Vancouver based indie rock band Hey Ocean’s David Vertesi is excited to join old friends Said the Whale on tour while supporting his new 
sophomore CD “Sad Dad Cruise Ship.”
They play Studio in Lethbridge, May 1.
“ It’s kind of tongue and cheek. That’s how I’ve always described my music as sad dad cruise ship. I like that contrast. I always like to try to make people happy and sad at the same time,” said Vertesi en to route to London, Ontario for a tour date.
Most of the shows have been sold out.
“They’re playing smaller venues than usual so there’s always a lot of people,” he said.
“ I’m playing three sets. Their bassist (Nathan Shaw) stepped down before the tour.
So I’m playing a solo set on my own — which is how I’ve always written the songs with a guitar and stripped down. So I’m excited to play the songs for people like that and I’m playing bass with them,” he said.
According to Said the Whale’s publicist Julie Booth said Nathan Shaw amicably left Said the Whale to pursue his other musical project.
Vertesi said it has been a few years since his first solo album.
“My band was taking off at the same time, so I didn’t really get to support it. Now, Hey Ocean is on hiatus, so now I can. And I hope to be back out in the fall,” Vertesi said.
He is also in the process of moving to Detroit, though the new music wasn’t inspired by it.
“ I recorded it before the move. Detroit is in a period of transition. But there is also a sense of perseverance which creates a sense of optimism, so it is a really interesting time to be part of it,” he said adding he and his wife wanted to shake things up so decided to move.
“ We wanted to go somewhere that was different than Vancouver. Detroit is definitely the opposite of Vancouver and it’s cheaper to live there,” he said.
He also wanted to shake things up musically.
“Some of the songs you can vibe out on, others are shorter. There’s a lot of different structures. It’s more interesting that way,” he said.
The videos for the new music are also different.
“ Loud Talker” features Vertesi and his band being filmed through a window of a smoky room.
A Night With Said the Whale and David Vertesi begins at t 8 p.m. , May 1. Tickets cost $25 in advance.
