Bear vs. Shark are an American post-hardcore band from Highland, Michigan. They were founded in 2001 and disbanded in 2005 after releasing one EP and two full-length studio albums while signed to Equal Vision Records. The band later reunited for some shows in 2016. Formation The members of the group have known each other all their lives with some members forming friendships as early as pre-school. The band formed during their college years when the members were playing in separate projects. The group's original drummer Brandon Moss left the group and was replaced by Ashley Horak. The group has cited classic rock and punk as well as The Clash, Fugazi, and Motown as influences to the group's sound. The group initially sent a demo to Equal Vision Records and a representative from the label flew out immediately to sign the group. Since the release of Right Now You're in the Best of Hands... the band has toured the United States extensively headlining & opening for other major acts such as Coheed and Cambria. The group quickly gained attention from fans and fellow musicians as well. The group is also known for their high-energy stage show most notably by Marc Paffi, who is known to move around the stage frantically during performances. Most of the band members also switched playing instruments during their sets, which was a regular occasion. Though it has been circulated that the band's name comes from the shape of Michigan, Gaviglio has said in an interview that they believed it was "super badass and sounded interesting." Break-up On December 21, 2005 the band posted on their website that they decided to call it quits. Although the band didn't cite any specific reason for the breakup John Gaviglio was featured in the April 2006 issue of Alternative Press where he did an op-ed piece on the hardships of touring extensively. The band has also been very vocal that they didn't like their touring conditions. Reunion On May 22, 2016 the band announced a reunion show to benefit Flintkids.org in Flint, Michigan, which later followed with a small string of additional dates. Equal Vision Records also released info on a re-issuing of the band's two full-length albums on a joint vinyl release. On May 27, 2017 band played at Bled Fest festival. Post Bear vs. Shark The band contributed a track called "Victoria Iceberg" to the Masters of Horror