“Warm, smokey, laced with honey and rough around the edges
like a piece of cedar siding”…well, sign me up! Elijah Ocean was born in a
small house in the Hudson Valley. His parents later moved the family to the woods
of midcoast Maine, where he grew up writing songs in a barn...well if that
doesn’t scream good American roots music, I am not sure what does. Before
moving to Brooklyn in 2009, Ocean hung his hat in Portland, where he recorded
and released his folky solo debut, The Wind or the Wine. Ocean is currently
performing regionally all over the country, and has begun work on what will be
his third solo release. Honest and just plain good songwriting is what you get
with this man, weary from the road but ready for the party anyway. I caught up
with Elijah for a few questions about his music, touring, and his upcoming show
right here in Cambridge at Club Passim on January 7th.
1) So, who are you, what do you do, why are you here? Give
the fine readers the low down on Elijah Ocean, your current projects, etc....
EO: I am a songwriter, singer and guitar player with a
touring band living in Brooklyn, New York. I released my first solo record in
2009 before moving down here from Maine, and then got to work putting a band
together for my second one, which came out in 2012. Since then the lineup of
the band has evolved into it's current formation, and we've been touring the
country and getting ready to release the next record.
2) Your music definitely blurs the edges
between a few genres (I've heard references to Dylan, the Band, Justin Townes
Earle), but there is a keen focus on the songwriting that is obvious. As a
performer and musician how important is the songwriting craft aspect of your
music to you? That is, that people are really listening to and experiencing the
songs rather than just dancing and swaying to some music?
EO: The song is really what I listen for in music. A good
melody with believable lyrics sung over the right chords does something to me
that nothing else can. So I guess that's what I try to do; express myself
though song, and hope somebody listening connects. But it's also about the
party.
3) You just got back from a big tour and
another Daytrotter session. How has the road been to you
EO: The road is great. You can really explore and feel
everything getting better daily out there. That's not to say there aren't ups
and downs. Sometimes I didn't know what day it was, but was totally alert in
another way. This show at Passim will be different because it'll be solo
acoustic, which I really love doing when I get the chance.
4) So you have a show coming up at the noted Club
Passim with local duo Brian Carroll/Mark Whitaker and your pals,
Portland based The Coloradas. As a NYC artist, do you enjoy coming through
Boston/Cambridge? There is that sports rivalry between the two cities, but the
music communities seem to embrace one another in passing. How has the local
community received you in the past?
EO: Very much looking forward to the show. I grew up in New
England, so I have a lot of friends up there and a deep connection to the area.
Boston is not as different from the rest of the country as you may think. It's
definitely unique, but people are people all over America. I've enjoyed many a
night there.
5) Ok, so plug anything else you have coming up in the next
few months/ what else
EO: The full band will be out on the road again at the end
of January into February, doing a run around the Northeast and to Nashville and
back. Then we'll be hitting it again in March when the new album comes out,
going to Texas, California and back, keeping morale high and the van running.
Hope to see you!
Get your chance to catch Elijah when he swings through
Cambridge at Club Passim on January 7th. Also on the bill are Portland's
premier songwriting, guitar/banjo duo The Coloradas and Boston's own Mark
Whitaker and Brian Carroll playing as a duo for the first time.
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