New Oceans

NEW OCEANS is... Rob Miller/BASS, John Kehoe/DRUMS, David Downs/VOCALS, GUITAR Something Like a Bio: New Oceans is a dirty, loud, 3-piece rock band from Chicago. In the beginning, way back in primordial Earth, New Oceans was the solo project of David Downs. The sound back then was waaaay different. There were synthesizers, and bpm's, and sad little machines crying for love. Those things have since passed on, leaving an open and vast plain on which the new New Oceans are building their utopian society based on rock 'n roll.

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We are now signed to Funeral Records! Http://Facebook.com/funeralrecordschicago we are so stoked to be on this very new label!

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New Oceans playing at The Burlington Bar last night with Freaks For Geeks, The Citizens, and Clay Otter. It was a blast!

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Practicing a new song for Friday's show at Burlington Bar.

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We are practicing some new songs for our show at Burlington Bar in Logan Square this Friday. It's a beach themed show, and the place will be packed! We're playing with Freaks For Geaks, The Citizens, and Clay Otter. Starts at 8pm.

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A little burlap from a coffee sack, a little paint after stripping off the black outer shell, and my Behringer amp now looks vintage and much cooler.

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Nevermind, whatever, bye So this might seem strange to some, but for me it's totally normal, I have a journal and some letters and poems I wrote and others wrote to me back in high school. Why? I dunno. I do get a lot of inspiration from my memories of high school or further back in my childhood. One song I'm writing right now was taken directly from the words of a troubled friend who wrote me a letter while her parents argued in the other room about what a bitch she is and how she doesn't deserve to be in the family. Seriously? What do you think stuff like that does to you? Those were some hard times as my friends and I mostly came from harsher households. But at least we had each other to connect to. I'm so glad my psychologist suggested a journal. It eventually became something a few select friends and I would pass back and forth talking about our parents, crushes, music, and poetry. It must be really different now in a world of social media where so much is made public, where people build Instagram personas of depressive youth and market it as fashion. Do people share their thoughts intimately anymore in private journals and letters? I'm not really sure why I care either. I'm fascinated by the young people today, wondering how they deal and cope with their problems today. I wonder how different it is than how it was for us. My generation was more isolated. Maybe one or two people would ever read the things I wrote, and chances are, I wrote these things directly to them. A positive to that being, I at least knew who I was writing to. These thoughts I'm writing now go out to you, the unknown reader in the vast void of the interwebs. The thought of that seems even lonelier I think.

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Tomorrows Tulips Their new album, 'When' is a perfect mellow stroll on a rainy day like today. Also good for sunny days relaxing in the park having a picnic or walking barefoot on an empty beach in the morning or any other time of the day you just want to calm down and get all dreamy. It's on iTunes. They're in California.

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The Heroine Whores Remember when girls played rock music hard enough to put their male counterparts to shame? The screams of L7 or the rasp of Hole was something that gave a tingle to the shorts of boys and girls sick of the dancing strippers that sing pop music. Well... Here is a band from Germany called The Heroine Whores. Their last EP can be heard here: https://theheroinewhores.bandcamp.com I recommend clearing the room of furniture to give adequate space for thrashing and head banging and give a good hard listen to "Boy in the Box" and "Little Miss Grrl" off of Soaked.

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Be the shark.

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Working on the mixes for the new New Oceans album... And cutting down the song list.

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Hinds, formerly Deers, is a great new band from Spain on Burger Records that has a few songs out. They are working on a full album right now in the studio. It’s hard to place their style. Their music reminds me a little of things like Tommy James and The Shondells but with wailing girls over taking each track with often loud, bordering obnoxious singing- which I mean in a good way! It’s raw, and somehow really sexy. I feel like I’m surrounded by the coolest alternative girls ever swooning me in a trippy, drunken swagger at a party with high school friends. They sound like they don’t give a shit about anything but having fun, but incidentally achieve some rather complex vocal layering. I think I listen to at least one of their songs everyday, a favorite being “Trippy Gum”. It starts with a punk countdown, 1, 2, 3, and then a low sensual “4” that’s an instant, unexpected turn on. Oh, but I guess I spoiled it.

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I was at this show and the last band sounded like Blink 182 and the guy next to me was really excited and said, “Wow this takes me back to high school! Remember when we were all listening to pop punk! I said, "I don’t like pop punk. The bands I listened to would eat those bands.” That’s my generation, gen X. Our bands were gritty and dirty sounding like their influences. I’m from a generation that hears what kids listen to these days and says, ironically, what is this generic pop bullshit? It must be how people felt about disco. By the way… I’ll be posting some NEW bands that are really awesome. Feel free to write me if you like anything or think I might like something.

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So this 9 year old girl says to me, "I have to take pills now." I said, "I know. How do you feel about that?" "I don't know," she said, "it's ok I guess." "Can I tell you a secret? When I was younger I had to take pills too, but just for a little while." She's 9. I was 21. She's also a really good kid and it makes me sad that they have her on meds because she can't get along with the other kids.

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Our first show in the new year will be in Chicago at Red Line Tap

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Some of David's guitars.

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Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore

Andre Gide (via voldemortwearsarmani)