Jeff Frate of Blac Ocean
by Adrienne Vernon

CS: How did your band form?

JF: We never made a conscious effort to pick up players along the way. The band started with just Joe Tandle, Matt Geldof, and myself. There were also a couple of other people that we lost. Over the years though we’ve ended up with a few more players, who are more friends than band mates.
We don’t advertise for musicians, they just come to us. We also frequently have guests perform with us, including at one show a local high school orchestra.

CS: What does your name mean, and where did you come up with it?

JF: I’ll start with the serious part; what does it mean? I think that all of us may have slightly different opinions about our name. But, to me our name is about mystery. In the beginning The Holy Spirit moved over the waters of creation in darkness. In the Old Testament God is described as dwelling in clouds and thick darkness. So to me the word Black in our name is about the mystery of who God is, and the wor d Ocean describes the immensity of that mystery.

Our name is also about salvation. Water is a constant symbol of life in the Old and New Testament’s. The waters of the sea open before Moses and the Israelites to save them from the Egyptians. We are baptized in water “for the forgiveness of sins.” The Lord throws our sins into a sea of forgetfulness. The Holy Spirit is described as a river that flows through the city of God. So the word Ocean in our name has a lot to do with salvation.

Our name means mystery and salvation.

Where did we come up with our name? I’d like to say that we tried to think of something really deep but back then we just wanted something that sounded cool. It is very strange that the words have gained so much significance for me, and I think for everyone else in the band as well, over time.

CS: What or who is the main focus of your ministry?

JF: In creating we offer the talents that God has given us back to Him, so in that sense our ministry is actually fo cused on Him. Being an artist or musician, to me, is like practicing the Beatitudes in form, color, sound, and spoken words. In this way our work becomes a sacrifice of praise. All of this creating is no substitute for living the life of a disciple, but hopefully it can encourage us in living that life. So the main focus of our ministry is to offer ourselves, and our talents, to God, as well as to encourage others, particularly those who feel outcast, to do the same.

CS: Do you like to fellowship with your fans?

JF: Yes, we like to fellowship with our fans. We would never want to be distant performers. Unfortunately, our performances can be intimidating, and sometimes I wonder if that keeps people from approaching us after a show. Bringing food to a show would probably solve a lot of those problems.

CS: Do you write your own music?

JF: Yes we do. We started out writing our own music in high school, and we never stopped.

CS: What is the message that you are trying to get across with your music?

JF: We are trying to get across the message that Jesus is alive. Abundant life results from following him, and an abundance of creativity can be found in that life. So we want other believers to get the message that they should not mimic the present pop culture because it is a waste of their talents. We are called to be “not of this world,” and our music should be otherworldly. If all we are creating are Christian copies of secular bands then we become nothing more than the right wing of a right and left culture, and in our attempt to make an alternative to the world we become an integral part of it. What we need to offer instead is the antidote to the world, truth, painfully beautiful truth.

CS: How would you describe your musical style?

JF: Lord you know my name, my selfish quirks, You know my mind and the way I work, The role I made can’t be rehearsed, My son needs me now to make this work…. So

Someday …is too far away,
I need direction…right now…because
Someday ..is
just too far away,
He needs me to love him right now.
Someday .. is too far away,
I need you here with me right now.

I always have trouble with this one, but I guess you could say that we’re somewhere in between Sonic Youth and Gregorian chant, with some folk thrown in to throw everything off.

CS: Latest news?

JF: Our bass player just got back from a missions trip in Africa, which I think is spectacular. We are also beginning an attempt to write music together over the Internet. C. D.’s are always in progress.

CS: If you could ask Jesus one thing what would it be?

JF: It would be more of a request. I’d ask Him if I could cook Him dinner.

As far as any questions about the meaning of life, or why people suffer, I am under the impression that when I see Him who is the Truth, I won’t have any need for questions.

CS: Do you have any advice for youth?

JF: Love your enemies.