diff --git a/glance/common/exception.py b/glance/common/exception.py
index 9fa9b1a3..b34d8c06 100644
--- a/glance/common/exception.py
+++ b/glance/common/exception.py
@@ -36,23 +36,15 @@ class GlanceException(Exception):
     """
     message = _("An unknown exception occurred")
 
-    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, message=None, *args, **kwargs):
+        if not message:
+            message = self.message
         try:
-            self._error_string = self.message % kwargs
+            message = message % kwargs
         except Exception:
             # at least get the core message out if something happened
-            self._error_string = self.message
-        if len(args) > 0:
-            # If there is a non-kwarg parameter, assume it's the error
-            # message or reason description and tack it on to the end
-            # of the exception message
-            # Convert all arguments into their string representations...
-            args = ["%s" % arg for arg in args]
-            self._error_string = (self._error_string +
-                                  "\nDetails: %s" % '\n'.join(args))
-
-    def __str__(self):
-        return self._error_string
+            pass
+        super(GlanceException, self).__init__(message)
 
 
 class MissingArgumentError(GlanceException):
diff --git a/glance/db/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/versions/015_quote_swift_credentials.py b/glance/db/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/versions/015_quote_swift_credentials.py
index 653d7c7a..ff234df8 100644
--- a/glance/db/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/versions/015_quote_swift_credentials.py
+++ b/glance/db/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/versions/015_quote_swift_credentials.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def legacy_parse_uri(self, uri):
                 "like so: "
                 "swift+http://user:pass@authurl.com/v1/container/obj"
                 )
-        raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+        raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
 
     pieces = urlparse.urlparse(uri)
     assert pieces.scheme in ('swift', 'swift+http', 'swift+https')
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ def legacy_parse_uri(self, uri):
         if len(cred_parts) == 1:
             reason = (_("Badly formed credentials '%(creds)s' in Swift "
                         "URI") % locals())
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         elif len(cred_parts) == 3:
             user = ':'.join(cred_parts[0:2])
         else:
@@ -160,4 +160,4 @@ def legacy_parse_uri(self, uri):
             self.authurl = '/'.join(path_parts)
     except IndexError:
         reason = _("Badly formed Swift URI")
-        raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+        raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
diff --git a/glance/store/filesystem.py b/glance/store/filesystem.py
index 9374d853..4747fb58 100644
--- a/glance/store/filesystem.py
+++ b/glance/store/filesystem.py
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
         path = (pieces.netloc + pieces.path).strip()
         if path == '':
             reason = _("No path specified")
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         self.path = path
 
 
diff --git a/glance/store/http.py b/glance/store/http.py
index 96a26900..9a832cad 100644
--- a/glance/store/http.py
+++ b/glance/store/http.py
@@ -75,12 +75,12 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
             except ValueError:
                 reason = (_("Credentials '%s' not well-formatted.")
                           % "".join(creds))
-                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         else:
             self.user = None
         if netloc == '':
             reason = _("No address specified in HTTP URL")
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         self.netloc = netloc
         self.path = path
 
diff --git a/glance/store/rbd.py b/glance/store/rbd.py
index 9e8494fb..9dd96d0a 100644
--- a/glance/store/rbd.py
+++ b/glance/store/rbd.py
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
 
     def parse_uri(self, uri):
         if not uri.startswith('rbd://'):
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, _('URI must start with rbd://'))
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri,
+                                        reason=_('URI must start with rbd://'))
         self.image = uri[6:]
 
 
diff --git a/glance/store/s3.py b/glance/store/s3.py
index 6a79e605..4311de65 100644
--- a/glance/store/s3.py
+++ b/glance/store/s3.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
                     "s3+https://accesskey:secretkey@s3.amazonaws.com/bucket/"
                     "key-id"
                       )
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
 
         pieces = urlparse.urlparse(uri)
         assert pieces.scheme in ('s3', 's3+http', 's3+https')
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
                 self.secretkey = secret_key
             except IndexError:
                 reason = _("Badly formed S3 credentials %s") % creds
-                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         else:
             self.accesskey = None
             path = entire_path
@@ -149,10 +149,10 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
                 self.s3serviceurl = '/'.join(path_parts).strip('/')
             else:
                 reason = _("Badly formed S3 URI. Missing s3 service URL.")
-                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
         except IndexError:
             reason = _("Badly formed S3 URI")
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
 
 
 class ChunkedFile(object):
diff --git a/glance/store/swift.py b/glance/store/swift.py
index 9159198d..61f5f701 100644
--- a/glance/store/swift.py
+++ b/glance/store/swift.py
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
                     "like so: "
                     "swift+http://user:pass@authurl.com/v1/container/obj"
                     )
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
 
         pieces = urlparse.urlparse(uri)
         assert pieces.scheme in ('swift', 'swift+http', 'swift+https')
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
             if len(cred_parts) != 2:
                 reason = (_("Badly formed credentials '%(creds)s' in Swift "
                             "URI") % locals())
-                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+                raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
             user, key = cred_parts
             self.user = urllib.unquote(user)
             self.key = urllib.unquote(key)
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ class StoreLocation(glance.store.location.StoreLocation):
                 self.authurl = '/'.join(path_parts)
         except IndexError:
             reason = _("Badly formed Swift URI")
-            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri, reason)
+            raise exception.BadStoreUri(uri=uri, reason=reason)
 
     @property
     def swift_auth_url(self):
diff --git a/glance/tests/unit/common/test_exception.py b/glance/tests/unit/common/test_exception.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fefe81e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/glance/tests/unit/common/test_exception.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4
+
+# Copyright 2012 OpenStack, LLC
+# All Rights Reserved.
+#
+#    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+#    not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+#    a copy of the License at
+#
+#         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+#    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+#    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+#    WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+#    License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+#    under the License.
+
+from glance.common import exception
+from glance.tests import utils as test_utils
+
+
+class GlanceExceptionTestCase(test_utils.BaseTestCase):
+
+    def test_default_error_msg(self):
+        class FakeGlanceException(exception.GlanceException):
+            message = "default message"
+
+        exc = FakeGlanceException()
+        self.assertEquals(unicode(exc), 'default message')
+
+    def test_specified_error_msg(self):
+        self.assertTrue('test' in unicode(exception.GlanceException('test')))
+
+    def test_default_error_msg_with_kwargs(self):
+        class FakeGlanceException(exception.GlanceException):
+            message = "default message: %(code)s"
+
+        exc = FakeGlanceException(code=500)
+        self.assertEquals(unicode(exc), "default message: 500")
+
+    def test_specified_error_msg_with_kwargs(self):
+        self.assertTrue('test: 500' in
+                        unicode(exception.GlanceException('test: %(code)s',
+                                                          code=500)))
diff --git a/glance/tests/unit/test_misc.py b/glance/tests/unit/test_misc.py
index 922b8a1d..d4e151eb 100644
--- a/glance/tests/unit/test_misc.py
+++ b/glance/tests/unit/test_misc.py
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import datetime
 import re
 
 from glance.common import crypt
-from glance.common import exception
 from glance.common import utils
 from glance.openstack.common import importutils
 from glance.tests import utils as test_utils