We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ocean Natives Wolfgang menk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ocean Natives , appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
When we first started we were just getting together with our close friends to play music together because it was just something we loved. Soon we had every piece of the puzzle creating a full sound and before we knew it we had even written some original music. For years I had said that we should start a band and the way it had fallen into place was to hard to resist. I told the guys that we should go play an open mic even if it was just for fun, but we couldn’t go play as a band with out a name! So we through a bunch of ideas in and came up with “ocean natives” days before the open mic. After playing our 3 songs, the promoter Scott Clayton of on point promotions offered us a slot in the Oceanside surf contest line up at the Oceanside amphitheater! We couldn’t say no. And we’ve been ocean natives ever since. Playing shows all over San Diego. It’s now been roughly 6 or 7 years and we have music out on all platforms!
Ocean Natives , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Ocean natives is a group of best friends that all have a passion for music and a message. Reggae checks those boxes for us, while blending it with rock and other influences. We all played music growing up and I’ve always said that the band somewhat created itself weather by pure chance or just great timing yet We all work so hard chipping away at this crazy dream. Putting every once of heart we have into the songs we create. For me personally playing music was always my go to outlet for every emotion and even though it can be terrifying getting on stage I know there is no better feeling. We truly love all of our support and have enjoyed watching this band grow into what it is today. And the growth of the music, fan base, and us as people is something to be proud of. We are humbled by so many opportunities we’ve been blessed with and want to push harder than ever. There’s just something about music that brings people together of all backgrounds and being in the midst of that energy is powerful.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think that the toughest pill that we had to swallow was when they shut down the country for COVID. It hit us particularly hard because we were set to go on tour 2 weeks after they shut down every venue. It was so demoralizing in so many ways. We had worked hard to get sponsors to help with travel. We had every venue booked, and the anticipation and excitement was through the roof. We had momentum and for it to be taken away to quickly was horrible. No more live music. It became uncharted territory, like a world we didn’t recognize since previously we had been on stage almost every week. It took away the drive to create. We couldn’t believe something we put countless hours into could just be taken away.. needless to say it was a learning experience that humbled us. We had to adjust. We weren’t gonna let it stop us. So we had to wait it out. Stayed in touch. Worked on our craft, and did a live stream every now and then and kept looking for signs that live music would return. Eventually it did and we were beyond ready to get back on the grind and did just that. We released a new song called Babylon system feat. Nathan aurora of a band called iya terra. We are heavily booked currently and even planning to go on tour soon! It was a weird time but here we are still doing what we love. If anything we want it more now than ever.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
For bands social media is crucial, but also word of mouth. With every show we play we aim to leave with new fans. Work hard and practice how you play. And no matter where you go you have to see everything as a networking opportunity cause every chance you can plug your band or mention your music you never know who’s listening and you just might gain a new follower or show opportunity just by sparking someone’s interest.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @oceannativesband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OceanNatives?mibextid=LQQJ4d