"The mix of shoegazing moodiness, clipped rhythms, and deep textures that makes Pinback such an intoxicant appears in similar form in Ocean City Defender and K. Preston Merkley's lulling tracks. Merkley's main amendment is an earnest vocal sense: his nerd-rock tenor is more than just another instrument." - CNet.com
Ocean City Defender creates sprawling sounds evoking comparisons to 80's shoegaze - yet keeping songs terse - and with the melody and hooks inherent of 60's pop song styling.
The band consists of K. Preston Merkley (vocals/guitar/keyboards) (KP Merkley) formerly of a number of Thunder Bay bands (Cheepshot, Bankloan, A Call To Arms), and other bands across Ontario (Aviator, Miracle Mart). Ian Kaufman (bass/vocals/glockenspiel) and Mike Luce (drums/vocals/keyboards), formerly of Alberta shoegazers 'his Shaggy Chords'
Music can be found online at both http://myspace.com/oceancitydefender