What started as a side project for Davey while in Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring would become one of the most prominent emo bands in the 1990s. Joining the likes of Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, and Sunny Day Real Estate - The Promise Ring set the bar and drove their genre of music forward with their unique style of indie pop. Celebrating the emo scene appropriately - The Promise Ring appeared on many compilations and tribute albums - and countless amounts of mixtapes would bear their songs. The story starts with the release of the Watertown Plank 7" in 1995 and upon the disbanding of Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring became a full-time band for Davey VonBohlen - the band signed to Jade Tree records. Their first release was the three-song EP Falsetto Keeps Time, which included the emo classic "A Picture Postcard"; not long after, they also issued a split 7" with Texas Is the Reason that featured the track "E. Texas Ave." After extensive touring the band would release their debut album 30° Everywhere in the fall of 1996. The classic release became a proxy for the developing underground indie pop scene and with the attention of numerous publications the band launched forward - repackaged their earlier 7" releases in The Horse Latitudes and more touring the band was doing more than making a name for themselves. After extensive touring the band went back to the studio to record the pop inspired indie sensation Nothing Feels Good. Upon the release of Nothing Feels Good Scott Beschta was forced to leave the band - being replaced by Tim Burton. Not long after Tim Burton joined the band - during a tour- the band was involved in a vehicle accident - Tim Burton broke an arm and was replaced by Scott Schoenbeck. In 1998 The Promise Ring released the EP Boys + Girls featuring Tim Kinsella on the album's cover. The following year The Promise Ring released Very Emergency! - a controversial album for long-time followers of the band - Very Emergency! was a pop driven album as the band dropped their underground sound that characterized 30° Everywhere just three years prior. Very Emergency! was a pivotal album for the band nonetheless. The Promise Ring was now lifted from the underground - receiving play on MTV's popular show The Real World. The pop emo scene had reached its peak with The Promise Ring leading the way- in 2000 the Electric Pink single was released- Davey singing "make me a mixtape" characterizing the ever popular right of passage for any teen- a mixtape that inevitably would feature favorite The Promise Ring songs - A Picture Postcard... Happiness is All The Rage... Tragedy once again struck- Davey vonBohlen was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was surgically removed and fortunately turned out to be benign, although a subsequent infection kept vonBohlen in the hospital and off the road for some time. During this period The Promise Ring left Jade Tree to release what would become their final album on the Epitaph subsidiary -Anti. Wood/Water marked another change in the tone of the album - a huge difference than the pop driven Very Emergency! Wood/Water was more calm- more mature. The following year The Proimse Ring disbanded (2002)- new families were growing and the intensive touring career was put to rest so the members could spend time with their own growing families. In 2005 The Promise Ring performed a one time reunion show at The Metro in Chicago.