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Speaking of prolific artistis, The Ocean just released two epic concept albums in the middle and end of 2010 and they’re already back at it. That might seem turtle-paced compared to Devin Townsend’s breakneck writing schedule, but one and a half years is as long as it usually takes Metallica to write three or four songs, Slayer to re-write about half an album’s worth of old songs, and Tool to write approximately one riff. How’s that for perspective?
[UPDATE, 4:19pm EDT]: There is a show TONIGHT at The Shredder in Boise, ID! Also, November 11th at Broadway Joe’s in Buffalo is confirmed.
Original post:
When we last updated you on The Ocean’s U.S. tour conundrum last Thursday the band had cobbled together four dates that would allow them to play metal / kill time / earn some money after their support tour with Devin Townsend instead of sitting on their hands before their flights back to Germany. What a difference a weekend makes; thanks to the incredible power of the Internet, the band’s now put together nearly two weeks’ worth of dates! Here’s the updated itinerary:
10/31/2011 Boise, ID @ The Shredder
11/01/2011 Ogden, UT @ Mojo’s (+ White Arms of Athena)
11/02/2011 Denver, CO @ Casselman’s
11/03/2011 Omaha, NE @ 5810 Grover St (house show!)
11/04/2011 Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
11/05/2011 Indianapolis, IN @ Indy’s Jukebox (note: venue upgrade!!!)
11/06/2011 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
11/07/2011 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Roboto Project
11/08/2011 Brooklyn, NYC @ Saint Vitus Bar (w/ Family)
11/09/2011 tba
11/10/2011 CAN – Toronto, ONT @ Wreckroom (w/ Cynic, 3, Scale The Summit)
11/11/2011 Buffalo, NY @ Broadway Joe’s [updated]
11/12/2011 Worcester, MA @ Club Oasis
This is not only great news for The Ocean but great news for you: we caught The Ocean headline a small show in Brooklyn this past Spring prior to their run with Between the Buried and Me and they were absolutely mesmerizing. Montrealers, do a good deed today: if you’d like to see The Ocean open for Cynic, 3 and Scale the Summit on November 9th, call or email Les Foufounes Electriques and beg them to make it happen!
Meanwhile, check out this 2-minute trailer from The Ocean’s recent tour in China, a full documentary of which is coming in 2012:
-VN
[UPDATE, 10/28, 10:45am EDT]: Here is an updated itinerary with dates needed marked in bold:
10/31/2011 Boise, ID @ The Shredder TBC
11/01/2011 Ogden, UT @ Mojo’s (+ White Arms of Athena)
11/02/2011 Denver, CO @ Casselman’s
11/03/2011 Omaha, NE @ 5810 Grover St (house show!)
11/04/2011 Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
11/05/2011 Indianapolis, IN @ Indy’s Jukebox (note: venue upgrade!!!)
11/06/2011 OHIO DATE – FILL
11/07/2011 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Roboto Project
11/08/2011 DC area or BUFFALO OR SYRACUSE or NYC / NJ – FILL
11/09/2011 BUFFALO OR SYRACUSE – FILL
11/10/2011 CAN – Toronto, ONT @ Wreckroom (+ Cynic, 3, Scale The Summit)
11/11/2011 NYC area / LONG ISLAND – FILL
11/12/2011 CT / RI / MA / NH – FILL
Original post:
Some of you may have recently attended the currently ongoing Devin Townsend tour with The Ocean as support. Fortunately, unlike the band’s last few tours, this time the band hasn’t had to deal with any theft or broken vans or other calamities. But they’re definitely not rolling in it yet despite the current tour’s success.
We’re encouraging any Ocean fans with connections to venues on the East Coast to try and contact those venues; The Ocean have a short window of time in early November where they’re still in the states, but not touring. And they could really use some extra money before they head back to Europe, especially considering the events that occurred earlier in the year. Here’s what they’ve got so far:
11/03/2011 Omaha, NE @ 5810 Grover St (house show!)
11/04/2011 Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
11/05/2011 Indianapolis, IN @ The Ugly Monkey
11/07/2011 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
Check out the Ocean’s Facebook page for more details. They’re looking to get any shows in the Northeast on November 8, 10, 11, and 12. Here’s their original post:
WE ARE LOOKING FOR SHOWS IN THE NORTHEAST, Nov 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 — NY, CT, RI, MA, Toronto, NJ, PA area… venues, houses, tree-huts, boats, churches… we do it all. email info@theoceancollective.com!
