Q&A: The Ocean Blue
Interview By Sophie Gragg | Nov. 13th 2019
THE EVOLUTION OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS BEEN STRONG - and The Ocean Blue has been rolling with it since 1989. The band has returned to the scene with a fresh approach to their sound while remaining true to their roots with their most recent album Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves. No longer teenagers, the project reflects the matured soundscape of the group and the direction they've found themselves in. Learn more about the album, their evolution as a group and more below.
LUNA: How would you compare Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves to your previous music?
SCHELZEL: Our music spans a long time, and covers a lot of seasons of life. We made our first record in high school, and we are now in middle age. I’d say KQ/KT reflects where we are now. It sounds more mature musically and lyrically to me than our previous releases. I think the musical palette is probably a little broader, and some of the themes a little sadder, but we never really do stray too far from our musical DNA.
LUNA: What’s the biggest way you’ve seen your creative process evolve over time?
SCHELZEL: We have had to learn to be creative in writing and recording as our lives have changed. We don’t go away and sequester ourselves in big studios for a few months or have a concentrated time for just writing or touring, like we did in the years we were with major labels. So, we have made the last two albums completely on our own, using studio spaces in our homes, and sharing ideas, tracks, recordings, etc. with each other over longer periods of time. I am always writing music, and that much hasn’t really changed. What tends to take a longer time is getting that finished and into a good recording, and then gathering up those recordings into an album that sounds like a collection of related songs.
LUNA: Who are some artists that you’ve been listening to lately that truly excite you?
SCHELZEL: Oh there are many. I love a lot of what my friends are doing - The Starfolk, Typsy Pantre, The Innocence Mission. I really like Low, Deerhunter, Agnes Obel, Cigarettes After Sex, Tame Impala. We’ve also played shows recently with some great young bands, like Suburban Living and Los Gold Fires.
LUNA: How has the rise of social media shaped your career in more recent years? What impact do you think it would have if you had access to the world we do now back when you first came into the scene?
SCHELZEL: Social media, along with similar changes in the way people listen to and buy music, has changed nearly everything about music careers. Some of the changes are good, some are not so good. Social media is now our main channel of communication and promotion for shows and new releases, particularly as an indie band without a big promo team or label behind us. It really is great to have ways to reach people directly like that. And I think we would have been able to use it to a much greater extent if we’d had it when we were a young band on a major/great label like Sire. That said, social media is not something I particularly enjoy, so I suspect we’d have still let the good PR folks at the labels handle it.
LUNA: What piece of advice do you wish someone had told you early on in your career?
SCHELZEL: I thankfully do not have a lot of bad experiences or decisions I regret early on. We were extremely fortunate early on in many ways as a band... Maybe slow down and enjoy and take in the breadth and depth of the experience while you are young. Maybe do that tour of Japan because you may never get to again...