The Promise Ring shines at emo extravaganza
By JOHN HUSTON
Scene Music Critic
The Promise Ring is arguably the biggest indie band at the moment, with its new album, Very Emergency, getting wide media attention. It has been featured in Spin Magazine and now the band has a new video playing on MTV's "120 Minutes." Put them on tour with Burning Airlines and you get a star-studded, big-time emo extravaganza.
Even the crowd was filled with stars: Bob Nanna (Braid), Elizabeth Elmore (Sarge) and Robert Lowe (90 Day Men). Promise Ring singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen could be spotted at the golf video game — he wasn't very good at it, but at least he writes good songs.
The opening band Centro-matic, from Denton, Texas, didn't come in costume — unless being boring is a costume. It is assumed that they are always like that, though, so it shouldn't count. The redeeming quality for the band was their drummer, who provided the only sense of stage presence by thrashing around behind the drum kit. He should really find a decent band to play in. It was his intensity and skillful playing during the rockin' songs that made Centro-matic tolerable, but unfortunately, nearly three quarters of its set was ultra-slow.
Most times it was the frontman singing solo. His vocals were reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen fused with Roy Orbison. The band's most serious attempt at originality was its fourth member, who alternated between keyboard and violin, but it was to no avail.
Centro-matic wouldn't have been too terribly bad if its lyrics weren't so stupid — they mentioned the word "heart" just a little too much. But that's emo, isn't it? It's also fairly pretentious.
Burning Airlines, the new band of former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins, quickly took the stage to set things straight. It played most of the songs off the 1998 album, Mission:Impossible!, as well as a handful of new songs — all the while showing great enthusiasm.
Even a couple of technical difficulties with Robbins' effect pedals couldn't stop Burning Airlines from soaring high Sunday night. The wooden floor at the Empty Bottle was bouncing up and down in rhythm to every song under the feet of the packed crowd.
The heavy, predominantly fast songs tore through the air with precision and intensity, especially "Carnival" and "Crowned." Burning Airlines' use of math rock, or unusual tempo and time signature changes during a song, were well-received by the crowd, who were all seemingly familiar with the band's latest album. The new songs were even heavier than the older material, thus making its upcoming record look even more promising.
The electric feeling of anticipation in the air after Burning Airlines played its last song was thick. The Promise Ring eagerly started its set with the first two songs — "Happiness is All the Rage" and "Emergency! Emergency!" — from its new masterpiece album, Very Emergency.
Besides playing nearly every song from the new album, the band threw at least one song from each of its six releases, spanning its entire four-year history.
Songs such as "Tell Everyone We're Dead," from the Boys + Girls EP, "Why Did Ever We Meet," from the spectacular 1997 release Nothing Feels Good, and "A Picture Postcard," from the singles collection The Horse Latitudes, were mimed lyric-for-lyric by the exuberant crowd. Every song saw bouncing, costumed bodies dancing around. J. Robbins even joined the band on stage to do backup vocals and keyboards during a couple of songs.
The band closed the set with "Things Just Getting Good," at the end of which Davey sang a line to each member of the band. "Scott Shoenbeck, yes Scott Schoenbeck, his head feels like a trainwreck tonight ..."
The one-two punch of Burning Airlines and The Promise Ring definitely had the force of a speeding locomotive, and not even the weakness of Centro-matic could derail it.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, November 2, 1999
