Bear Vs. Shark

The five members of Detroit-area indie rock outfit Bear vs. Shark—guitarist John Gaviglio, vocalist Marc Paffi, bassist Mike Muldoon, second guitarist Derek Kiesgen, and drummer Brandon Moss—had already known one another since junior high, even though the group did not form officially until 2001. Shaped by the crushing highs and soul-searching lows of ’90s emo and indie, they issued a self-released debut and played frequent shows throughout the metro Detroit and Lansing area while most of the lineup finished college. After clearing that hurdle, the band signed to New York indie Equal Vision, which issued the ambitiously textured rock of Right Now, You’re in the Best of Hands in July 2003. A year of intensive touring followed, including dates with Hopesfall, Hey Mercedes, and Coheed & Cambria; the band’s website later logged numerous tour-van mishaps from that period. By September 2004 the musicians had returned to Michigan to begin work on a second album, Terrorhawk, which arrived in mid-2005. Before the year closed, however, the members announced their breakup.