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Into the deep end with Hey Ocean!

Vancouver-based quartet create whimsical pop incorporating elements of jazz, funk, folk, reggae and more
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Who: Hey Ocean!

When: Friday, June 12, 9 p.m.

Where: GLC

Cost: $10 to $15 at GLC, Katmandu, The Hub and Billabong

Hey Ocean!'s sound is often described simply as pop, but it's actually a lot more a feel-good fusion of a variety of genres, sounds and influences. The end result is simply upbeat, feel-good music (hey, even their name has an exclamation point in it - that's gotta be a good sign, right?)

With Ashleigh Ball on vocals, flute and basically any other instrument you throw her way, David Beckingham on vocals and guitar, Dave Vertesi on bass and Dan Klenner on percussion, this group is chock-full of energetic young talent, eager to learn and make music.

While the group's sound is often lumped under the "pop" umbrella at your local music store, their sound actually incorporates elements of many other genres - folk, funk, jazz and reggae, just to name a few.

"We all listen to lots of different music, but we all appreciate a lot - even more than we listen to - so we draw on a lot of different genres, styles and artists as a reference for when we're writing our own songs," Vertesi explained.

Keeping genres separate certainly isn't a priority for this group. Rather, it sounds like they're simply aiming to make good, fun music that everyone can enjoy.

"Good music is good music," Vertesi stated succinctly.

Vertesi recently attended Sasquatch Festival and said he walked away from the experience enriched with new ideas and inspiration to take back to Hey Ocean!'s drawing table, perhaps even the studio, when the group meets at the end of fall to work on material for a new album, which they hope to release in the New Year.

To date, the group has released two full-length albums: "Stop Looking Like Music" in 2007, and "It's Easier To Be Somebody Else" last fall. There's also an EP only available online. If you listen to their entire body of recorded works chronologically, it's pretty clear that this band's sound has grown in leaps and bounds.

"I like being in a band that wants to make better music," Vertesi added, "The next album we do will be different from the last one."

The group has been busy in the studio demoing some new songs and going over old material, all in preparation for yet another line-up change. Yes, that's right. Hey Ocean! will be getting their second new drummer in as many years, replacing Dan Klenner on percussion.

"Our drummer is pretty young. He's been with us for a year and a half, and he just needs time to do his own stuff, ya know? We're moving pretty quickly and we spend a lot of time on the road - it's a big commitment."

This time around, they're proactively tracking a lot of Klenner's parts to make the transition a bit more seamless. You see, the group's creative process is extremely collaborative, so it's important that they find someone who meshes well with the rest of the members.

"We've been writing with him, you know? We spent the last year and half playing music together, listening to music together, living together, and traveling together. It's hard to find someone to immediately replace that," Vertesi pointed out.

But on the upside, a new member could bring another fresh perspective to this group of young musicians, and perhaps another set of influences to add to the overall sound.

The band just wrapped up a tour in April, which saw them touring across Canada in their bright teal Ford Econoline van, affectionately dubbed "Patrick."

"We hadn't really done a big tour like that since last September and its just really great to see things are growing and you're seeing new people at the shows."

This group definitely spends a considerable amount of time on the road.

"It for sure gets old, but I think that everything gets old at points," he mused. "When you're in the studio too long, you're like, 'oh man, all I want is to be on the road, playing live,' and then you're playing live for a month almost every day and you're like, 'why can't we be writing in the studio?'"

But after April's tour, Hey Ocean! actually took a full month off to relax a bit. And though touring can be a bit exhausting at times, Vertesi adds that they still love playing live shows all over the map, seeing new fans and the diehards that ride the wave with Hey Ocean! from stop to stop.

Hey Ocean! has recently reached out to their fanbase online, asking anyone with artistic inclinations to submit their design for a new T-shirt for the band's upcoming summer tour.

"It's always funny involving fans," Vertesi said, "They're always pretty excited about most things."

They'll pick a design at the end of June, with the winner receiving a killer Hey Ocean! prize pack.

And this versatile group is no stranger to Whistler's music scene, which has proven to be hit-or-miss for many bands.

"Whistler is a topic of discussion for many bands because it's this weird hybrid of a ski town and an actual town, and when you're touring it's hard in Whistler to build up a huge following because, to be honest, a large portion of the population is transient," Vertesi explained.

Despite that challenge, the band has managed to draw huge crowds at their last few gigs here. Let's hope that this show does the same.

This time around, they've enlisted a local singer, Ali Milner, to play with the band at their gig at the GLC. They heard her at a gig outside of Powell River, and are looking forward to having her open for them with a full band, where she'll be debuting material from her new CD.