Meet- Bear vs SharkIt was early morning and Marc Paffi, the vocalist for the hardcore outfit Bear vs Shark, was the only one in the band who was awake. This made sense seeing that he was the one behind the wheel of their tour van. The band was in the middle of a tour with label mates This Day Forward and were headed toward s the next gig in Salem, Massachusetts. Everything was going fine, no traffic on the road and it seemed like smooth sailing ahead. Then suddenly, somewhere on route I-80 their back-left tire popped off without warning and somehow worked it's way underneath the van thrusting it up into the air and causing a chaotic, near-death catastrophe.

"I was driving and it was crazy, dude," said Paffi who still seemed a bit shaken by the incident. "We just got new tires put on the day before and the guy that put them on didn't tighten all the lug-nuts and we were driving and then the tire just flew off while I was going like 70 miles an hour."

The three-wheeled van was out of control as Paffi's band mates perhaps received the rudest awakening of their lives. Waking up to the sounds of Paffi's screams along with the screeching sounds of pavements meeting steel while sliding wildly across the interstate. All aboard were confused and baffled, what to do? What to do? Five lives flashing within seconds. Luckily for them, it was early morning and there weren't too may cars on the road so the van was free to skid aimlessly without collision.

"It was six in the morning and there was a few semi's about 500 feet behind us," Paffi said, "and we were sliding down the road sideways with 40-foot rooter tail sparks flying out.it was insane."

What saved the van from flipping over, keeping them on the road and ultimately saving their lives was the equipment trailer that they toed behind. "The state troopers told us that if we didn't have that trailer we would have all been gone," he said. "So, thank God for that trailer." The equipment trailer, usually a pain in the ass, served as an anchor of sorts and held the van from further pandemonium.

In the end, everyone was safe and there were no injuries. Bear vs Shark did, however, have to miss the "Heart and Heavy Fest" in Salem as they spent seven hours unwinding in the back yard of the local mechanics garage. "Aside from that whole van thing everything has been great," Paffi contended with a laugh. "We're having a blast."

Now, with the "van Incident" behind them, the Michigan-based band [who also includes Derek Kiesgen, John Gaviglio, Brandon Moss and Mike Muldoon] are anticipating the release of their debut album off Equal Vision Records entitled "Right Now You're In The Best Of Hands. And If Something Isn't Quite Right, Your Doctor Will Know In A Hurry." Despite the albums long-winded title it is a solid listen form beginning to end that blends hardcore/emo and indie rock into one solid opus. With introspective lyrics and disjointed melodies they can manipulate the intensity level and driving from heavy to soft on a dime.

"I think the vibe of this record is pretty intense. It goes from being pretty spastic to slowing way down. But, even the slow songs still hold the intensity," explains the vocalist. "I paint a lot and I tend to write the same way I paint, kinda fast and spurt of the moment."

"Fast and spurt of the moment" can also describe their live shows as well. Bear vs Shark have been earning a buzz within the hardcore scene for their amazing live shows that are said to be just as wild and out of control as their three-wheeled van. Paffi looses himself on stage and in the moment he vibes off the audience's energy as well as the music and often times he goes ballistic. "If I could explode I probably would," explained Paffi. "I just get really fired up and it's a big release not just for me, but for all of us up there. It's exciting because we're playing for a bunch of kids who have never seen us before, so that combined with everything else it gets pretty crazy."

In fact, it gets so crazy that at a recent show Paffi actually busted himself in the face while wildly swinging his microphone and in effect he lost a tooth. "Yeah, I did that and another time I pushed myself into the drummer and caught a stick in the face," Paffi explained laughing, "I do stuff like that."

Bear vs Shark will be heading back out on the road for both The Krazy Fest and the Furnace Fest as well as a slew of other shows across the states and they are psyched to bring their brand of emotional hardcore to the masses. Yes, Bear Vs Shark will be back on the interstate once again and this time you can bet they'll double-check those damn lug nuts.

For more info on Bear vs Shark log to: www.bearvsshark.com

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