthems they once did. The record ended up sounding like a completely different band. The music had slowed down significantly, with the band attempting to introduce more dynamic elements, most of which were completely out of place, i.e. full church choir. It seemed that after this album, neither the band nor their fans were content with this new, "mature" identity.

The Promise Ring broke up in 2002 after the Wood/Water tour. Bassist Scott Schoenbeck began playing with Dashboard Confessional, the outfit where emo musicians go to die. Von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier formed a new band with ex-Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric Axelson. They started out calling themselves English, but later changed their name to Maritime. Thankfully, their music sounds nothing like the latter days of the Promise Ring, but more like what one would have expected them to release off of the heels of Very Emergency. The Promise Ring played one reunion show in 2005 for the Flower 15 Festival at the Metro in Chicago. Just last month, rumors began circulating that they have been invited to play a forthcoming All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Milwaukee, curated by Compound Red guitarist Jim Minor.

Check out the video for "Emergency, Emergency" from Very Emergency here: