I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

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.

Slim Twig returns to his hometown of Toronto this Friday, May 29th at the Horseshoe Tavern to celebrate the release of his debut full-length offering Contempt!. No stranger to the left field, Contempt! is filled with eccentric, sample-based instrumentals, an off-the-wall vocal delivery, and dark, haunting lyrics that only add to the intrigue most newcomers will feel when they hear this album. What seems to entice people even more is the fact that Slim is only 21 and yet has managed to make several recordings that all involved a heavily experimental sound that artists twice his age find hard to mimic. With a blend of what feels like rockabilly with a bit of a hip-hop (Paper Bag records calls it “Elvis stuck in the 36 chambers”), Slim’s ability to attract fans is nothing short of remarkable. Indeed, Contempt! is an acquired taste, but if you get it, you get it, and if you don’t… well, just don’t bother the rest of us. Having already caught the attention of music heavyweights Pitchfork just under a year ago, it’s clear that Slim’s on the right path to making a name for himself as someone whose album might’ve made your head explode.

iheartthemusic are stoked to be giving away a pair of tickets along with a copy of the album to one lucky winner for this Friday’s event. Send us an email at info@iheartthemusic.com and one person will be picked at random. Don’t miss out folks- this will surely be an unforgettable evening!

reviewed by Sebastian Galvez

Releasing an album can be nerve wracking and exciting for anyone; releasing an album and doing it independently magnifies that feeling even more. But for the guys in Toronto-based band Arietta, they appear to have a calm, cool and collected attitude towards the whole process. Meeting and chatting with the six-piece at The Hideout on a Sunday afternoon left everyone laughing out loud and excited for what’s to come for this young group of guys. The band is made up of Tyler Johnston (vocals), Sean Ramesbottom (guitar), Brian Craig (guitar), Kyle Smith (bass), Shehzaad Jiwani (drums) and Patrick McCormack (multi-instruments). Their sound is something that really can’t be defined, nor do they want it to be. Having formed a tight-knit relationship with fellow Toronto musicians, these guys have surrounded themselves with a musical community that consists of some of the best talent this city has to offer. Arietta is on the forefront of many music critics’ radars. iheartthemusic spoke with all six (yes ALL six) members about the release of their debut album, Migration (which is out TODAY), and how they are one of the hardest working bands out there.

iheartthemusic: How did Arietta come to be?

Sean: A few of us grew up in Scarborough, and Brian, Tyler and I more or less started the band because we knew each other in high school but we were never in the same friend circle – we were just acquaintances. In the latter years of school we started to play and jam together and thus formed the start of Arietta.

iheartthemusic: How long have you been this six-piece for?

Sean: This six-piece is pretty new; I’d say just over a year.

iheartthemusic: So with six people in the band what is the writing process like?

Tyler: Originally, when we first started, Sean brought the main chunk of a song to the table and then we all kind of welded it down, switched some stuff around and everyone put in their parts. With reviews for the album so far, everyone is saying that it sounds really eclectic with regards to instrumentation and genre. I mean, we’ve got so many different instruments on this album, and I think with the new members, and a lot of them being song writers from different bands, that’s going to be good and a little tricky. But we will have a lot more to work with and I think it might come a lot quicker than we would think it would at this point.

Shehzaad: It’s also kind of cool because everyone plays, or at least attempts to play, different stuff. The last few times we’ve jammed, we’ve all done switches. It’s a lot more fun!

iheartthemusic: That’s so cool!

Sean: I think it has helped my writing style a lot, having other guys to depend on who can fill in the gaps and that I trust because their writing is just on par. I know that if I’m stuck, they are right there to fill out the space. We work really cohesively.

iheartthemusic: That’s pretty incredible that you guys are all on the same page in that way.

Shehzaad: It also helps that we are not on the same page a lot of the time. It sometimes takes a while to kind of make everybody see.

