Awhile back we posted a blurb on rising Columbus post-rock act The End of the Ocean. We have reason to believe they have the potential to solidify a reputation among the giants of their genre in a few years. Read the interview below and you’ll understand.

So, why “The End of the Ocean”?

We wanted a name that would match with the idea of our band. We started the band as a concept about a journey taken by a close-knit crew of people sharing the same struggles and success, just as a shipmates on a boat would. Many people experience life like that. It’s a journey that can be compared to the sea. Sometimes there are crashing waves and sometimes calm seas. This is what we feel the soundtrack would be,

Give a brief history of the formation of the group.

Myself (Bryan Yost) and Kevin Shannon started the band in 2009 as an ambient group. After a couple practices, we felt like we needed to have more people in the band to get the sound that we wanted. We talked to our friend Josh Qualls about jumping on second guitar and a couple months later he joined up with us. He brought along Chris Carlyle (Keyboards) and Cameron Roach (Drums). They were a good fit at the time and we started writing for our first EP. We’ve had some member changes since then but that’s how it all started. Our current line up as it stands is Kevin Shannon, Bryan Yost, Tara Yost, Wes Jackson and Trish Chisholm.

At what point did you realize you all had potential to make The End of the Ocean something big?

We’ve worked hard from day one to make this band something that we could be proud of. I don’t really know if “something big” is the right way to describe what we’re trying to do. What we want is to play music we love and have the best time doing it. So far, we’ve been able to do that and it’s the best feeling ever. Any time we book a new show or get an email from somebody about how much they like us, it means the world to us and keeps us moving forward. That’s all we’re trying to do is move forward and keep doing what we love.

Favorite venue to play in Columbus?

Carabar is hands down our favorite place to play in Columbus. They always take really good care of the bands that come through there and are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. The crowd is always fun and we always meet new people when we play there.

Favorite place you’ve played outside of Columbus?

So far, our favorite venue outside of Columbus has been Reggie’s in Chicago. They have the best hospitality ever and one of the coolest venue setups ever.

What were you going for thematically with Pacific*Atlantic?

We wanted Pacific·Atlantic to mimic the ebb and flow of life. We spent a lot of time making sure each song fit with the one before and after. It’s an album that is meant to be listened to all the way through. It’s full of triumph, heartache, victory and struggle with an underlying tone of hope throughout the entire album. Even through the darkest times there is still hope and we wanted to show that with this album.

Compare and contrast that theme with where you’re going with the next record.

Our new album, In Excelsis, is more of a progression of our last album than anything. We weren’t really going for a theme with it as much as we just want to get our new music out there. We’re very excited about how it turned out and can’t wait until it is released. (View an album teaser below)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HquF9nMdo0c]

How did the new recording process differ from past experiences?

We went back with Grant Beachy at Electric Angel Studios in Goshen, Indiana. He recorded Pacific·Atlantic and we were excited to work with him again on this album. We seemed to own these songs a bit more than when we went into the studio with Pacific·Atlantic. I think we’re a lot more comfortable at this point with who we are as a band and with our sound which made it a lot easier in the studio.

Outline the group’s touring plans for the next few months.

Right now we’re finishing up booking our summer tour out to the west coast. We’ll be out from June 29th – August 4th. It’s our first time that far west so we’re really looking forward to that. We’re also looking at a quick week or so tour to new england/east coast at the beginning of the fall.

What’s spinning on your iPods right now?

Our ipod is spinning wherever it is lost. If it wasn’t lost we would probably be listening to If These Trees Could Talk, Deafheaven, Band of Horses, Junius, M83, Envy, Sunlight Ascending, Rocket Miner or Eisley.

What would be your dream tour – both to see, and to play on?

Haha our dream tour would be playing with Third Eye Blind. Dream tour to see would be a ridiculous mashup of bands that wouldn’t make any sense. Probably one of the best tours that we have seen was The Applseed Cast’s Low Level Owl Tour. Such a brilliant band and it was great to hear those albums live from start to finish.

Any last thoughts for readers?

Thanks for the support! Keep your eyes open for our new album, In Excelsis. We’ll have information on our website http://www.theendoftheocean.com about the album soon. See you on the road!

The End Of The Ocean