Serene

Serene is primarily the creation of Ryan Beatty (b. Seattle, Washington, USA), one of a new wave of US musicians to convey their Christian faith through the medium of alternative rock. Raised in a religious family in Seattle, Beatty first began using the Serene moniker while attending Grove City College near Pittsburgh. The band’s debut album was recorded with a group of fellow college students and produced by Jesse Sprinkle, and released in 2000 on the tiny Lewis Hollow label. The album attracted the attention of several independent labels, and led to Beatty being offered a recording contract by Arena Rock Recordings. Serene’s debut album was re-recorded with a new line-up of the band comprising Beatty (vocals/guitar), Sprinkle (drums/vocals), Joel Votwaw (bass), and Matt Green (piano), with Sydney Rentz lending lead vocals to the track ‘The Angels On Our Side’. The album, which also featured three new tracks, received generally positive reviews when it was released in 2002, with many critics comparing Serene to contemporary alt rock acts such as Seam and Death Cab For Cutie.