Quint: Hi Chris, thank you so much for reaching out and for your fantastic support of my music! Sweden is taking a different approach to a lot of other countries, it’s still quite open and movement is unrestricted. Obviously all my gigs have been cancelled. We had a big 3 day festival booked in July with It Bites, but that has been cancelled. Otherwise I’m working on tracks for the new album in my studio and taking my dog for walks when I need a break.
Chris: How was this passion for music born, tell us a little about your career?
Quint: My interest in the guitar started when I saw a kids TV show and saw 3 kids strumming nylon string guitars. I just said to my Mother “I want to play guitar”. My Father found me a teacher Burton Grainger who taught classical guitar and I started lessons at 12 Years old. I joined my first band at 17 playing covers in Pubs in the North West of England where I originate from. We played Dire Straits, Beatles Pink Floyd and whatever was in the Pop charts at the time.
I had a mentor at the time called Martin Abbott who was a session guitarist and worked on TV sessions. He had his own studio and used to let me assist on sessions. This early exposure to the studio would prove a real asset when I eventually got into session work and running my own studio.
Then I joined a semi-professional band playing in working mens clubs on weekends. Eventually I joined a professional touring band and did a European tour playing 6 nights a week, all styles from Jazz standards, Country, Blues to Top 40.
I saw an advert for Musician’s Institute in Guitar Player magazine and applied. I was accepted and moved to Los Angeles in March 1986. I spent a year studying (one of the best years of my life) then returned to England. I was back in LA June 1987 and starting working with many different types of gigs. I transcribed music and made lead sheets for a record company, I worked as a teacher at Musician’s Institute, joined original bands and got a management deal.
“I was playing with the same musicians who played on the ABBA records.”
One day I met a beautiful Swedish girl at a party in Hollywood and that girl has been and still is my wife for the last 30 years. Upon moving to Sweden I joined an original band who were signed to Elektra records. We were produced by Anders Bagge who went on to work with Madonna and Celine Dion amongst many others. Another producer who was a session guitar player got me into sessions and soon I was playing with the same musicians who played on the ABBA records.
A chance meeting at a party with a film director got me into the jingle and commercial industry. I have had a very nice career over the last 25 years composing and producing music for most of the big brands here in Sweden including McDonald’s, Toyota, Heineken, DHL, Burger King, Volvo, Ikea and many more. I used to have Max Martin sing on my jingles. He would move on to become the best songwriter producer in the world.
In 2001 I signed a publishing deal with EMI and wrote over 150 songs for them resulting in cuts in Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Asia and the USA. I’m still very active in the commercial industry having added sound design to my list of services.
Chris: You have been writing for a long time for great artists like Alcazar but also Sophie Zelmani and many others and you decided to finally be in the front of the stage, this desire to be an interpreter was stronger than anything?
Quint: I almost released a solo album in 1995, but for some reason it didn’t happen. In 2012 I read about one of my favourite artists, Francis Dunnery of It Bites fame. He was touring the world playing house concerts.
“Remember Quint you should make an album, document your soul.”
– Francis Dunnery
I booked a concert in our house and he literally changed my life in a big way that night. He came back a second time and as he was leaving after the concert in his car he said “remember Quint you should make an album, document your soul.”
Six months later he called me and asked how the album was going and I told him I was still doing the jingles and hadn’t started. Francis then offered to get involved and help me get started. I started sending songs to him and we skyped a lot discussing arrangements and music in general. I was getting a musical education they don’t teach in schools.
Francis also introduced me to Dorie Jackson who offered to do backing vocals on my album. I recorded most of the songs in my studio including her vocals, and Francis later invited me to his studio in New York to fine tune the arrangements. A magical week it was.
Francis has been an amazing inspiration and constant supporter of my music and I can’t thank him enough. He has let me open on his last 2 tours and become a member of the touring version of It Bites.
Chris: And then there was this first album Ghost in my heart that you released in 2016 and that made you known to the general public, tell us a little about this adventure and with whom did you collaborate?
Quint: I reached out to my musician friends. Toshi Yanagi played a solo on one track, Francis Dunnery played on Brightness in my Soul, Phil Hilborne contributed, and Swedish session musicians also took part. Göran Eriksson made a huge contribution on pedal steel, dobro, mandolin and lap steel.
I recorded a lot of the album in a small kitchen space with high ceilings. Sometimes I kept my demo vocals in the final mix and you can even hear birdsong because the window was open.
Chris: I saw that you moved a lot geographically with a passage on Los Angeles, how was your life and what did you do there?
Quint: LA was great. I miss it. I lived there during a golden era for the record business. I played clubs like Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy and also worked in Las Vegas. It was an inspiring time with many legendary musicians around.
Chris: And precisely what are your musical influences?
Quint: I started with classical guitar, John Williams and Julian Bream. Then Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore, Leo Kottke, Albert Lee, Mark Knopfler, Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton, Steely Dan, Styx, Kansas, Christopher Cross, 10cc and Supertramp.
Chris: We have noticed you recently in a formation that pays tribute to Pages, can you tell us about it please?
Quint: I play in a west coast covers band in Stockholm. I was later invited into a Pages tribute project. I wasn’t familiar with Pages but I enjoyed the experience and the musicians were world class.
Chris: Your musical news is rich because you just released the single gotta give it up, who collaborated on this single and who made the video?
Quint: I worked with a guy in Ireland and everything was done remotely.
Chris: And that’s not all because you announced a new single MrMaxwell (The Car Song), what can you tell us about it?
Quint: It’s about a road trip and my eldest son. It’s my most uptempo release.
“I have decided to release singles on the first Friday of each coming month.”
Chris: Do you know that many of us are waiting for your next album? When will it be?
Quint: I prefer releasing singles regularly instead of a full album. It keeps focus and energy high.
Chris: Last question, what is your favorite song you have listened to thousands of times?
Quint: Year of the Cat by Al Stewart.