Rainer Maria: Biography

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• Modest Mouse
• Sunny Day Real Estate
• Braid
• Jimmy Eat World
• The Braids
• Barbara Manning
• Bettie Serveert

• The Forecast

• Ezra Pound
• The Prosaics

Formed:

Jan 1, 1995 in Madison, WI

Disbanded:

Jan 1, 2006

Genres:

Rock Music, Alternative Rock Music, Emo

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Ratings Guide

Madison, WI emo trio Rainer Maria emerged in 1995 from the ashes of another poetically-inclined local combo, Ezra Pound, reuniting singer/guitarist Kyle Fischer and drummer William Kuehn; enlisting singer/bassist Caithlin De Marrais, within six weeks the group recorded their first demo cassette, quickly selling out all 350 copies. Following a handful of compilation appearances, Rainer Maria resurfaced in 1996 with a self-titled EP on Polyvinyl; the single "New York: 1955" appeared in early 1997, heralding a shift towards the more subtle melodicism of the full-length Past Worn Searching. Absent throughout 1998, a year later Rainer Maria returned with both the full-length Look Now Look Again and the EP Atlantic. A Better Version Of Me arrived in early 2001. Within the next two years, the band would tally nearly 80,000 records sold worldwide. Rainer Maria's sweet indie-rock was contagious and their fanbase was never short of stopping. Long Knives Drawn, which appeared in January 2003, marked Rainer Maria's slickest effort yet and a sure challenge to their rock roll peers.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide