QUINNY SHARES ABSORBING NEW SINGLE + VIDEO SETTLERS
Scottish-born, Melbourne-based artist Quinny weaves warmth into wistful, driving indie folk via his brand new single Settlers out in the world today. Previously renowned for his tongue-in-cheek Christmas sonic creations, as well as strangers frequently mistaking him for Ed Sheeran in public, Quinny’s brand new single showcases his absorbing creative flair, as does the accompanying video for Settlers also out today.
Penned in rural Maine in America during 2022 alongside friends Marie Collins (The Vegan Leather) and Hannah Daman, Settlers was given its finishing touches courtesy of Graham McCusker, a composer for BBC’s His Dark Materials and lead artist in Glasgow/Manchester bands KAZE and Marouli. Recording in Scotland with Robin Evans (Dodgy & The View), Settlers embraced many of Quinny’s musical muses while also capturing the poignant heartache that accompanies disappointment, as Quinny elaborates, “This song is about confronting those you rely on most when they have let you down. There’s a sort of stadium-folk feel to it. I wanted to have big chords, but also some delicate verses. If you listen to the piano, you’ll hear a bit of Sigur Rós influence, and I like to think I go a bit Billy Corgan at the end too.”
Featuring Quinny himself, aka Peter Quinn, on vocals, guitar and bass, Settlers also incorporates Graham McCusker on piano and vocals, Martin Tormey on drums and vocals, Marie Collins on vocals, Hannah Daman on vocals, Martin Quinnon vocals, and additional production by Nathan Cable. Also amplifying the track’s compelling subject matter and instrumentation, the visual accompaniment for Settlers features a relatable narrative, with director and filmmaker Conor Reilly working alongside Quinny and the clip’s actors Martin Quinn and Stephan Buchanan to bring the Settlers creative vision to life, along with some stunning landscape visuals shot in Quinny’s home country. “The video is about anxiety,” sharesQuinny. “It features a young man going about his daily business, constantly being interrupted by someone else – a manifestation of his woes. He tries to just ignore it, until finally starting to take some action and getting out and about in the Scottish Highlands. Because of the nature of the sound, I thought some wide shots of Scottish mountains would be quite fitting, and it’s worked really well. Martin and I workshopped the concept and story with a few people before landing where it did. After a point, I left Martin to it as he was on a roll! Originally, the video was set to a different song from the album, No Place to Die, but after a few edits, it was clear Settlers was the right choice.”
A talented singer and songwriter hailing from Scotland, Quinny’s musical endeavours has seen him fuse his burgeoning flair alongside his four influential B’s, namely Biffy Clyro, Blink-182, The Beatles and Bombay Bicycle driving behind Quinny’s ultimate trademark sound. With tours in the UK and North America under his belt, the multifaceted creative shifted to Melbourne in early 2020, with his newfound hometown sparking creative excitement in true rock’n’roll fashion. “I love it, honestly,” says Quinny of the Melbourne music scene. “Compared to Glasgow and London, Melbourne has remained rock’n’roll through and through. Less bands with backing tracks and more bass players jumping into the crowd at a packed out 100 cap show.”
Alongside performances headlining shows at The Gaso, Last Chance, Retreat and Fitzroy Pinnacle in Melbourne, Quinnyalso won the 2020 Darebin Songwriters’ People’s Choice Award shortly after moving down under for his single Found & Lost. Described by Tenement TV as “an enthralling mix of the raucous and sentimental with witty lyricism and poppy charm”, Quinny had spent the past few years releasing older material and flippant Christmas songs, with One Foot In The Grave’s Richard Wilson making an appearance in one of Quinny’s Christmas videos.
Set to perform next week at Fitzroy Pinnacle armed with his latest track, the brand new Quinny chapter is already shaping up to be one to remember. “Generally, at my live shows I talk too much! I saw Georgia Knight at the Forum supporting Blonde Redhead recently and she hardly talks…I aspire to be that cool,” Quinny concludes. “No one can understand what I’m saying anyway. This will be the first outing for a few of the songs of my upcoming album, so I’m looking forward to starting to get them on their feet with the full band. If nothing else, the backing vocals will be amazing, Estelle and Naomi always do such a great job.”
Settlers is out now.
