Hey Ocean!
Intro

Hey Ocean! is a Canadian indie pop band formed in in Vancouver. David Beckingham and Ashleigh Ball had been friends since grade 6, joining with David Vertesi in to form the band.[1] The band consists of Ashleigh Ball (vocals/flute), David Beckingham (vocals/guitar) and David Vertesi (vocals/bass). Their music draws from many genres, including pop and acoustic , and the group tours Canada widely. They have performed locally alongside other Vancouver acts such as Shad K, Mother Mother and Said the Whale.
The band ran their own label for many years, being represented by Nettwerk Management,[2] and had overtures from Gene Simmons[3] before signing with Universal Music Canada for distribution in .[4]
Lead singer Ashleigh Ball's voice acting work has drawn international attention to the band from members of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan community. Fans have created music videos featuring the band's songs and footage from the show, some of which are featured on the band's official website.[5]
back to topTours

The band tours frequently and has several nationwide tours under their belts, with another underway in .[6] In , the band played at the Virgin Festival in Calgary, Alberta. In , the band toured Canada with The Cat Empire[7] and performed at SxSW.[8] The band again toured Canada in , and played several events[9] for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
In summer , the band performed at the City of Vancouver's 125th Anniversary[10] and Live At Squamish
, an annual 3-day music festival in Squamish, BC.[11] They finished the year with a cross-Canada tour, including an appearance at the Prince George Winter Festival.[12] Ashleigh Ball suffered a vocal cord injury during a performance, which resulted in the cancellation of the Eastern Canada portion of the tour.[13] In summer , Hey Ocean! performed at the Osheaga music festival in Montreal. In August, the band joined indie-alternative group fun.
for the SeaWheeze After Party and concert in Vancouver, BC. The band will once again embark on their cross-Canada tour beginning in the fall.
Reception
In April 2009, A Song about California
was featured[14] as a top song on MuchMoreMusic. The band was nominated in that year for a Western Canadian Music Award,[15] and in for an Independent Music Award.[16] In they wrote a short song called Only You
[17] for T-Booth mobile, which has been used since in television advertising campaigns throughout Canada.
As of , Big Blue Wave
is on rotation[18] with CBC Radio 3 and local station 102.7 The Peak.[19] Also in , Make a New Dance Up
was featured in a promotional video from HootSuite,[20] and the band performed for CBC's Canadian Indie Christmas Special. The band was also voted number one in the Best Local Band (Unsigned)
category by readers of The Georgia Straight, a popular local news and entertainment paper in its Best of Vancouver Readers' Choices
recognition.[21]
In , Islands
featured in the episode Last Known Surroundings
of One Tree Hill. The episode of ET Canada ended with the music video for Big Blue Wave
.[22]
Band members
Current members
- Ashleigh Ball– lead vocals, flute, xylophone
- David Beckingham – lead guitar, backing vocals
- David Vertesi– bass guitar, backing vocals
Past collaborators
- Dan Klenner – Percussion
- Adam Cormier – Percussion
- Tim Proznick – Percussion
- Anthony Janolino – Percussion
- Andrew Rasmussen – Keyboard, backing vocals

Discography
Albums
- Stop Looking Like Music - 2006
- It's Easier to Be Somebody Else - 2008
- IS - 2012
EPs
- Triceratops - 2004
- Rainy Day Sonds - 2005
- Big Blue Wave - 2011
References
-
Hey Ocean Twitter
. Twitter. Retrieved 2012-04-27. -
Hey Ocean Signs With Universal Music Canada; New EP And Canadian Tour Set For November 1
. Nettwerk. Retrieved 2012-03-22. - Mack, Adrian (2009-07-09).
Hey Ocean! gets Kissed | Vancouver, Canada
. Straight.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
HEY OCEAN SIGN WITH UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA | Universal Music Canada
. Universalmusic.ca. 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Hey Ocean Tour Restarting Soon
. Love Hey Ocean. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Hey Ocean
. Facebook. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
THE CAT EMPIRE | Concert Reviews
. Pressplus1.com. 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Hey Ocean – SXSW 2009, Austin TX – a set on Flickr
. Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
North by East West: Live Blogging Olympic Music : Hey Ocean! & First Canadian Medal!
. Two.nxew.ca. 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Summer Live Artists
-
LIVE at Squamish gets a rock 'n' roll jolt from Hey Ocean! and Stars
-
Hey, Ocean
. Coldsnapfestival.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Ashleigh Ball’s vocal injury worse than first anticipated, Eastern Tour canceled
. Ponyville Gazette. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
One City Journal: Listen Up: It’s Hey Ocean!
. Onecityjournal.blogspot.com. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Western Canada Music Award nominees | CTV Winnipeg
. Winnipeg.ctv.ca. 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Hey Ocean
. Independentmusicawards.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
TBooth Wireless – Only You
. YouTube. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2012-03-22. - Listen! Hey Ocean – Big Blue Wave, CBC Music, accessed May 9, 2012.
-
Hey Ocean! – Big Blue Wave (Played on The Peak)
. YouTube. 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
HootSuite Adds Advanced Facebook Management Tools
. YouTube. 2011-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-22. -
Best of Vancouver 2011 Readers' Choices – Best local band (unsigned) | Vancouver, Canada
. Straight.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22. - Not available online
- http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html
- Canadian Active Rock and Alt Rock Archive, January 5, 2012, America's Music Charts, accessed May 9, 2012.
-
Tonight It's Christmas – Single: Hey Ocean!: MP3 Downloads
. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-03-22.