The Anniversary

After inking a deal in 1999 with Heroes and Villains—an imprint operating under Vagrant Records—the Anniversary injected the emo landscape with their distinctive mix of male-female vocals, jangly guitars, and synth keyboards. Originating from Kansas, the band widened their audience past the Midwest region upon unveiling their 2000 debut, Designing a Nervous Breakdown, which drew parallels to label proprietors the Get Up Kids alongside the boy-girl synth-pop outfit the Rentals. Three primary vocalists anchored the lineup—guitarists Josh Berwanger and Justin Roelofs plus keyboardist Adrianne Verhoeven—while drummer Christian Jankowski and bassist James David completed the rhythm section. Drawing on the dramatic flair of 1980s rock acts, the Anniversary delighted in incorporating glittery pyrotechnics into their performances, which helped expand their profile throughout the early 2000s.

A split EP with Superdrag appeared in fall 2001, after which the group teamed with the Pulsars’ Dave Trumfio to craft their 2002 follow-up, Your Majesty. Once that album surfaced, the Anniversary started laying down demos for a subsequent release, yet internal creative clashes ultimately prompted their dissolution. In the aftermath, Berwanger, Jankowski, and David launched the Only Children, whereas Verhoeven contributed vocals to multiple projects before issuing a 2008 album as D*R*I*. Roelofs likewise explored side endeavors, resulting in a release under the White Flight moniker. Vagrant honored the band’s catalog in 2008 with the double-disc compilation Devil on Our Side: Rarities and B-Sides, which gathered demos spanning their full history together with various singles and tracks from compilations.