The Ocean Blue - Mercury Records and Indie Releases

Mercury Records and Indie Releases

By 1996, gone was the light and airy synthesized sounds of the band, and in was more guitar driven music, thanks in part to the arrival of Oed Ronne and the band's renewed interest in the music of the 1960s. Mercury Records picked up the band and released See the Ocean Blue that fall. While Schelzel remained the predominant songwriter of the band, Oed Ronne composed two tracks and sang lead on his song "Behind."

See was released to lukewarm results. At the last minute, the record company cancelled plans to film a video for the second single, "Slide," and never really promoted the album at all. Despite a nationwide tour, the band fell victim to the global record company mergers and purges that engulfed late 1996 and early 1997. Literally overnight, numerous bands worldwide were dropped by their labels. These record company politics and shakeups also left one of the band's idols, Morrissey, without a record deal for over seven years.

In 1999, after three years of downtime, the band recorded and self-released Davy Jones Locker. It was a breezy album reflecting nearly every style of their careers, and featured lead vocals not only by David but also Oed Ronne and drummer Rob Minnig. Because of its indie status, the release received little radio airplay.

In 2001, Davy Jones Locker was resequenced, remastered, and re-released on March Records. Again, little fanfare or touring was put into promoting the album. March Records marketed both the album and released two EPs, Denmark and Ayn were released, each featuring three new b-sides.

Around 2000 or 2001 Rob Minnig decided to leave the group after fourteen years, and Peter Anderson (a friend of the band from Minneapolis, Minnesota) was brought in for live shows and eventually permanent recording work.

As the band members have grown older, their music has taken a backseat to their professional jobs and families. In 2004, the band released the EP Waterworks on What Are Records?. A diverse collection of music is found on this six-song disc, again showcasing Schelzel and Ronne's keen ability to craft '60s-inspired pop-music, with Bobby Mittan's basslines and Peter Anderson's rapid-fire drumming. The Orange Peels' Allen Clapp also contributes music and production to the EP. In 2004, the group toured select dates around the nation, even adding The Owls' saxophonist Brian Tighes as an homage to Steve Lau's sound.

In 2005, to reciprocate, Oed Ronne and Peter Anderson contributed to Allen Clapp and The Orange Peels' album Circling The Sun. In October of that same year, David Schelzel entered the studio to record a solo version of Adolphe Adam's 1847 Christmas classic "O Holy Night". This song was available only as a digital download via the band's website for the 2005 holiday season.

In late 2005, the Ocean Blue's entire five studio album catalogue and the Waterworks EP became available for purchase on iTunes, as well as the band's first four videos.

On June 1, 2006, the Ocean Blue's Schelzel/Mittan/Ronne/Anderson line-up played its first ever South American concert, with a show at Teatro Rajatabla El Llonja, Barranco-Lima, Peru.

In July 2010, the Ocean Blue's long-unreleased 1993 studio track "City Traffic" was uploaded to YouTube, with an accompanying homemade video. The song was originally intended for release with the Eric Stoltz-starred film soundtrack "Naked In New York", but was dropped in favor of two other songs from the band's third album.

In December 2010, the band's website announced that a new record may be released in 2011. The website also offered a free Christmas download of a newly recorded cover version of the ancient Basque Carol "The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came", by David Schelzel and Don Peris.

In December 2011, the band's website announced that a free Christmas download was available via the band's Facebook page. The release was a cover version of "Walking In The Air", a song written by Howard Blake and first showcased in the 1982 animated film 'The Snowman', adapted from Raymond Briggs' noted 1978 children's novel of the same name. Similar to the previous year's holiday download, the recording was performed by David Schelzel and Don Peris (of The Innocence Mission).

On March 19, 2013, The Ocean Blue's sixth album, entitled Ultramarine, is slated for release on Korda Records. It will be the band's first studio album since 1999. The band has lined up a few live shows to coincide with the release. On March 6, 2013, the band also released the single 'Sad Night, Where Is The Morning?', to radio, and in digital and physical formats.