-DM
Well, this is good news. Perennial MetalSucks faves The Ocean filmed their set at the Summer Breeze festival in Germany this past summer for an upcoming live DVD. And while we still don’t know when that DVD will be released or even what it will be called, we can now watch some footage of the band performing “The Origin of God” as a special preview. Check it out below:
The DVD will apparently also include lots more footage not just from this performance, but from several other shows as well, PLUS the now-required-on-every-DVD band documentary, which should be fun, as the cats in The Ocean are some really, really interesting dudes. More details as we get ‘em.
Also, this seems like a good time of offer a friendly reminder that The Ocean will be support on Devin Townsend’s upcoming North American headlining tour, which is a sweet, sweet bill. Get dates here.
-AR
[via Heavy Blog is Heavy]
Just yesterday, Vince reported a rumor that The Ocean would be opening for Devin Townsend on his October headlining run; now it’s confirmed, thanks to both the release of the actual dates for said October trek, and that nifty poster you see above. The Ocean actually won’t be on the first three dates, but still — not only is this a fantastic bill, but it must make up for the sting of The Ocean’s previously-scrapped U.S. tour plans.
There’s really nothing else to say… if you know anything about anything, you will absolutely NOT miss any tour with both Heavy Devy and The Ocean. Here’s the itinerary:
Shit hit the fan for The Ocean last week when the unannounced headliner of their U.S. tour flaked and decided to push the whole thing back a couple of months. For any American band this wouldn’t be too big of a deal, but when you’re coming from overseas and flights have already been purchased, gear already rented and visas already procured it presents a major problem. This band’s tours are eternally cursed; endless van breakdowns, highway robberies, and pretty much any thing else that could go wrong has, especially in the U.S. So when they threw this hail mary pass up into the metalsphere we had every reason to think, “Haha! Yeah, right.”
If anyone has a tour to offer us between October 9th and November 20th, we’re all ears :-) Hope we can still make it over somehow.
Except it actually worked, thanks to clutch wide receiver Devin Townsend.
You guys know that really good band that got fucked over a bunch of times over their last few tours in recent memory? Well, somehow, it actually happened again. I received the following unfortunate email from The Ocean’s Robin Staps:
”Today is a shit day. Our upcoming US tour just fell apart. We had been confirmed for weeks for a direct support slot on a good 6-weeks US tour in October and November, and yesterday it was decided that this tour is now being postponed to late November into December. We are not available at that time because we have tours booked in Europe for months. Our flights to the US have already been booked for weeks, and we’ve been left high and dry again… somehow we’re just not lucky over there it seems!
If anyone has a tour to offer us between October 9th and November 20th, we’re all ears :-) Hope we can still make it over somehow.”
Seems like Ocean mastermind Robin Staps took this piece about how to tour in China to heart; dude done gone and booked a 10-date Chinese tour for The Ocean! Having met and talked with Staps, I can say the man definitely loves traveling. I’ll bet he set up this tour more as a way to travel across China than as a promotional vehicle for The Ocean… although he’s certainly gotta make ends meet and this tour can’t be cheap. Who knows, perhaps The Ocean have a huge fanbase there?
Of more immediate import to the majority of MetalSucks readers is this: The Ocean are reportedly returning to the U.S. from mid-October through the end of November in a direct support slot for a band that hasn’t yet been named. From The Ocean’s Facebook [via Heavy Blog]:
Right after these dates, mid-October until end of November, we will be returning to the US for the 2nd time this year. We will be direct support this time, playing a 40 minutes set, for a band that we can’t name just yet. We know how much you like speculating about these kinda things, so bring on those rumors…
So. Any ideas? Who will The Ocean be opening for on their U.S. tour? My guess would be it’s a tour that’s already been announced in some capacity.
-VN
This has to be the best-yet edition of “Ask the Artist,” the new video series in which our partners in crime at Metal Injection ask musicians to answer one uniform question. This week, the question is “How easy is it to score girls while on the road?” And, confirming what Sergeant D. has been telling us all along, the answer seems to be, “Not very easy at all.” Check it out:
Don’t forget that you can watch more episodes of “Ask the Artist” at Metal Injection.
-AR
As we mentioned a few weeks ago, Metal Injection has launched this great new video series, “Ask the Artist,” in which they give you helpful tips for getting out tough stains. No, I’m kidding, they ask fucking artists things, that’s why it’s called “Ask the Artist.”
ANYWAY, the latest installment of the series has the MI dudes posing the question “What band got you into metal?” to current and former members of Dying Fetus, Killswitch Engage, Job for a Cowboy, Cephalic Carnage, Revocation, The Ocean, Lazarus A.D., and more.
My personal favorite answer probably comes from A Life Once Lost’s Doug Sabolick, not because I have any special affinity for the album he cites, but because a) it’s a pretty unique answer and b) I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard that album, and I like thinking that while I was rocking out to it with Vince in my parents’ living room, Sabolick was somewhere having his mind blown and his life forever changed. I like that we have that connection now. We’re like Fievel and Tanya from An American Tail, singing “Somewhere Out There.” Only not really at all.
