Often described as one of Canada’s best up-and-coming acts, Hey Ocean! are a young band with an extraordinary talent for blending various musical styles into a brand of infectious pop that is uniquely their own. Their second album, It’s Easier to be Somebody Else, was released in late 2008 and they’ve gone on to do extensive touring in Canada since; when we heard they were coming to Toronto we couldn’t pass up the chance to speak with them. iheartthemusic was first introduced to the foursome back in September when we happened to catch their performance at Mod Club and were immediately hooked by their laid back spirit and pop-folk sound, not to mention their sweet live performance skills! Hey Ocean! has already shared the stage with the likes of Bedouin Soundclash, Shad and gone South to play SXSW, and they’re making a name for themselves in a big way along the way. We caught up with Ashleigh (vocals/flute), David (vocals/guitar), Dave (bass) and Dan (drums) at Trinity Bellwoods Park. Check out what they had to say!

iheartthemusic: Traveling seems to be a huge part of your lives, Ashleigh and Dave actually spent some time in Costa Rica together, am I right?

David: Yeah, that’s actually where our name came from.

iheartthemusic: Yeah, there seems to be a lot of water references with your band, and not just in your band name, what’s thereasoning behind that?

Ashleigh: The name came from that trip [Costa Rica] where it had rained for, like, 14 days straight. We went down to the water and yelled, “hey ocean, why are you so mighty?” and started throwing things because we had cabin fever. We were just going nuts, so it came from this angry “hey ocean” and then came up again in a conversation when we were looking for a band name. Band names are really hard to get, but I think it kind of suits us because we are very tied to the West Coast.

David: As far as the oceanic references in the songs, we were actually talking about that the other day because we were writing a lot and some of the new songs for our next album have oceanic references too. I think for all of us the ocean connects everything in the world. You think of the ocean and you think that it’s out there and how big it is and how that connects you to other people. That’s kind of why it comes up.

Ashleigh: Or when we are travelling or touring we miss home, so we are kind of like drawn to this thought of the ocean and the mountains.

iheartthemusic: In addition to writing for this next album, you also just shot a video for “A Song About California.”

Ashleigh: We actually shot three videos!

iheartthemusic: Three videos! I’ve only seen the one so far, so how did you come up with the concept for it?

Ashleigh: We met with these guys called The Studio Movement and they really liked our band and wanted to do three videos in a really short time frame. Two of them were done overnight, like 8pm to 8am… we are all very tired! The concept for “California” was thrown together at the last minute. JP, who directed the video, at the last minute was like, “I got this idea about a laundromat and then it breaks into this musical theatre kind of world”, and we were all into it. I have musical theatre roots so I was totally into it. I got to do a dance break in the middle.

iheartthemusic: Was it shot out West?

Ashleigh: Yeah, it was a freezing day in December and the store owner had turned off the heat and I literally got in the dryer in between takes because it was so cold in there. I don’t think we did the dance break until 4:30 in the morning and the dancers were being so positive and great!

iheartthemusic: So you shot all three videos in the span of how long?

David: Probably about a week.

Ashleigh: We did another one for a song that Dave sings called “Fifteen Words” and also “Too Soon”, which will be the next video that comes out. It was an organized chaos thing that another director came up with.

iheartthemusic: You guys were one of the Canadian bands to play SXSW, what was the response like down there?

Ashleigh: It’s such a crazy, crazy place.

David: You are competing with like eighteen hundred other bands for audience. I think the show we did on the Friday night, we were competing with, like Metallica. There are just so many bands and so much music going on that your head definitely explodes with music.

iheartthemusic: Was there anyone there that you were able to check out that blew you away?

David: Sam Roberts.

Ashleigh: He’s got a man boner for him.

David: [laughs] It’s true, he’s awesome.

Ashleigh: Yeah! I also saw this crazy band from Seattle called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head.

iheartthemusic: They actually opened for Lily Allen in Toronto a few weeks ago. Were they good?

Ashleigh: Very crazy! They are all super young and have so much energy. I felt like after every song they should be like, “end scene”, like an improv musical act.

iheartthemusic: Let’s talk about how you guys self-released your last album, what was that like?

Ashleigh: Great! It was so cool working with someone that just got what we wanted to do and was always there for us.

David: Releasing it on our own has been rad because when you are growing up as a band you kind of have the same insecurities that a lot of people growing up would have and, as a result, a lot of bands sign contracts earlier than they probably should have. They sign wanting someone else to help them out and because they’re nervous to do it on their own.

Ashleigh: Doing it on our own was pretty gratifying.

iheartthemusic: Has the recession affected you at all?

