David Vertesi

Vancouver native David Vertesi first gained notice as the bassist in the Canadian pop outfit Hey Ocean!, yet his work extends across numerous other projects and includes a developing solo path as both vocalist and tunesmith. Early on he cultivated a passion for music and started composing at age thirteen. The pivotal moment arrived after he caught Ashleigh Ball on vocals and David Beckingham on guitar during a club performance; he immediately informed the pair that he was the bassist they needed. They agreed to test him out, and Hey Ocean! took shape. The group blended clever lyrics with understated funk grooves and Caribbean pulses, gradually building a sizable Canadian audience while issuing Stop Looking Like Music in 2006 and It’s Easier to Be Somebody Else in 2009 on their own Pop Machine imprint. With the band’s rising profile, Vertesi began collaborating with an array of emerging talents such as hip-hop artist Shad K., indie pop vocalist Hannah Georgas, and Jose Miguel Contreras of By Divine Right. He also joined the flamboyant electronics-and-garage-pop collective Topless Gay Love Tekno Party. In 2010 he stepped away from his customary buoyant material to address more intimate themes on his debut solo album. Cardiography, issued that same year, offered a blend of wit and emotional depth while exploring the highs and lows of romantic connections. Vertesi and Contreras produced the record, which earned favorable notices; Vertesi then performed a series of solo dates whenever his commitments with Hey Ocean! allowed.