Check out the rest of Metal Injection’s “Ask the Artist” series here. And, hey, while we’re on the topic, feel free to discuss the bands and albums that got you into metal in our comments section below.
-AR
The days when a musician stands a chance of making a living as a musician may very well be coming to a close. It’s one thing for the members of Crowbar Abortion to have to get jobs at the mall when they’re not on tour, but when even the dude from Guns N’ Roses is giving guitar lessons on his down time, you know times are tough.
Which gives a little extra edge to the below video, in which our doppelgängers at Metal Injection ask various musicians what they’d do with their lives if they weren’t in a band. Because that’s a question most metal musicians should probably ask themselves at some point or another.
Best answer comes from Revocation drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne, although I’m down the response A Life Once Lost’s Doug Sabolick and Bob Meadows provide, too.
This video is the first in a new series Metal Injection is doing, called, cleverly enough, “Ask the Artist.” Go here to make sure you stay up-to-date on all future installments, as I’d wager that they will continue to be this entertaining.
-AR
How much you wanna bet those shots of Battersea Power Station at the beginning of the new Ocean video for “She Was The Universe” were included as a tribute to Pink Floyd? I’d put money on it. I mean, you’ve listened to The Ocean’s music, right?
To be honest I’m not sure what the fuck is going on in the rest of this video, but judging from the lengthy analysis on Noisecreep – who debuted the video yesterday — I’d guess it has something to do with the song’s lyrics and the themes on Anthropocentric as a whole. At the very least it’s a great excuse to give The Ocean some exposure and to listen to this excellent song again, and I’m only too happy to oblige.
-VN
The #1 Rule of Touring: bus/van breakdowns will occur.
The #2 Rule of Touring: duct-tape fixes everything. I know bands that bring rolls and rolls of the stuff every time they go on the road, just in case.
Both rules held true for The Ocean on their recent MS-sponsored trek with Between the Buried and Me, on which pretty much every thing that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong, sometimes comically so. In the first video blog hosted by our bro-ceans at The Deciblog, Rule #2 — along with some critical thinking and problem solving — proves a great fix for Rule #1, but I have a feeling shit’s about to hit the fan in the next episode (knowing what we do about the events of the rest of the tour).
The Ocean Tour Vlog, Part I from Chris dB on Vimeo.
The #3 Rule of Touring, from the looks of things, didn’t apply to The Ocean in this case: no pooping on the bus. Probably a good thing; had someone been unable to hold in a dookie that old rickety wagon might’ve exploded.
-VN
Job for a Cowboy are killing it lately. I’ve heard nothing but good things about their performances as part of their current MetalSucks-sponsored tour with Between the Buried and Me and The Ocean, and the two songs we’ve heard from their forthcoming EP, Gloom, both suggest that all the behind-the-scenes folks who have told me that mini-album is the best thing JFAC have ever made aren’t lying. Simply put: shit rocks.
One of those songs, “Misery Reformatory,” has been available on Amazon for nearly a month now, but in case you’re seriously so cheap/broke/whatever that you won’t pay a dollar for this excellent song, the bad is now streaming it online. Check it out below. That guitar solo RIPS, doesn’t it?
The band has just announced a June 7 release date for Gloom, via Metal Blade, natch. I’m seriously stoked to hear the rest of this EP. While we wait, be sure to check out some live footage of another new song, “Signature of Salvation,” which also sounds really promising.
And after the jump, get remaining dates for the aforementioned BTBAM/JFAC/The Ocean tour.
Earthship‘s name is a funny thing, because the music the band makes takes us exactly away from Earth, not towards it. It’s strange to hear such otherworldly sounds these days, but it’s also quite refreshing. Like the best music should do, it creates vivid mental images. And that’s not something I often hear.
Exit Eden is one of numerous recent projects involving The Ocean mastermind Robin Staps, present in this band as rhythm guitarist. Like most of Staps’ projects, Eden is really good; in this case, however, the entirety of the songwriting is done by his bandmate, Jan Orberg (former drummer for The Ocean.) Orberg emplys a wide variety of techniques for his compositions. His style is far removed from Staps’ musical tendencies, even though there are definite similarities. Sadly, the album doesn’t have a whole lot to offer vocally — Orberg and drummer Dennis Bottcher sound an awful lot like The Ocean’s Mike Pilat used to sound — but that’s almost insignificant considering the musical prowess of the rest of the record.