Tyler: I think we understand where everyone comes from, yet we all come from different places. Whereas one guy might play a riff to one drum beat, another guy may sound totally different playing to the same riff and it all depends on who picked up the guitar.

Shehzaad: It’s like a gradient from being Sean, on the one hand, who is really technical and then me and Pat being the opposite and having no musical theory background.

iheartthemusic: With this album, you spoke about how the reviews have been all over the place with regards to trying to fit you into a certain genre or sound, but what would you like people to take from this album musically?

Shehzaad: The big thing is equal balance of melody and technical musicianship. The reviews so far have nailed that and everyone who has heard the record has honed in on that too, which we were surprised with.

Tyler: Yeah, that was surprising because it’s quite easy to write it off as pop. We come from a place where being slightly different or technical goes a long way. A lot of us listen to music that isn’t even in the pop genre at all. We listen to all that kind of stuff and have such an appreciation for it, but at the same time we also have a very big appreciation for pop music all the way up to Fall Out Boy. So I think trying to mesh really technical parts where everyone [listening] is satisfied as a musician, with parts where we’ve taken it to a level that has challenged them, has worked for us and a lot of people are picking up on that. They hear that we’re testing our own limits, but at the same time we aren’t catering to one specific market.

iheartthemusic: Do you think catering to all these different sounds and styles will confuse people or turn them off?

Sean: I think right now we’ve definitely come across a long road of proving to people that we can have a very wide spectrum of songs and influences and I think, at first, it is one of those things that a lot of people don’t know how to take. Then once they do, they really enjoy it. So I think people may be hesitant at first, but so far with reviews we couldn’t be happier and people have understood that we are a progressive pop/rock band. Since we started doing this, people were finding it hard to swallow and not really getting it. However, with [the release of] this record, people are falling into it right away and understanding it. If things go the way they have been, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.

iheartthemusic: I was told by a close source that I am supposed to ask you about Weezer?

Shehzaad: We don’t know what you are talking about!

iheartthemusic: All I heard is that I have to ask you about Weezer, so come on, spill it!

Patrick: The Waking Eyes were coming through town and they are known for every now and then playing the Blue album in its entirety. So, Travis Porter came to us and said that they were going to come this night and play and asked us if we wanted to do Pinkerton. For quite a few of us, that is one of our favourite albums, so there was no question that we were going to do it.

Tyler: However, we had how many days of practice before we were going to perform!? Travis called us and expected Arietta as a band to go up on stage and play the Pinkerton album. Well, instead of doing that, we kept it a secret and decided that four of us in the band would, instead of coming out and playing the instruments we normally play, switch instruments and learn the album front to back in three days with only three three hour practices. We’ll say we had about 10 to 12 hours of learning an album on instruments we don’t play.

iheartthemusic: That seems like a really smart idea! [laughs] Did people enjoy your rendition?

Shehzaad: People liked us more than The Waking Eyes.

Tyler: Not me!

iheartthemusic: Well good for you for braving that crowd! You guys aren’t signed to any label, so what was the process like getting this album out without any major backing?

Tyler: Hard and extensive. We had help from different sources; from ourselves and the bank, but at the same time it also benefited us. There are positives and negatives to being on a label or not being on a label.

Patrick: Part of it is money and part of it is legwork.

Tyler: Right now we are self-sustaining; we book all our own tours, we get press, we’ve done everything ourselves, which isn’t as hard when you have six guys in the band. We are our own label, band, management company – essentially we are everything.

Sean: It makes you understand the industry and the process. We’ve been doing this for a little while now and, through different bands, have been part of the industry. Without everyone’s hard work and determination it never would have happened. That literally is the only thing that got us through. With finances, if you work hard enough you will find it and you can work with someone that will support you. If you don’t do it yourself then it’s not going to happen.

Shehzaad: Right now, more than ever, there have been opportunities for bands to do that, whereas before it was really hard to succeed without a label.

iheartthemusic: It seems like you almost don’t need one now.

