Young Oceans Rises to the Surface of Worship Music

• Rock worship band Young Oceans brings alternative and expressive worship music to the LaHaye Event Space.
• The band’s musical sound is influenced by songwriter Eric Marshall’s worship band at his home church, where he leads worship.

 

Spiritual rock anthems resounded on Sept. 29 as alternative band Young Oceans graced Liberty with its third live performance in the group’s history. In anticipation of the upcoming album “SUDDENLY (or The Nuclear Sunburst of the Truth Revealed)” being released on Oct. 20, the band has embarked on its first ever nationwide tour, bringing soulful songs of praise and passion to fans and newcomers alike.

 

The concert took place in the LaHaye Event Space with an inspirational and breath-taking opening act by Atlas Roads before Young Oceans took the stage. With a rich blend of instrumental music and expressive lyrics, the band attracted a large crowd of eager students and families for an evening of atmospheric and engaging worship.

 

The group is led by visionary and songwriter Eric Marshall, who was excited to see the interplay of his songs with the energy of the auditorium during the band’s third live outing.

 

“Our hope is to learn a ton,” Marshall said. “Even if there are a dozen people out there, I want to know from them how the songs are speaking to them. It’s been a delight to already hear from people who dig the music and are eager to come hear it live, because we’re eager to hear it live as well. It feels like we’re putting DNA on this thing for the first time.”

 

Young Oceans began as a recording project in Brooklyn, and is a result of various music projects combined with the musical influence of Marshall’s home church. Marshall leads worship at Trinity Grace Church in New York, and works to create worship songs for the community.

 

Pulling from his experience as a worship leader, Marshall started taking the songs he would perform and recording them in what he terms a “deconstructed” manner, bringing traditional songs to the base melodies and lyrics and rebuilding them in an alternative way.

 

Marshall explained the meaning behind the band’s name, stemming from a mixture of two verses: Psalm 103:5, that speaks of being young in God’s presence, and Genesis 1:2, that describes the Spirit of God hovering over the waters.

 

“It’s kind of a contradiction in terms to say that the oceans are young,” Marshall said. “It doesn’t matter how old you believe the earth is, we know the oceans have been around for a while. What I remember as a kid reading the Bible or having it read to me was how Genesis talks about the Spirit hovering over the face of the deep. That’s pure fodder for poetry.”

 

The band’s music style consists of a unique mixture of atmospheric ambiance and alternative rock, ranging from powerful rock ballads to calming moments of spiritual reflection. Rather than pinning the genre to the Christian Music label, Marshall prefers to call it “Sacred Music” or “Liturgical Art.”

 

It is Marshall’s hope to one day perform all of his songs live.  Young Oceans grows and tests the waters of live performance.

 

“We’re excited about the new record; it feels really different, but of course we always say that,” Marshall said. “On one hand you kind of hope it’s different, but you also hope it slides into people’s playlists and feels right to them. Hopefully it’s a bit of both.”

 

More tour dates and additional information can be found at http://www.youngoceans.com