Interview with . . . Atlantic Wasteland

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I’m so excited to introduce Atlantic Wasteland, which includes Sam Quatrini, Ausinette Rodriguez, Dan Downie, Tom Hopton, and Jerrod Borkey, to you guys. The band seems like they are so much fun plus their music is awesome. I’m 99% sure that you will also love them. I wish that I could’ve been there when they filmed the video for “It’s Mid-July, Take Off the Beanie.” However, Sam Quatrini of Atlantic Wasteland took the time out of his schedule to answer a few questions. Enjoy the interview!

Interview

Where was your first show?

Our first show as a full band was in Pittsburgh in 2017. We were opening for our friends in a band called A Summer High. At this time we didn’t actually have a solidified lineup yet, Ausinette & I were the only real “members” so we had three of our friends fill in. The best part was that we couldn’t coordinate everyone’s schedules for a rehearsal so I had to practice independently with everyone and the day of the show was the first time everyone met face to face.

How much of the video, “It’s Mid-July, Take Off the Beanie,” was planned? The dinosaur was unexpected.

As for the involvement of all the people, 90% of it was planned. The only people who weren’t in the actual script were the bikers – they just drove past and saw what we were doing and so we asked if they wanted to do cool stuff in the background – they were happy to and it turned out really awesome.

Why do people dress for the opposite season? Like beanies in July and shorts in January.

That’s an age old question that will most likely go unanswered for centuries to come. Perhaps it is the need to let everyone else know how unwilling to conform to the expected seasonal attire you are, thus solidifying your identity as a “warrior of the weather. I hope to one day understand this and find the truth.

How many of you are hockey fans?

Hmm, I used to be a huge PENS fan. I kinda fell out of it after high school though I’m not super into sports anymore. Our guitar player Tom is really into Pittsburgh sports though, so I’m sure he’d love to shoot the breeze with other hockey fans.

Why do you think some people have a larger than life sense of entitlement and some people don’t feel like they deserve anything?

I certainly don’t want to assume I know what someone has gone through. Nor do I want to assume that there’s a single reason that people would act that way, but I can say that insecurity can certainly be a cause of this. We’ve all been there, we all have certain insecurities that cause us to act in a way that isn’t the healthiest for us. Whether we try to overcompensate or behave in a self-demeaning manner, You can never go wrong with the golden rule: treat others the way that you would want to be treated. People aren’t really all that hard to figure out. We’ve all had experiences out of our own control that affect us significantly, but it’s important to focus on the things that you can control: your attitude, your outlook on life, the way you treat others And last but certainly not least, how you love yourself.

What do you love about your hometown?

Pittsburgh has a lot of history and really cool cultural districts. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the music scene is thriving by any means, but it’s a very niche group of artists that respect and pay attention to each other. Everyone is somehow interconnected which I find pretty interesting. It’s kind of like one giant extended family. Everyone has mutual friends that are some kind of artist, musician, designer, etc.

What kind of goals do you have for the band this year?

We are working on a full length album which we hope to release sometime this summer. It will be our first LP and we are so proud of how it’s turning out. Expect more music in the near future!

What do you want people to know about Atlantic Wasteland?

I am describing the project as my “brain child.” I am so fortunate to be able to write and record music that I’m passionate about, and if people decide that they want to enjoy and support that, then that’s awesome. If not, then that’s still cool with me. It’s never been my goal for music to be a vehicle to fame, money or excessive praise. I love creating music because it’s simply an expression of my personality and of things that matter to me.