Musical talent is plentiful around the community. One of these talents is a band from AGHS:  Isolate//Divide, a metalcore band part of the expansive underground scene of SLO County. The band consists of lead guitarist Sebastian Barbir (‘25), rhythm guitarist Alex Depew (‘27), drummer Ben Barbir (‘27), vocalist Micheal Sison, and bassist Braxton.

Isolate//Divide is a fairly new band, formed around May of 2024. The band has played four shows so far in Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and San Luis Obispo, with more to come.

Their debut show on October 25th had people jumping to their cover of “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit. More shows will take place on January 3rd and 5th, with dates in February, March, and and June to be determined. The band plans to record and post their first songs in early January, aligning with one of their upcoming shows.

The band took form when Sison approached Barbir at a metal show wanting to form a beatdown-hardcore style band. As the specifics of what they wanted to play shifted, they eventually landed on the broader category of metalcore and began recruiting more members.

“I always enjoyed making my own [music], so I figured, why not make my own [music] with other people, then play it live,” Sebastian Barbir said.

For Sebastian,  the band is an outlet for his passion for  creating  music. Depew joined the band for similar reasons.

“[I joined the band] just for fun,” Depew said.

The members of Isolate//Divide generally just play for enjoyment and to have a music to reminisce on later on in life.

“We are just trying to record stuff,” Sebastian said. “Just for the sake of looking back in 15-20 years, I want to get stuff recorded and published.”

The current goal for the band is to have fun and get their presence out there through professional recording of their music, leaving music and memories to look back on no matter how big or small.