Dave: I think music is very important to people, especially in difficult times. You definitely see that in the previous depression, that was basically the time when jazz and swing exploded – it came in huge because that’s how people relaxed and got away from the stress of it all. So I think I’ve personally noticed more people coming to the shows.

iheartthemusic: Well, if anything, the live performance has become so important because people are not buying albums like they used to.

David: I think for us, we’ve never really been a band whose record is flying off the shelves – we’ve always made an impression at the show.

iheartthemusic: Funny you should say that because I actually caught you guys in September when you opened for Shad and went out and bought the album right away based on that performance! How did you get hooked up with Shad?

Ashleigh: We got introduced to him through friends and then he actually moved in with Dave.

Dave: I’ve actually played with him a bunch as well -playing bass for his band. He’s just a rad guy and what makes his music so great is that he doesn’t just listen to rap but listens to everything. He even tends to appreciate music that he doesn’t even like, so we are fairly similar in that regard. We all enjoy listening to a broad spectrum of music so that connection was pretty immediate.

iheartthemusic: Is there anyone that you aspire to play with?

Ashleigh: Said The Whale.

iheartthemusic: Aren’t you buddies with them?

Ashleigh: [laughs] Yeah, we want to tour with them.

Dave: I would love to play with The Cat Empire. That would be awesome. 

Ashleigh: Feist.

Dave: Cake.

iheartthemusic: It’s tough, there is so much talent to choose from, especially in Canada! I find there is such a sense of community amongst Southern Ontario bands, do you find that same vibe out West?

David: I noticed when we came here [Toronto] that sense of community amongst bands and the interplaying. Everyone knows each other – I like that. Vancouver is becoming more like that but it used to be a bit more of a competition. I remember when we first started playing gigs with other bands the opener and the headliner had a bit of a vibe between each other. We’ve definitely got a really good crew of bands that we are super tight with and we all go out to each other’s shows and support each other.

Dave: I think in the last six to eight years in B.C. there has been a movement going on and because of that more venues were opening up and more bars were doing open mics and people were starting bands and buying equipment and spending their time doing that. I think that now we are seeing that maturing a bit and there are some really dope artists coming out of B.C right now.

iheartthemusic: So what’s up next after this tour?

Ashleigh: We will be writing on this tour and then festivals in the summer and then hopefully in the fall getting back into the studio to record our new album.

David: That’s the focus, but we will hit some festivals this summer, which are always fun. We are really trying to hit Hillside and Virgin Festival Toronto. I’d like to come out here again in the summer. We really like coming here. 

Hey Ocean! put on a stellar show at the Horseshoe, playing to an almost sold out crowd! Their performance included a plethera of musical intruments such as the cow bell, glockenspiel, flute and more. They even had a surprise on-stage appearance by headliners for the evening, Spiral Beach. This group just keeps on getting better. Their videos for “Too Soon” and “Fifteen Words” are now out and can be seen on their MySpace!

photography provided by Kristin M.

It was by chance that we came across Welland, Ontario band Street Pharmacy, but boy are we glad that we did!  Forming in 2006, the  band consists of Ryan Guay (vocals/guitar), Nate Triano (guitar), Brandon Ventresca (bass) and Danial Fretz (Drums). The sound? Infectious hip hop-reggae-rock that contains a little something for everyone. We caught up with lead singer Ryan and drummer Dan right before they went onstage at Tattoo Rock Parlour on January 15th to discuss music, collaborations and a character named Rudy…

iheartthemusic: You have two albums out already: Self-Prescribed Feel Good which was released in 2006 and Free Delivery which was released in 2007. You are about to release your third album which was recorded in Cuba. What can we expect from this one?

Ryan: We actually plan on releasing two albums this year: a full length

album called A Perfect Convenience and a reggae/rock concept album called The Legacy of Rudy that we did in Cuba. The Cuba album is very different from anything we have ever done – it’s all acoustic with Cubans playing horns and bongos. I wanted to tell the story of the original rude boy through song and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore this concept. We’ve created this story about what made this guy, Rudy, such a dick. The first song on the album is called “No Major” and it is about how Rudy’s mother (who is a prostitute) puts him on the doorstep of a drunkard to be raised.

iheartthemusic: So essentially you have created a soundtrack to what could be the musical of Rude Boy?

Ryan: Yah, exactly! I don’t know where it really came from, I just thought it would be a cool idea. You see, in the 1960’s the term rude boy, or rudy, was used to describe juvenile delinquency, so my idea was that there must have been an original person who was named Rudy who had all these problems that made him who he was and that’s what this album is about.

iheartthemusic: When can we expect these next two albums to come out?

