The Ocean Blue – Davy Jones’ Locker

By starrymag | October 24, 2023

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I don’t mind the dream pop, indie, post-punk, etc. labels. I try to make music I think is beautiful, interesting, and occasionally thought-provoking. With depth and atmosphere.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) When we started the band, we loved U2 and other great bands of the mid/late 80s like The Smiths, Joy Division/New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, REM, The Cure and Tears for Fears, all of whom influenced us and continue to do so.

Q) Your re-release of the remastered Davy Jones’ Locker is out now. Please tell us the themes explored on this album.

It’s definitely our most eclectic and least fussy record, where we were experimenting with different musical directions, sounds, arrangements and lyrical themes. The big themes for me were literary and philosophical. Existential themes personally and for the band at the time. All of us were going through life changes and so was the band.

Q) Davy Jones’ Locker was initially released in 1999 by indie label March Records in a limited run. What made the group decide now was the time to reshare the album?

A) The big goal was to finally put this album out on vinyl. It is the only album we’ve done that has never seen vinyl until now. That process involved a revisit of the record, some remastering that I think makes the album sound better and working through some of the songs for the live shows this fall.

Q) The single “Denmark” was also released from Davy Jones’ Locker. What was the writing process like for this song?

A) Every song is a bit different, and this one started lyrically during a tour the band did in Denmark in the mid-90s. It was a beautiful, magically kind of tour but also a time of melancholy and change for the band.

Q) A music video for “Denmark” has also been released. How involved were you in the concept?

A) I worked on the concept for the video with our director, Zeke Anders, who listened to what I had to say about the song and ran with it. He did in my mind a masterful job of nailing exactly the themes and mood of the song in an artful and beautiful way.

Q) This album also includes “Ayn,” “Garden Song,” ” My Best Friend,” “Cake” & a personal favorite “Been Down a lot Lately” amongst others. Do you have a personal favorite?

A) My favorite of the album is “Denmark,” but personal favs also include “Garden Song,” “Do You Still Remember Me?,” “Cake” and Oed’s [Ronne] songs that are b-sides to the singles from the record.

Q) Was there a song that was more emotional for you to record or maybe challenging for you in some way?

A) Most definitely. Some are so personal and emotionally difficult I don’t think I could sing them now.

Q) As we noted, the album was initially released in 1999. What do you think is the biggest change in your music in all of those years?

A) Honestly, I feel like we have remained pretty much the same as a band over the years. I think we have learned more about who we are, what we like and what we are able to do pretty well. We try to focus on the music these days and making it in a way that is most meaningful and pleasurable for us and for the people that like our music.

Q) This is your first album after you left a successful major label run and gave you the freedom to try new things. What do you hope people take away from it?

A) I hope people can enjoy the record for what it is. It is a different album for us and offers up some more obscure and rare moments, some of which may speak even better than our more well-known and popular albums.

Q) You will be going on tour through Philadelphia, Houston, Toronto, Detroit, Columbus, Miami & a lot more. Where is your favorite place to perform and what makes it so significant?

A) Oh, we really like many cities and many holds unique memories. Some like DC and Philly are close to and feel like home, and others like Toronto, Miami, Chapel Hill and Ventura are more exotic places we haven’t played for years and are looking forward to doing so.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Apart from people I actually know and talk about collaborating with? Oh, if I could make a dream come true (but also terrifying) wish it would be Elizabeth Fraser.

Q) What musician/artist are you currently listening to and why do you like it?

A) Tallies, who we are playing some of our fall shows with. Brigitte Calls Me Baby, who I just discovered last week. Both sound young and fresh.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music?

A) Thank you.

 

 

Responses Fom Vocalist/Guitarist David Schelzel