Braid is an American emo band from Champaign, Illinois, formed in 1993. Following several early line-up changes, the band eventually settled on Bob Nanna on guitar and vocals, Todd Bell on bass, Chris Broach on guitar and vocals, and Roy Ewing on drums until he was replaced in 1997 by new drummer Damon Atkinson. In 1998 the group released their third album, Frame & Canvas, to critical acclaim and is considered a staple of the late 1990s emo movement. Despite Frame & Canvas'''s success, Braid disbanded in 1999. Nanna, Bell, and Atkinson formed the more melodic Hey Mercedes, while Broach would dedicate more time to The Firebird Band which was previously a side project. The band reunited shortly from June to August 2004, before disbanding again. In 2011, Braid reunited permanently, playing their 600th show and releasing a new album, No Coast. History Formation: 1993 In fall 1993, Bob Nanna was playing drums in a Chicago band called Friction who toured locally and opened for prominent bands like Jawbreaker. As Friction prepared to record their first album, Nanna left for college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was soon looking for another band as a side project. Nanna met drummer Roy Ewing when he placed an ad in Maximumrocknroll, looking for someone to trade live concert tapes with. Ewing played with Nanna's high school friend, guitarist Pete Havranek, and Nanna became their singer and guitarist, with Jay Ryan joining them on bass and Kate Reuss on lead vocals. Nanna suggested the name Braid. Shortly after forming, Ryan left the band for various reasons and was replaced by Todd Bell, who had played with Ewing in a band called Lowercase N. Braid played their first show December 10, 1993, in Danville, Illinois. Two months later, Reuss left the band after they played their second show. Braid decided not to replace her, leaving Nanna as the lead singer. Nanna's main band, Friction, broke up in July 1994 after a short tour, turning Braid from a side project into his main focus. With Nanna wary about his singing, Braid started looking for a new singer. They met Chris Broach at a show and invited him to sing with the band. Around this time the rest of the band decided to fire Havranek, citing creative differences, so Broach was moved guitar and second vocals. First recordings and national tour: 1994–1997 In September, Braid