by Dave Snider
[setting: Tony's front porch surrounded by bag of assorted beer brought by Dave]
Heavenly Oceans are: Jake Pavlak (guitars), Tony Figoli (drums) and Shehan Nattar (melodica/pump organ)
Raenie Kane (fan)
[can of Miller Lite cracking]
Dave: Do you dream about playing live shows?
Jake: They always go really bad … don’t they?
Tony: Bad meaning good right?
J: No like something terrible happens like … I can’t get to the stage or i don’t know the song or …
T: Actually the only time I have ever had a musical dream I was in high school and I was playing this drum solo and the crowd was like “TO-NY! TO-NY! TO-NY!” and I woke up to my mom banging on the door. I had probably fallen asleep watching a john hughs film.
D: When you first started did you know you were going to have this kind of effect on people?
J: I didn’t know we had an effect on people … so … yes.
T: [in thick Maine accent] I did though recently find out the difference between an ocean and a sea … and that an ocean has current.
J: Really?! Wow. nice!
T: Yeah. and … a sea does not. So … thats probably another reason why we’re better than “the sea and cake”.
D: Stage names?
T: Yeah he’s jake and I’m tony.
(sound of passing car)
T: I shoulda been drunk when I was on the air for Fresh Tracks or whatever that was.
J: Yeah just wasted!!
D: You were drunk on fresh tracks?
(sound of passing car)
D: OK Jake … what are your songs about?
T: [in thick Maine accent] The human condition … doncha think?
J: probably. if you look hard enough. i guess a lot of them are about making love. Non gender specific too … I think.
D: I’ve noticed that … and you have at least 2 songs about sea life.
T: Brain Sturgeon. river life technically.
D: so if there were lyrics, who would write them?
J: Shehan … hopefully.
T: Shehan …definitely Shehan. He’s not here right now. I think he’s babysitting right now.
D: Have you seen “Strange Brew”?
J: YES!
D: that was about beer right?
J: yeah but there was some diabolical guys right?
T: there was a plan … a … some kind of plot … of sorts. It was Belgian right?
D: and it was about canada right?
T: [in thick Maine accent] I LOVE Canada.
D: what does your typical fan look like?
Raenie – (raising her hand) Me!
T: [in thick Maine accent] Definitely female.
J: 32 and maybe still in college? and they probably have some level of alcohol dependence.
D: A question for tony … have you ever put anything on consignment?
T: oddly enough the first thing i thought of was “bidet”. i don’t know why.
D: You had a bidet that you didn’t want?
T: I guess so! uh no … i don’t think I”ve ever put anything on consignment except Boogie Chillin’s first record.
J: is there any more miller light?
T: Yeah.
D: Where did you meet Shehan?
J: craigslist / ride share. We were like … that guy doesn’t sound very dangerous. We were going to a gig and found out that he was also a musician.
T: or wanted to be a musician.
R: so then you enlisted his services as a clapper?
J: yeah! cuz he said he was willing to clap 8th notes and we said … thats what we want!
T: [in a wicked thick Maine accent] Yeah … straight 8th notes!
D: Do you wanna say anything else about the record?
J: We need to record another one. We really do. We don’t ever put anything new out. We’re like thelonious monk in the sense that he only had a few songs and he just kept re-recording them and re-releasing them for decades.
T: and … professor longhair .. for that matter! He never left new orleans and we … don’t leave eugene.
J: Although we may have nothing else in common with the greats.
(sound of passing car)
T: Are we done being interviewed?
D: probably.