Ryan: We’re hoping to release The Legacy of Rudy in the spring sometime. A Perfect convenience has been put on hold because we just did a track with some old school hip hop artist.

iheartthemusic: That’s right, you guys recently collaborated with A-Plus from Souls of Mischief.

Ryan Guay

Ryan: Yah, it was totally unexpected. I was in university and then all of a sudden I have A-Plus’s cell phone number in my phone which was crazy to me! I remember when I got their album 93 ’till Infinity and it didn’t leave my CD player for a good eight or nine months. I could recite every line off of it. I love hip hop, which is odd because I’m a guitar player and a singer but I have always had a soft spot for hip hop. That’s where the lyrical flow comes from – just old school hip hop which is primarily what I listen to.

iheartthemusic: So when A-Plus approached you about working together, how did you feel?

Dan: Well we use a hook from The Pharcyde in the song “Welcome to the Street Pharmacy” so our original thought was that we were going to get sued. So when Ryan called and said A-Plus called I was thinking, “Oh crap!”

Ryan: We got a sample cleared from The Pharcyde – that’s all legal and shit. So what happened was A-Plus saw the video for “Welcome to the Street Pharmacy” and decided to contact us. It was his publicist Dayna who found my number and called to let me know that A-Plus wanted to work with us.  I was like, “you’re full of shit.” I’ll never forget

Dan, Ryan, Kimberlee & Emer

that moment because I was having a really shitty time. I was in my fourth year at university and had all these credits and it sucked, and this girl totally screwed me over. I mean this one was bad – all the other ones were bad but this one was the worst. Then I get a call on my cell phone and I look at it and it’s a 510 or 232 number, something out of California, and I’m like, “what the fuck?” So I pick it up and the next thing you know it was A-Plus’s publicist and then there it was. Boom!

iheartthemusic: So lets get this straight, you see an ex and then A-Plus is calling you on the phone? I’m thinking this girl should be kicking herself!

Ryan: Their publicist, Dayna, called actually, and then from there it took off. I was in complete shock. I was actually sitting in my van when he called writing a 30-page thesis for history. The first time I ended up meeting A-Plus was in New York City and I was actually shaking! He said the coolest thing to me though. He said,  “I see myself working with Street Pharmacy, therefore I will work with Street Pharmacy.” So that was when I was like, “oh my god this is really happening!”

iheartthemusic: What’s next for you guys?

Ryan: The single with A-Plus is supposed to be coming out soon – he’s working on getting it done right now. Souls of Mischief are actually on tour right now and we are hoping to go on tour with them at some point. I would love to get with an agent and just fucking tour. It’s so hard to get out of where we are from [Welland] because it’s so small. I also want to make another five records because I have them pretty much done. A Perfect Convenience, this new record we have coming out after The Legacy of Rudy, is I think one of the better ones, it’s got more edge.

iheartthemusic: Ok now for some Toronto-oriented questions. What’s your favourite place to listen to live music in Toronto?

Dan & Ryan from Street Pharmacy

Dan: I really like Horseshoe TavernEl Mocambo. but my favourite place to play so far has been

Ryan: Yah Horseshoe is cool. My favourite venue to play has been Lee’s Palace because it felt like we were playing at a venue in Welland – we also were able to ship a busload of people to the show!

iheartthemusic: Favourite place to eat in Toronto?

Ryan: I would like to call attention to the greatest place I’ve ever eaten a sub, its called Bon’s Submarine, the greatest turkey sub ever. Bon I love you, I don’t know who you are but you make the greatest subs!

iheartthemusic: That’s a great plug, maybe you will get subs-for-life! So what are you listening to right now?

Dan: Right now I’m listening to Slightly Stoopid and Jason Aldean – I like country.

Ryan: Yah, we are one fucked up band. None of us listen to the same music. Right now in my CD deck is probably Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, which Dan hates! That’s my favourite album of all time actually.

iheartthemusic: If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be?

Dan: Rage Against the Machine has always had a huge influence on me so probably someone from Rage.

Ryan: I’m a Smashing Pumpkins fan and he’s a Rage fan. Actually, working with Wu-Tang would be dope, if I could work with RZA I would be fucking stoked. Those guys are unreal! Also if I could work with A-Plus, Billy Corgan and somebody from Sublime all in one shot I think I might die.

iheartthemusic: Any Canadian collaborations?

Ryan: I would like to do something with Alex from illScarlett. We just opened for them and they were really nice guys. Jay from Bedouin Soundclash would also be up there.

iheartthemusic: Well there you have it: hometown boys, with a sound that will surely leave you wanting more. Check them out on their MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/streetfarmacy

The guys before the show!