Jeff

RAD

You've know each other for a long time, how early in your lives did you actually meet?

DAVE

I think we were all in junior high school. I think Bobby was probably in sixth grade and Steve was in seventh and I was in eighth when we first met. So we were pretty young.

RAD

Cool. Did you play in any other bands before The Ocean Blue?

DAVE

No. No thats one I think pretty unique thing about us is we've never played in any other bands and never really had any desire to play in other bands. The band was a very organic thing. It just grew out of our friendship. It was not too overly planned or overly thought out.

RAD

Developed over the years, huh?

DAVE

Yeah, yeah. We enjoyed music. That was one of the focal points of our friendship, you know. And Steve and I said one day, "well, why don't we start a band" and we did. And we played in each others basements for four or five years. We first got out in '87.

RAD

You recorded Beneath the Rhythm and Sound at Compass Point. Do you view this as a coming of age for The Ocean Blue? A real acceptance in the industry?

DAVE

Well, I don't know. I think we've always had acceptance in some circles, and success in some circles, and some circles still don't really want to hear about The Ocean Blue. I think this is to date our most commercially succesful record. And I think we're beginning to break beyond this alternative umberella, which I'm all the more eager to do given the fact that alternative music has become something which is almost foreign to me and my sensibilities so I think it's a good thing. But as far as a coming of age record I think that was probably the last record simply because we were coming of age. In other words we were becoming I think young men at that time and the first record is very youthful, very green, very teenage and so I think the last record was our first record as young men.

RAD

I still the first record was really strong as a first outing.

DAVE

Personally, I think it has some great songs on it. Because it was my best songs from a period of six years and I still like it. But I think the production and some of the performances were a little too youthful, a little too embarassing for me right now. I think we've grown beyond that. I think that's probably why you like it because the songs are so strong simply because we had, in effect, eight years of material to pick from.

RAD

How's your acceptance in Europe? Have you toured there, do you plan to tour there?

DAVE

No, we haven't. We would really love to tour there. I think we're handicapped for a few reasons. First of all, we're not a European band and we're not a English band specifically. I think our other handicap is that we're on a major label overseas, which is WEA, which is even bigger than Warner Brothers here in the States. And in order to really get the kind of attention you need, that giant of a record company gives us a lot of attention unless we have a top-40 hit or a top-10 single even. And so we haven't had the benefit that a lot of bands that we share the modern rock chart with that, or perhaps you'd call it the alternative scene, we don't share a lot of the same advantages they do. A lot of them are English. A lot of them are on smaller labels overseas. For example a band on our label, who are an American band as well, Belly, she is on 4AD in England and Sire here in the states. We are on Sire here in the states, but we are on WEA over there. So consequently she gets the benefit of having a smaller label to promote and everything else that means. Being an "Indie" band in England is everything and we're not. We're part of this corporation and we get lost in the shuffle and we haven't really had much exposure. I was hoping that would change on this record, but it doesn't look like it is going to until we achieve mammoth success here in the states and that would sort of catapult us overseas.

RAD

So it waits until "Top-40-ness" or something like that?

DAVE

Well, this is our specific situation. I don't think as a general rule it works this way. But I think, like I say, we're handicapped for those two reasons simply because we're not from overseas we can't be there and tour there, and because we're on a major label there, and the major label seems to only give attention to the bigger bands, as opposed to the label here in the states.

RAD

Besides U2, what bands have really influence you and your music?

DAVE

Ifluences are a difficult question. I think there were bands in our formative years when we were in junior high and high school that we admired and listened to and that influenced us in some degree, but I think you can't limit influences to bands alone because to me life is so much broader than that and I think we're more influenced by our environment, our families, our upbringings, our different musical tastes beyond bands. Our artistic tastes, literature, everything else that we are into and experience I think is a much bigger influence that just the very specific influence of a band. And that is very true now. Anything that we listen to that we find interesting musically has always influenced us in some way or another. I think U2 was very inspirational to us in the beginning simply because they were young, they were idealistic, they weren't this typical rock and roll cliche, which is ironic because that is what they are now, but there is something about them which was inspiriational to us growing up. And I think there were other bands that were like that, like maybe REM or the Smiths, but I don't think that we patterned our band after any particular one band.

