(Rise Records)
Genre: Screamo/Emocore comparable to Burden Of A Day or Driverside Impact.
Interviewed on: 4/16/08
From: St Petersburg, FL
www.myspace.com/oceanafl
1. For those who are new to the world of Oceana, can we get a 'roll call' of who's who and what they do in the band?
Well I'm James, and I play drums and sing. Alex and Jack play guitar, Rob plays bass, and Keith is our lovely frontman.
2. Where did the name 'Oceana' come from and who thought of it/brought it to the table?
Oceana just kind of fit our habitat, being that we all live pretty much on the water in St. Pete. It was also brought up by Rob who's in love with the band Sparta. It all just fit together and we loved the sound of it!
3. How long had you guys been playing in the band when you realized 'hey! we got something here!'?
When we recorded our first two demos (Mindless and the Accountable), we were all actually blown away by the way they came out and we all just got this huge boost of confidence and we were ready right then and there to get serious. We're glad this happened because no more than 30 hours later we had a Rise contract in our hands! haha
4. When you guys stepped on stage for the first time for your first performance EVER, were you guys nervous like crazy, or more confident like, 'This is nothing! Stage fright?! Ha! not on my time!'?
Personally, I was beyond stoked and just excited really.
5. Did you guys aim to be on a respected label like Rise Records, or did it just sort of happen? How did that whole thing go down? Did you invite them out to a show Or send them a demo or what?
Rise was one of the main labels we were interested in. We started talking to them through email right after we first recorded and they decided to sign us about 30 minutes after we started talking. It was truly out of the blue and unexpected, but definitely a dream come true!
6. When I first started to research you guys, I'm not going to lie, it was love at first listen! Something even funnier is that PRIOR to buying your CD I didn't really have A sure fire definition for what 'Screamo' was, but ALAS! I KNEW after listening to your CD! Do you think that's a fair assessment?
That's an awesome assessment =)
7. Out of the whole 'The Tide' album, I'd have to say my favorite track is 'Hello, Astronaut' and I can't wait to see it performed live! Is there one key song that the crowd ALWAYS goes bananas to?
There's not really one key song, but we get a more than average response when we play "Mindless", "Reach For The Sky", and "The Tide".
8. Have you guys had any run ins with any odd fans yet? Any stories you would like to share about that?
We've been on tour for 4 months now, we've definitely met our fair share of odd people haha. Some people out there are just wacked out in the mind, but we're always down with that. Not too many stories, just some of the people we've stayed with in general have been pretty crazy
9. How are your families dealing with having sons/brothers/grandchildren/etc. Out on the road doing what they love to do, releasing CD's and touring? Are they super supportive or are they more or less kinda like 'I wish they would have taken the lawyer or doctor route!'?
They're honestly all very supportive of what we're doing, it's amazing!
10. When you guys are on the road, whats one thing that is an absolute MUST have? It could be anything! From your cellphone to an XBOX to even just a pair of clean socks! What MUST you have to maintain your sanity?
Cell phones and laptops are definitely always a must. And some sort of music device for sure. I would have flipped my wig many a time by now if it weren't for my ipod!
11. With everyone using I-Tunes and other downloading outlets, do you think music has become more disposable now, or is just as effective as it what 'X' amount of years ago?
It definitely has, but at the same time I believe that iTunes and things of that nature really help get bands way more exposure. If you can't find a cd you want at a store, the internet is always there for you
12. What are some of your influences, musically speaking, that fans might be interested to know you listen to?
We all listen to a load of different tunes and all have different influences, but it's safe to say that some of our biggest ones are As Cities Burn and Misery Signals. We get a lot of our influence though outside of listening to other bands. We get it from nature, love, our families, friends, etc.
13. If you could share the stage with any one act or artist, whether broken up, still recording or deceased, who would it be?
I would say UnderOATH, I'm not gonna lie haha.
14. You guys are really young and I think you guys got the potential to release solid album after solid album. Are you just trying to take life day by day or are you going to try to build up that rep that bands like Poison The Well & Thursday have where they can disappear for a little and come back just as strong?
Thanks! We don't have any sort of plan, but we intend on working as hard as we can for as long as we can, tour by tour, album by album. We definitely don't want to disappear whatsoever.
15. Would you like to share any last words with us and your fans?
Do what you love! Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise, and keep positive!