QUINNY – UPCOMING SHOW:
THU 18 JUL | FITZROY PINNACLE, FITZROY NORTH VIC | 18+
Tickets available from Oztix
CHAVEZ CARTEL SHARE HYPNOTIC NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘UNFAMILIAR BOY’
A hypnotic blend of grit and post punk narcosis, the brand new single Unfamiliar Boy out today from Gold Coast five-piece Chavez Cartel is a woozy yet powerful continuation of the group’s trademark sound, serving up simmering intensity alongside a fittingly moody music video also out today.
Opening in a stripped-back haze, Unfamiliar Boy soon grows to oscillate between smoky simplicity and raucous choruses, headily driven by the repeated mantra “I wanna change, I need a change / I’m only human after all” and healthy servings of post punk rock. With nods to the psychedelic stylings Iggy and the Stooges as well as IDLES, Arctic Monkeys and Fontaines D.C., Unfamiliar Boy ultimately draws you headfirst into a vivid reflection on the overwhelming rollercoaster that is time, as the band explains, “The song was inspired by a period of time where life seemed to be going really fast and having the feeling where you don’t have time to even think. Like life is slipping through your fingers and you can’t quite grasp what’s really going on. Not a good headspace to be in. There’s a line coming out of the breakdown, “I need to wheel-spin in the mud, now that the months feel more like weeks”, that paints the mental picture of that feeling. It’s sort of like a plea where I’m going “If my head is going to go round in circles this fast can’t we at least stand still while we’re burning out and overheating so we’re not wasting any more time while we’re doing it?”.
Working alongside friend and frequent collaborator Jake Johnson, aka Burning Jacobs Ladder, Unfamiliar Boy firmly captures the live Chavez Cartel sonic potency, with the addition of Spencer Martin on mixing duties also continuing the creative thread in the band’s recent creative journey. “We did this song with a good mate of mine called Jake Johnson aka Burning Jacobs Ladder,” shares the band. “He’s a really great producer, he produces all his own music and he’s had a lot to do with our band over the last few months. He filled in on bass for our US tour and was a really cool addition to the lineup. We wanted to take that tour sound into studio with us and we’ve replicated it quite well. Johnson also engineered All I Know for us as well which is the bonus track on our Red Flag Blues EP. Those songs came out in March (check ‘em out!). Spencer Martin mastered the song for us who is an American mix/mastering engineer based in South Korea. He worked with Johnson a lot on his stuff, so we kept that working relationship going on our song.”
Wielding a slick yet gritty aesthetic, the accompanying music video for Unfamiliar Boy balances performance visuals along with punctuated shots of New York, resulting in a journey that feels simultaneously intimate yet perfectly curated, with all the featured visuals filmed by Brooklyn-based videographer Katie Oliver during the band’s recent North American visit. “The video was filmed by Katie,” the band shares, “It was all filmed on our New York leg of the US tour. She followed us around and hung out with us while we were playing over there and covered all our shows. She’s a real cool cat and came out partying with us and showed us round the city a bit too. It’s all there in the video. The video has a bit of a gritty/grungy tour documentary sort of vibe which is exactly what we wanted for this song. It’s more of an intimate live diary sort of feel as opposed to our previous production heavy music videos. Chavez Cartel in New York City. I still can’t get over it. Proud accomplishment.”
Releasing two EPs in 2019, Lucky Lucky and Confidence Is All I’m Taking Home, Chavez Cartel bunkered down during the pandemic years, ultimately turning their gaze and full focus into sharpening their sound and songwriting. The end result saw the band sign with End Of The Trail Records and release their 2023 EP Man’s Best Friend, before embarking on an extensive East Coast headline tour, supporting The Reytons on their What’s Rock N Roll Australian run, tour as main support alongside The Delta Riggs, and tick off their first ever UK performances, including headline shows in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham, along with performances at The Great Escape Festival and at the End Of The Trail Creative Showcase in London.
In 2024, Chavez Cartel took off overseas once again, performing at The New Colossus Festival in New York as well as at SXSW in Austin, Texas, with both experiences broadening the global reach of this talented Gold Coast group. A band undeniably on the rise and one absolutely not to be missed, Unfamiliar Boy is the beginning of a phenomenal new chapter for Chavez Cartel; and following an extremely busy 12 months on the road, the band are raring to reveal even more new music to the world in the not-too-distant future, as they conclude, “It feels like we’re back to business. Whenever we get back off touring it always feels like we’re doing nothing because the pace is so slow compared to life on the road. Of course, we never stand still, but the change of intensity is always disheartening. It feels like we’re working again now. We’re still in the studio finishing off a second song which will be the follow up single to Unfamiliar Boy. It’s a real change of pace for us but it’s a really beautiful track. We played it live once in Byron Bay a couple of years ago and it was received really well. We don’t often get chance to perform any stripped-back songs, but Byron is a hippy town and we dropped it at a small venue down there. It was quite magic, so we’re really happy to be digging this one out and getting it laid down. It shows our versatility as writers. Stay tuned for more to come.”
