Being As An Ocean
Being As An Ocean Credit: Shervin Lainez
Sweet, harmonic riffs, coupled with perfectly-timed bursts of aggression have earned Being As An Ocean the title as one of the most important bands in today’s melodic hardcore scene.
Emerging in 2011 from California, the band was formed when Joel Quartuccio (singer), Tyler Ross (guitarist), Ralph Sica (bassist), and Shad Hamawe (drummer) left their previous band — Vanguard, a mix of symphonic deathcore and Christian metal — to pursue a new sound.
Being As An Ocean quickly gained a solid fan base, signed with InVogue Records, and in 2012 released their debut album, Dear G-d. Afterwards, Jacob Prest came on board as rhythm guitarist and together they toured in more than 20 countries across North America and Europe, including Canada, Germany, and the UK.
Since then, the band has parted ways with their original drummer and rhythm guitarist, replacing them with Connor Denis (drummer) of the hardcore punk band Sleep Patterns, and Michael McGough (guitarist/clean vocals) formerly with post-hardcore band The Elijah.
McGough’s soft, majestic voice paired perfectly with Quartuccio’s jarring vocals, allowing them to adopt a scream-sing approach on their emotionally-charged sophomore album, How We Both Wondrously Perish, released in 2014.
Their second album introduced the band’s use of spoken-word, a lyrical device that’s helped them stand above the rest of their hardcore brethren. How We Both Wondrously Perish gave Being As An Ocean their first spot on the U.S. Billboard 200, ranking in at number 57 and coming in at number 2 on that year’s list of Top Hard Rock Albums.
In June of 2015, the band released a self-titled album with the lead single “Little Richie” — a song inspired by Quartuccio’s friend whom he described to InVogue Records as having “[grown] up in an extremely abusive household and yet still grew up to forgive his abuser and strives to live a life of love and compassion.” Last month, the band announced that they have signed with Equal Vision Records and introduced Jesse Shelley as their new drummer.
Being As An Ocean is playing an all-ages show at The Kelsey Theater in Lake Park, Saturday, April 16 with Capsize, Listener, Movements, The Thieving Hand, and Fall As Villains. Doors open at 6pm and tickets are on sale for $14
BUY TICKETS NOW.
~ Iris Estrada
