photo: Jim Arbogast
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Quinn Sullivan’s musical origin story is a familiar one, albeit with a twist. “I think what compelled me to want to be a musician was watching The Beatles play on the Ed Sullivan Show,” he says.
This is a common refrain from artists who watched the Fab Four perform on the program in February 1964. A bit less so from a musician born 35 years later. “That sounds like what a Boomer might say growing up in the ‘60s,” he laughs.
“Obviously, I didn’t see them live on the Ed Sullivan Show, I watched them on a DVD. My parents were big music lovers growing up and I was surrounded by a lot of different music, but seeing The Beatles play and becoming a massive Beatles fan had the deepest influence and impact on me. Watching them do their thing just seemed so cool and I wanted to do it.”
Sullivan was able to achieve that goal at an early age, following a fortuitous backstage meeting with Buddy Guy at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford, Mass., when he was 8. Guy invited the guitarist to perform that evening, and two years later, welcomed him as the opener for an East Coast summer tour. While still a pre-teen, Sullivan made his own television appearances on a number of notable programs, including The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show.
However, as Sullivan’s reference to The Beatles suggests, his musical passions have always extended beyond the blues. His 2021 studio album, Wide Awake, found him moving in that direction and his new record, Salvation, continues the trajectory.
Looking back on his relationship with Guy, Sullivan asserts, “I felt like the luckiest kid in the world to get discovered by one of the best to ever do it. Being around him over the years taught me so many things—and not only about music. He taught me about life and living and the human experience. Every time I walked into his dressing room on a tour, it was like going into a history class. I’ve learned so much from him and that knowledge has seeped into my soul.
“But I got to a point, at around 17 or 18, where people were putting these tags on me, like savior of the blues, future of the blues, blues prodigy, blues this, blues that. It scared the hell out of me because I didn’t know what kind of artist I wanted to be. What I do know is that the only way to be happy in the music world is to evolve, improve and explore other avenues. That’s what I’ve been doing over the last five years. So, yes, the blues is part of me, but it doesn’t define me as an artist. It is always going to be an influence, but never a category.”
Sullivan wrote the songs on Salvation over a three-month period, working with Minneapolis-based producer John Fields. The lyrical themes address mental health struggles, romantic entanglements and Sullivan’s response to the passing of his mother in 2022. The performances manifest his affinity for stinging guitar leads and more nuanced expressions, all of which are complemented by his emotive vocals.
The first song completed for the album was the title track. Sullivan remembers, “John Fields, who’s a wizard in all ways, invited a great songwriter named Kevin Bowe to come over. I played these guys a bunch of voice memos I had recorded, and we had a conversation for probably two hours about music, life, everything. This melody that I had written stuck out to them and we caught a vibe where we came up with this song about being saved from traumatic loss. When I say being saved, I mean through the love of the people around you. That’s what salvation means to me and it catapulted me into the rest of the album.”
Sullivan also explains that the process of creating the record offered something new for him. “For the first time in my life, I was really using music as therapy,” he offers. “It was a vital thing for me. I initially did it to get out of the house, but it became something to help me with what I was going through. I’m forever lucky and grateful to have that outlet. Music is like a safety net for me.”
The material on Salvation also affirms the unique relationship an artist shares with his audience, enabling him to facilitate relief, release and revelry. These moods all emerge over the course of the record, whether via the unifying message of “Rise up Children,” the heartache of “Half My Heart” or the wistful sentiment of “Eyes on Me.”
Beyond his studio work, Sullivan is a dynamic live performer, who has been steadily winning over new fans through his own shows and additional appearances. On March 7, he performed at the Beacon Theatre during Love Rocks NYC, delivering a rousing take on The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.” A few weeks later, he traveled to Riviera Maya for Panic en la Playa, guesting with The Main Squeeze and DJ Logic, while also taking the stage as the newest member of The Allman Brothers Band tribute act Trouble No More.
“It’s been so fun for me to play with them,” he says of his role in the eight-piece group. “Believe it or not, I’ve never been part of a band. I’ve always been a solo artist that has had a band, but I’ve never been part of a collective. I’ve known Taz [Brandon Niederauer] and his brother Dylan for a long time and now I have these new friends, like Peter Levin and Nikki Glaspie. It’s fun to step out of the solo thing and do this as kind of a dual career thing where I’m in this project and I’m also doing my solo project. I’ll do shows with Trouble No More and then I’ll be heading out on the road for my new album. I’ve noticed that when I get into that mode, it’s way more exciting and fresh because I’m doing the Allman Brothers thing and then I’m be doing my thing, which I find creatively satisfying.”
“I’ve gotten full-body chills since I was 4, just from listening to music,” he adds. “Playing music takes everything to another level. I feel like it’s what I’ve been put on this earth to do.”
The post Quinn Sullivan: The Long and Winding Road to ‘Salvation’ appeared first on Relix Media.