Unfamiliar Boy is out today, Wednesday July 10.
CHAVEZ CARTEL – UNFAMILIAR BOY – Official single artwork
DIESEL ANNOUNCES ‘BOOTLEG MELANCHOLY ALBUM TOUR 2024’ + SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ‘REMEMBER MY LOVE’ TAKEN FROM 17TH STUDIO ALBUM ‘BOOTLEG MELANCHOLY’ OUT NOW
Following the acclaimed release of his seventeenth studio album Bootleg Melancholy late last year, Australian icon Diesel is proud to today announce a national headline run to close out 2024, hitting the road with a full band for the Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour, presented by New World Artists. And accompanying Diesel’s tour excitement is the addition of a brand new music video for Remember My Love, aka the modern swoon closing out 2023’s Bootleg Melancholy.
Commencing a 13-date national run on Saturday 31 August in Adelaide, Diesel’s Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour will also journey through Melbourne, Warragul, Hobart, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Batemans Bay, Canberra, Perth and Darwin, with proceedings drawing to a close on Friday 13 December in Caloundra. Pre-sale tickets for the Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour 2024 will be available from 12pm AEST on Thursday 11 July, with general tickets on sale from 12pm AEST on Monday 15 July. To keep up to date with all things Diesel, including upcoming tour pre-sale opportunities, head to dieselmusic.com.au/mailinglist.
An exuberant and multi-faceted collection of 14 tracks, Bootleg Melancholy coalesces the myriad of talents wielded by Diesel, aka the prolific American-born and Aussie-based roots/rock guitarist and vocalist Mark Lizotte. Loaded with hooks, honeyed vocals, and a range of stylistic hues, Bootleg Melancholy’s songs greet with the warmth and familiarity of a good friend, with songs about family, mortality, childhood, and dreams. Travelling across time, place, and memory, this is rousing yet reflective pop music that celebrates the joys of everyday life while braving the difficult stuff – the challenges we all eventually face – with insights and tenderness; a fact witnessed vividly on the album’s closing track Remember My Love. “The song is about not forgetting that there are others around us who are experiencing the same human condition and not to get stuck in a moment,” shares Diesel of Remember My Love. “In part, I’m speaking to myself; a reminder that one must be at peace to some degree to be able to give solace to others. It’s also a mantra that in times of despair I’ve tapped into, just the idea of being loved can snap me out of spiralling down.”
As with the broader album’s output, Remember My Love was tracked by Diesel on his own, later bringing in Lee Moloney on drums (“to add some more weight”, as Diesel puts it). Starting with an 808 drum pattern heard in its verses, Remember My Love grew continuously over the space of a few days, resulting in the eerie yet bright track ultimately heard on the album that is also brought to stunning life today via its accompanying music video. “The music video for Remember My Love was shot by my daughter Lily Lizotte and edited by Blake Fraser, who worked on the multi-award-winning Patricia Moore series,” shares Diesel. “For the video, I thought it would be a good fit to return to where I remember writing most of the song, which is down by the nearby ports where I spend a lot of time decompressing. With a wide open horizon leading west, the sunsets are always vivid.”
Recently showcasing his enigmatic live show as part of his solo Forever Tour, including a sold out performance at the Sydney Opera House, Diesel’s upcoming performances in the latter half of 2024 will feature a three-piece band along with a celebration of the talented artist’s abundant back catalogue – including, of course, the tour’s titular release Bootleg Melancholy. “17 albums in, I’m probably not second guessing as much about the process,” shares Diesel. “My experiences working with other artists collaborating has really rubbed off on what I make too. I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from people on this record, especially after making and releasing 2 albums during the pandemic, it’s affirming to get peoples reaction first-hand in real life!”
“Having so much material to draw from is a nice problem,” Diesel adds. “My band have been good at reminding me of songs and albums that I may have neglected for no particular reason. Having a new piece of the puzzle in Bootleg Melancholy will help shape the set. I can already see songs from other albums “putting up their hands” to be in the set, as I’ve found new songs will evoke feelings and parallel lines to older songs. We make quite a bit of sound it’s been said for a three-piece band and these shows coming up won’t be an exception, I really enjoy the juxtapose of playing band shows, and the same could be said for solo shows, I’m pretty blessed to have both!”
