Julie Ocean

Indie-jangle pop ensemble Julie Ocean (the name of a band, not a singer,) based their operations in Washington, D.C. for the scant few years of their existence. Initially Friendship Flower Shop, named for a local retail florist, they transformed to Julie Ocean, inspired by a song from the early-'80s Northern Ireland group the Undertones. Early influences for the group include the Beatles, the Ramones, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, and Flying Nuns. Bandmembers had known each other as early as 1990 through Peter Cortner, the singer from Dag Nasty. Never a touring group, Julie Ocean remained a local cult band, with some out of town dates on the Eastern Seaboard, opening for the Dirtbombs, Apples in Stereo and Half Japanese. Their sole recording Long Gone & Nearly There was produced by Geoff Sanoff -- whose credits include Luna, Fountains of Wayne, and the Secret Machines -- for the Philadelphia based Transit of Venus label and distributed by Redeye Media. Julie Ocean comprises former Velocity Girl and High-Back Chairs guitarist and vocalist Jim Spellman, ex-Saturday People, Tree Fort Angst, and Glo-Worm guitarist and vocalist Terry Banks, former Weatherhead bassist Hunter Bennett, drummer Alex Daniels, who previously worked with Swiz, Severin, and Sweetbelly Freakdown. The band dissolved in 2008 when Jim Spellman moved to Denver, CO to take a position with CNN. ~ Michael G. Nastos