Maritime's Dan Didier talks new record deal, Promise Ring reunion

After last week’s announcement that Milwaukee’s Maritime had signed with Dangerbird Records—home to Silversun Pickups and Minus The Bear, among other bands—The A.V. Club tracked down drummer Dan Didier to get more details about the deal and Maritime’s forthcoming record, which is due either this fall or early 2011. “We have all the demos, but we haven’t started recording yet,” says Didier, who added that the album will be made at the band's downtown recording studio and Bay View’s Howl Street Recordings with a record producer yet to be determined.

An interesting detail left out of the press release for the Maritime signing is that Dangerbird head Jeff Castelaz previously worked with Didier and singer-songwriter Davey von Bohlen when he managed The Promise Ring, perhaps because the parties didn’t exactly part ways on the best of terms when TPR broke up in 2002. According to Didier, Castelaz “should have been there for us” as the band toughed out its final days, “and he wasn’t,” leaving them alone in Los Angeles after its final video shoot was canceled.

“The ending of the Promise Ring was really bitter for Jeff and us. It was sort of amicable, but there were feelings that lingered for a while,” Didier says. “When he approached us, I was apprehensive. But on the other hand, that was ages ago. I’m a different person, and he’s a different person. Here’s our opportunity to start over.”

Speaking of starting over, The A.V. Club couldn’t resist asking Didier about the possibility of a Promise Ring reunion. And, quite interestingly, Didier didn’t laugh us out of the room. “There’s always the chance when you put the old manager with two of the former members,” Didier says. “It’s always a possibility. Right now it’s a seed and nobody is watering it.” Let’s get some water, stat!