One of Australia’s greatest success stories, the American-born Diesel, aka Mark Lizotte, has spent three decades weaving his one-of-a-kind musical magic into his rock and blues-fuelled sounds, both as part of the band Johnny Diesel & The Injectors and, more recently, as a solo artist. With multiple #1 ARIA charting albums under his belt, six ARIA award wins and millions of streams alongside a legion of fans, Diesel’s creative skillset also expands beyond his own projects, with the talented artist also renowned for his work as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. And good news for Diesel fans and music lovers in general out there – the man himself is primed for some exciting upcoming creative endeavours alongside his impending tour, as he concludes, “It’s pretty normal for me to start writing another body of songs and start the recording process for another album, and I’ve been doing just that, in between shooting eps for an upcoming TV series where I get to interview music artists and shine a light on concerts and the stories behind them. Even though I’m a working musician, I’m still a fan and love talking music with anyone whose interest is piqued!”
Diesel’s Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour commences this August. Exclusive fan pre-sale from 12pm AEST Thursday July 11 ends 10am AEST Monday July 15 (online pre-sale, password required, join dieselmusic.com.au list for unique code & link), public on sale 12pm AEST Monday July 15 from outlets and dieselmusic.com.au.
Bootleg Melancholy is out now via Bloodlines.
DIESEL – BOOTLEG MELANCHOLY ALBUM TOUR DATES
Proudly Presented by New World Artists
SAT 31 AUG | NORWOOD CONCERT HALL | ADELAIDE | SA | 7:30-10:30 PM*
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | All Ticketmaster Outlets
SUN 1 SEP | SHEDLEY THEATRE | ELIZABETH | SA | 6:30-9:30 PM*
Tickets available from https://www.theshedley.com.au 08 8256 0500, Box Office
SAT 7 SEP | RMIT – THE CAPITOL | MELBOURNE | VIC | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au |All Ticketmaster Outlets
SUN 8 SEP | WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE | WARRAGUL | VIC | 6:30-9:30 PM
Tickets available from https://wgac.com.au 03 5624 2456, Box Office
FRI 4 OCT | THEATRE ROYAL | HOBART | TAS | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from https://www.theatreroyal.com.au 03 6146 3300, Box Office
FRI 11 OCT | REDLAND PAC | BRISBANE | QLD | 7:30-10:30 PM*
Tickets available from https://www.rpac.com.au 07 3829 81 31, Box Office
FRI 18 OCT | CITY HALL | NEWCASTLE | NSW | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available https://tickets.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au | 02 4929 1977
SAT 19 OCT | YORK THEATRE-SEYMOUR CENTRE | SYDNEY | NSW | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from https://www.seymourcentre.com 02 7255 1561, Box Office
FRI 25 OCT | BAY PAVILIONS | BATEMANS BAY | NSW | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from https://baypavilions.com.au 02 4415 1800, Box Office
SAT 26 OCT | THE STREET THEATRE-ANU | CANBERRA | ACT| 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from https://www.thestreet.org.au 02 6247 1223, Box Office
FRI 8 NOV | STATE THEATRE CENTRE OF WA, HEATH LEDGER TH | PERTH | WA | 7:30-10:30 PM
Tickets available from https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au 08 6212 9292, Box Office
SAT 16 NOV | ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE | DARWIN | NT | 7:30-10:30 PM*
Tickets available from https://www.yourcentre.com.au 08 8980 3333, Box Office
FRI 13 DEC | PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, THE EVENTS CENTRE | CALOUNDRA | QLD | 7:30-10:30 PM*
Tickets available from https://theeventscentre.com.au 07 5491 4240, Box Office
EXCLUSIVE PRE-SALE: 12PM AEST THURSDAY 11 JULY – 10AM AEST MONDAY 15 JULY or until allocation is exhausted.
Online pre-sale, password required, join dieselmusic.com.au list for unique code & link.
PUBLIC ON SALE: 12PM AEST MONDAY 15 JULY – From outlets and dieselmusic.com.au .
DIESEL performs entire concert – Greatest Hits + songs from the Bootleg Melancholy Album in 2 parts + intermission, with band – except solo shows*
FULLY RESERVED SEATING. DIESEL Presale available for mailing list members to access the best seats. Times shown above are for doors open & close.
Limited VIP Meet & Greet front row seat Packages & Premium Seating options available. Concert is suitable for AA (11+ recommended).