Metal Injection premiered a new video for The Ocean today, “Roots and Locusts,” and while the song is good, holy shit do I have no idea what’s going on in this clip. The edits actually seem well-timed with the music, but the cuts go by so quickly it’s hard to see anything. And what I can see… is there a unifying theme I’m missing, or is it just a bunch of random shit? Someone who’s not me should really go through it frame-by-frame and try to figure it out.
I do really like the thing towards the end with the textbook and the heart, though. That was kinda neat and easy-to-follow.
“Roots and Locusts” comes off The Ocean’s Anthropocentric, which is out now on Metal Blade.
-AR
[A couple of weeks ago The Ocean's Robin Staps took the piss out of us with a mock gear column... and now he's back to take you on a step-by-step walk-through of his actual live rig. Gear nerds, you're gonna love this one; Robin's got a very, very interesting setup. Check out our recent Rigged columns with Between the Buried and Me guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring and BTBAM drummer Blake Richardson. Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean, Job For A Cowboy (and on select dates Cephalic Carnage) are on tour through May 15th; get dates here.]
My tone obviously starts with my guitars, two Paul Reed Smith Custom 24s.
I have always loved these guitars but simply couldn’t afford them until we got an endorsement with them 2 years ago. The elegance of their design is really just the surface-level: beyond lies unrivaled playability, perfect craftsmanship, a comparably light weight and yet endless sustain. And yes, these guitars are not just pretty, they are also more sturdy than any other guitar I’ve ever had: I have had to deal with 5 broken headstocks in my career as a musician with this band, but to date my PRS guitars have remained in good order. I guess you are naturally taking better care when you are playing such a classy and precious instrument.
THE WEEKEND IS ALMOST HERE! Are you excited? The weather is finally starting to get nice, at least where we live. I’m gonna need to ahead and try and to defeat Portal 2 ASAP so I don’t spend the entire weekend indoors.
ANYWAY, a good way to get your party started is by watching the below fan-filmed footage of Job for a Cowboy performing a new song, “Signature of Starving Power,” at a recent stop on their MetalSucks-sponsored tour with Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean, and Cephalic Carnage. We’ve already seen some footage of JFAC drummer Jon “The Charn” Rice rehearsing this song, but this is the first time we’ve actually heard it with the whole band and everything. And, of course, it’s a bootleg and the quality ain’t great, but it still sounds pretty good to me. Everyone I know who’s heard JFAC’s new EP, Gloom, says it’s the best thing they’ve ever done, and a new chapter for the band, and based on the two songs we’ve now heard (the other being “Misery Reformatory,” which is already available for download), I’m inclined to believe it.
Gloom should be out sometime in the not-too-distant future on Metal Blade.
And here are remaining dates for that awesome BTBAM/JFAC/The Ocean/Cephalic Carnage tour:
[Welcome back to Rigged! Last week Between the Buried and Me guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring walked you through their live setups piece by piece. This week it's The Ocean mastermind Robin Stap's turn to show you his, um, "gear." Next week BTBAM drummer Blake Richardson breaks down his kit, and the week after that Robin Staps will be back for round 2. Between the Buried and Me and The Ocean begin their MS-sponsored tour with Job For A Cowboy (and on select dates Cephalic Carnage) this week. Get dates here.]
Hey everyone, happy to introduce you all to my rig and to some of the gear I use.
Let me start with the amp. My amp’s a classic 5150, don’t need to say much about it I guess… all tubes, nice fat tone, good attack and definition. I installed 2 pressure gauges in the front panel: they’re always telling me how much pressure is left in the air tank that’s behind the amp, so in case Loic farts too heavily and I need to inhale oxygen on stage, I never run out! Our live show is pretty sudorific anyway, ya know, gotta be prepared!
The outside is cobra leather. I killed that snake with my bare hands last summer, during our headlining tour in Burkina Faso. Had to smuggle it back to Germany, not an easy undertaking!
The wood is actually 100% mahagony which I intentionally made look like laminated fibre, because I felt the mahagony look would have compromised the cobra leather finish.
It’s true, and it’s finally here — after so many relentless album spins, Germany progressive metal collective The Ocean will finally grace our earholes stateside and decimate the back room at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. Add to the mix MS faves East of the Wall and death-grinders Flourishing, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a show.
Vince and I will most certainly be in tow and whiskey’d up, as will Toto and the Tin Man, and many more of your least-favorite NYC r-tards….
JOIN US.
Thanks to BBG from Brooklyn Vegan & Rich Hallford from 1000 Knives for making this show happen. Dreams can come true.
Be sure to catch The Ocean on their MetalSucks-sponsored tour around ‘merica with Job For A Cowboy and BTBAM starting this Friday — tour dates after the jump.
-KW
