The band's original lineup consisted of Jake Snider (guitar/vocals), Nathan Turpen (guitar), Jeff DeGolier (bass), and Dan Dean (drums).
Within the next year, Snider, Turpen, and DeGolier found themselves playing together again, but this time leaving behind the post-hardcore sound of their previous band in favor of a much more melodic, but no less technical approach to their music.
The first recorded output for Sharks Keep Moving came in the form of a split 7-inch with fellow Seattle natives The Kentucky Pistol (which featured brothers Sonny and Rocky Votolato, later members of Bugs In Amber and Waxwing, respectively).
Recorded by respected Seattle producer Matt Bayles, the four-song EP showed the band delve deeper into melody and odd time-signatures.
Lengthy songs and sparse vocals set the tone for the group's later efforts, along with the incorporation of cello (played by Snider's future wife, Stephanie Goldade).
Jake Snider formed a new band, Minus the Bear,[1] with Matt Bayles and former members of Botch and Kill Sadie, and also joined fellow Seattleite Tom Harpel's group, Onalaska.
J. Clark started Pretty Girls Make Graves with former members of The Murder City Devils and Death Wish Kids, and Morgan Henderson continued to play with the increasingly popular The Blood Brothers.
A final testament to the band's ever-evolving musical talent, Pause and Clause showed Sharks Keep Moving pushing their signature sound even further into freeform jazz territory.
Again, vocals were few and far between, with more complex and distinct guitar parts from Turpen and Snider laid over top of Clark's scattered, technical drumming, and Henderson's flowing basslines.