Rainer Maria, a three-piece emo band from Madison, Wisconsin, was formed in 1995 by Caithlin De Marrais on bass and vocals, Kaia Fischer on guitar, vocals, and synths, and William Kuehn on drums and percussion. The group named themselves after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Their early releases included the EP Rainer Maria in 1996 and the album Look Now Look Again in 1999. The band was known for their intimate live shows at venues such as Brooklyn's North Six and Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat, which helped grow their fan base. On December 17, 2006, Rainer Maria played their final show at North Six before disbanding. In 2014, the band reunited for a series of shows, including performances at the Bowery Ballroom and Lincoln Hall. Their first album since reuniting, a self-titled album, was released in 2017.
