Being As An Ocean’s lead singer, Joel Quartuccio, has one of the most stellar beards that I’ve ever seen. Beneath the beard is an intriguing man in a really badass band. Members of this mind-blowing band are: Quartuccio – Unclean vocals, spoken vocals; Tyler Ross – Lead guitar, backing vocals; Ralph Sica – Bass; Michael McGough – Rhythm guitar, clean vocals; and Connor Denis – Drums.
Being As An Ocean released their self-titled album in June. If they are in the area, you should definitely go to their show. It will be worth the trip. In fact, I wish that I could follow them around on tour. Seeing them play live would never get old.
On a side note, when we saw them on Warped Tour, Joel touched my boyfriend’s face. After that the boyfriend walked around in a daze for an hour. He said he was not possessed or affected in any way but I’m not so sure.
The band’s name is derived from the following quote from Gandhi: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
1. The origin of the band name is really cool. Have you ever lost faith in humanity?
Joel Q: I have, but never completely. There are times when the world can seem so dark and bleak to each one of us, when we witness injustice or when we are the victims of it, and it is only natural to feel as if our belief in the goodness of humanity has been bruised. But it is worth saying that all of the good outweighs the bad. There are many more redemptive things about the qualities of humanity than bad, if we allow those things to grow in our character and us, as people, so we can never lose hope in it, not completely. There is always hope for better, to be better.
2. I know you guys were really busy this past summer. Did you enjoy Warped Tour?
Joel Q: We had an absolute blast. We have fallen in love with the “traveling circus/camp” feel of it all, and the shows have been more incredible than we could have asked for. Not to mention some of our best friends from the road are playing our same stage; every day it feels more and more like family. There are so many incredible acts playing this year, we are just honored to be apart of it all and are enjoying it immensely.
3. Who was your favorite band on Warped Tour?
Joel Q: On our stage: it would have to be a toss up between Hundredth and ’68. Sick shows every day. And not on our stage: although they were only on the tour for a very short while, Motion City Soundtrack was like a kid’s dream come true for me to watch (they were perfect) and PVRIS played some truly incredible shows. Smashing it.
4. Do you ever get overwhelmed by all of the people at the shows?
Joel Q: There are definitely times when I can feel overwhelmed, but I know myself well enough to know when I need to just excuse myself, recharge.
5. Is there anywhere on the planet that you haven’t toured yet?
Joel Q: We still have never toured a lot of Asia or any of South America, but we hope to start checking some of that stuff off our list very shortly.
6. Who influences you on a regular basis?
Joel Q: One of my favorite bands of all time, mewithoutYou has consistently put out records that have affected me to the core since I first heard [A–>B] Life. Their masterfully spun lyrics and poetry have always left me feeling contemplative, introspective and the music, as a whole, has continuously been a very special spiritual experience.
7. What would you be doing if you weren’t in a band?
Joel Q: I would have loved to go to school to become a psychologist or an English teacher, and who knows, maybe someday I will, a lot of life to live yet.
8. Do you believe that if the music is too loud that you’re too old?
Joel Q: Haha. As much as the lost boy in me says, yes, the physical reality of ringing ears says, no. If I didn’t wear earplugs a good percent of the time, my hearing would be even worse than it already is at 24.
9. Do you have any advice for people who want to start a band?
Joel Q: Make sure that the people in your band/group are all of a similar mind where the project is concerned. Similar dreams and goals let a team thrive and being a band is a team sport. You need to rely on those other 4 guys in a lot of life on the road/as a band. But if you can find that team, it is and can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do with your time, especially if you are truly passionate about music.
10. Is there anyone that you’d like to share the stage with?
Joel Q: It would be a huge dream of mine to play with mewithoutYou or Sigúr Rós in any capacity. I think I could die happy.
11. Do you have anything weird in your contract rider?
Joel Q: Actually our rider wouldn’t surprise anyone or raise any eyebrows. Raw garlic and ginger, maybe, just in case someone starts getting sick in any way.
HP: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions.
Joel Q: Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat. Much Love.