Shehzaad: Yeah, exactly. You can totally just do it on your own. Bands that we know can get by on their own with maybe just a publicist or a booker for tours.

iheartthemusic: Are you striving to get signed though?

Tyler: Yeah totally. It helps when you have a lot of friends in the industry too. So we do have an advantage in that way in terms of hookups with a lot of promoters, bookers, publicists, managers, a lot of these people who may not necessarily be able to help us at this point in time, but will point us in the direction or put in a good word for us, whatever they can do which is really great.

iheartthemusic: Speaking of friends, there seems to be a love triangle going on between Arietta, Dinosaur Bones and Great Bloomers. Where did that come from?

Tyler: And Oh No Forest Fires!

Sean: We are trying to start a new community.

iheartthemusic: Actually?

Patrick: It’s not a conscious effort.

Tyler: Essentially, what’s happened is this city has had for a while now this cross-armed, look at the ground, unless-you-make-it-big-somewhere-else-piss-off kind of attitude, which is fine because it happens in big cities and you can’t let it get to you. At the same time, through having a lot of friends in bands that are very talented and seeing them push really hard and getting no response, we’ve almost created this community. Usually these communities start where it’s like five bands and they are all hardcore or metal or punk rock. But with us you’ve got like a prog/pop band, you’ve got a country/alt band, all these different bands that are doing very well in their respective genres, which is very odd to see.

iheartthemusic: Did you guys all know each other before the bands started?

Tyler: Yeah, I’ve known Branko, the bassist in Dinosaur Bones, since I was about three years old. That’s probably the oldest friend I have. I met Ben, the singer, through him years ago because we used to go to concerts together.

Sean: Two of the Great Bloomers members, the drummer Andrew and the bassist Ty, used to be in our band. They were our original members.

iheartthemusic: No way! So that’s why there is so much love there! Do you think that sense of community is a Toronto thing?

Tyler: I think it’s a big city thing. The whole idea of making it somewhere else and then coming back rings very true, especially in this city. I’ve seen bands play here for years, pushing tons and then all of a sudden someone in Japan likes their band so they go over there and tour for a few months and then come back and they are the biggest band ever here. We are a very ‘turn your back on your own kind until someone else shows some interest’ city, which is a very vicious thing to say, but I think Toronto has been like that for a while now. So we will be going to the UK for a few weeks!

iheartthemusic: [laughs] I was going to say that! Have you guys had any performance mishaps?

Sean: This band is notorious for faulty gear. Brian’s amp blew up once!

iheartthemusic: What do you do when that happens? Smile and hope no one notices?

Tyler: He sings all the guitar parts!

Sean: We’ve had friends lend us gear. I couldn’t even tell you the number of times that we’ve had to share gear. We run a pretty large pedal board, so if something goes wrong with that you are spending like 10 or 15 minutes trying to figure out where the problem is. When you have a band with six people and a lot of gear, it poses a lot of issues!

iheartthemusic: I can imagine! So you guys play Horseshoe this Thursday for your CD release, will this be your first time playing at Horseshoe?

Tyler: Yeah, actually it is.

iheartthemusic: That’s amazing! After the album drops what’s up next?

Tyler: Ontario/Quebec/East Coast tour in the summer. We are pretty much ongoing for the rest of our lives.

iheartthemusic: Where can people get the album?

Tyler: All those online retailers like iTunes or Amazon. You can also get it at Sunrise Records and all the local stores. Hopefully you come out to a show and see us and then you can get it there. That’s the best way to do it and you can get it cheaper and a high five!

iheartthmusic: I’m sold on the high five! If there was one thing we should know about Arietta, what would it be?

Tyler: We are very handsome.

Patrick: When you’ve got six guys in a band there is probably more than one thing you need to know!

Brian: You have to know your Simpsons references!

Well there you have it! Be sure to check them out this Thursday, May 7th at the Horseshoe, pick up the album and of course get that high five!

photography provided by April Day

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