RAD

What one little-known band have you seen on the road during your tour, that you might have toured with that has a lot of potential that you see as an up-and-comer?

DAVE

Unfortunately, I haven't had that experience. There are bands that I've heard that I think are new and up-and-coming. Some of them are bigger than others. I think Red House Painters from San Francisco are a great band. I understand are pretty well-known here in Salt Lake. I think they're a GREAT band and up-and-coming. We'll be touring with a band called "Suddenly Tammy"--a band from our area, Pennsylvania, who are quite good and just got a deal with Warners and are a very good band as well.

RAD

I love Red House Painters. What do have planned for your extra-bandicular activities, now?

DAVE

Well, I don't like extra-bandicular activities, as you put it. Well now, that's not true. I think there's a lot more to life than simply The Ocean Blue. I don't like extra-bandicular activities that get in the way of what we're doing as a band. Like I don't think I could get involved in producing or in other bands. I mean, as far as my musical interests, it's definately just The Ocean Blue at this time. But, yeah, we all have other interests outside the band. When we're at home I think we tend to even forget we're in a band, because it's nice just to be normal for a while.

The following questions were requested to be asked of The Ocean Blue by RAD Cyberzine Readers:

RAD

Somebody wanted to know... Did you like playing the Edge? Is that in San Francisco or something like that?

DAVE

It's outside of San Francisco, in Palo Alto. Yes. It was a great show. It was a lot of fun.

RAD

Are you playing Drexel University, somewhere in PA?

DAVE

Yeah, that's outside Philadelphia. Not that I'm aware of. If they ask us, we'd certainly be happy to go there.

RAD

Do you have any demos or outtakes that have been released on anything?

DAVE

Promotional things only. Not thinga that are available for purchase, unfortunately.

RAD

What kind of promotional things have you done?

DAVE

Well, every single has been release on CD to radio stations, which you can sometimes find in used bins. We've done some vinyl for promotion on the first record that has some demo versions of songs that have pressed. Cassette singles that have demos on the B-side. That's about it.

RAD

And I don't know where this comes from, but somebody wants to know do you like the Trash-Can Sinatras?

DAVE

I don't have any of their records. I've listened to some of their stuff and I like it. I don't have them in my collection. I can't say that they're a favorite band. I might get their record some day, but today, no.

RAD

Cool! Well, those are my questions. Thank you very much.

RAD

How do you guys feel about recording at compass point?

Rob

It was sheer hell. It was the worst thing we ever did. It was great it was wonderful. Took a couple months and get away. We made an album, too.

RAD

What little-know band on the road have you guys seen that is really and up-and-coming band?

Rob

We don't really see too many bands on the road. We're so busy with the shows we don't see many people.

RAD

Even at the Rave-fest '93 in San Diego?

RAD

What do you guys do when you're not banding?

Bobby

Everyone has their own stuff that they do. I landscape a little bit on the side. I started working there when I was in high school. I just kind of do that when I'm free. And I help the junior high kids a lot.

RAD

In what way, in landscaping?

Bobby

No, fun sponsored, take kids out and do things.

Rob

Big Brotherage.

RAD

(to Rob) What do you do?

Rob

I work with other bands, like producing. I have like a home studio, so I do a lot of that. So that takes a lot of my time.

RAD

Did you do much of the producing on this last album?

Rob

It's kinda been different, but yeah. I mean we usually do most of our production and arrengement in sort of the demo stage and then just go into the studio and slam it down.

Bobby

Rob's an amazing engineer.

RAD

How long have you been doing that?

Rob

Actually I started it right about the time the band got together. No actually a couple years before that. Early eigties...mid eighties... 1984... September 9, 1984 6 o'clock in the evening is exectly when it was.

RAD

Do you like Trash Can Sinatras?

Rob

They're OK.

Bobby

I like them. I like their first album. I haven't heard much of their second one.