Scott "Wino" Weinrich formed Spirit Caravan after the breakup of The Obsessed. The remainder of the band consisted of Dave Shermann (formerly of Wretched) on bass and vocals; and Gary Isom (formerly of Unorthodox) on drums. Weinrich credits them for encouraging him to join the band and become active musically again, after he had abandoned his music career. The band was originally entitled Shine, and they released a demo and 7" under this name. They were forced to change to the band's name when another band of the same name threatened legal action. They changed their name to Spirit Caravan, after an Obsessed song. The band had a lyrical emphasis on spirituality (though not necessarily religion) and global politics. The band split up in 2002, but reformed in 2014 to headline Desertfest 2014 in London.