MARITIME

Finally through the awkward puberty stage—emo's ok to like, now

By LUKE O'NEIL

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Anyone who gives a shit already has the band's origin story down pat by now, but assuming you just discovered indie rock yesterday, let's take a quick look at a few clips from Previously On ... Maritime. Way back in the '90s a little group out of Milwaukee, WI called The Promise Ring pretty much invented emo (don't hold it against them). Songs like "A Picture Postcard" and "Everywhere in Denver" taught college kids in tight hoodies the world over how to feel bad for themselves while pogoing. Eventually, one thing lead to another and the group broke up, as bands do, under the pressure of this or that or the other thing. Maritime formed from the ashes, enlisting Promise Ring guitarist/singer Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier alongside Milkwaukee's Justin Klug and Dan Hinz.

Three records deep, Maritime have shrugged off the "ex members of" status and this year released a vibrant collection of new songs called Heresey and the Hotel Choir. It's both buoyant and bouncy enough to please those ready to get down, and contemplative and emotive enough -- and how could it not be with von Bohlen's distinctive voice, practically the Platonic Ideal of "emo" -- to make the miserable among us just that much more miserable over the course of any given song.

"This is definitely the first one that was written as a four piece band sitting down and writing all the music together," said bassist Justin Klug on the phone from the tour van, only five minutes into the first leg of their current tour. "The first two records were pieced together in the studio with Davey and Dan using a pro tools rig. It's way more organic, written as a band, rather than a couple parts pieced together." That unity comes through on songs like "For Science Fiction" and "Pearl," two propulsive rockers as good as anything they've done to date, with layers of melodic guitar and keyboard complexity and a sort of muscular unity supporting von Bohlen's typically uplifting but scarred pop hooks. Perhaps some of that comfort and cooperation comes from shedding the mantle of expectations, or, heaven forbid, a sort of rock & roll maturity. "We don't feel the urgency anymore of trying to make it or break it," Klug said. "I think we're all comfortable with the place where this band is. More and more people keep getting turned on to it -- which is a plus -- and we do as much touring as we can with families and other things going on. I think all of us have made peace with the type of band and where we're at. The yoke of public expectation isn't on our shoulders, which is liberating in a lot of ways."

Sure, but while it's been a few years since the band formed, we're still talking about an offshoot of one of the more beloved bands of one of the most insufferably precious scenes imaginable. That's not an issue anymore really, said Krug. "When Maritime first started I can see it being a little more detrimental, because expectations publicly were a lot more, at least than from within the band, but I think Maritime has stepped into its own now. If people loved The Promise Ring and then they checked it out, then it's a blessing, but I don't think we're gonna gain or lose any fans on the merits of what people have done in the past." That sort of peace is something that comes from years of practice. "I think you just mature as an adult and you pretty much have a sense of who you want to surround yourself with and what kind of things you want to do," he explained. "A band isn't as volatile a unit as it is when you're younger, when there are immature attitudes and egos to deal with. The benefit of age and wisdom definitely goes a long way." That translates over into the songwriting aspect of the band as well. "When you're younger you're trying so hard to make something sound a certain way or make something sound different..." said Klug. "I think a better sensibility arises in the collective consciousness of a band in terms of how to write a song. It's less stressful. I don't think we necessarily fit into any trends that are happening right now. At this point we're all comfortable enough to just write what we think feels good." And coming from a band with a singer most famous for telling us that "Nothing Feels Good," that's quite an achievement.

Maritime with One AM Radio and The Soft Drugs

Wednesday, 11.28

Middle East Upstairs

472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge

617.864.3278

9pm/18+/$10

mideastclub.com

maritimesongs.com