Jody Quine

I had the pleasure recently, to spend some time at a beautiful beach on the Atlantic ocean. Early every morning, I would just walk along the shore, admiring things like dolphins and pelicans while I searched for that rare seashell, complete and undamaged by nature. It occured to me then, that there are musicians in this world very much like these rare, lovely seashulls, just waiting to be found. Jody Quine is one such rarity, her music exudes quality, it amazes me that she has yet to become a household name. Her music consists of powerful, pop-friendly ballads, with an energy and freshness that fixates your attention immediately. Nature has certainly blessed this artist with wonderful talant, and at Scouts Digest, it is always our nature to find such artists and ask the desired inevitable questions...
find the interview at
http://www.dgmpublishing.com/scoutsdigest/JodieQuineinterview.htm
- dgmpublishing.com

(15 November 2003) When Jody Quine contacted us with news that she and producer Vic Levak had recoorded a three-track demo we couldn't wait to hear it. Jody informs us that mp3 streams will be available of the tracks at her website soon. Click on the image to browse Jody's website.

The three track demo begins with "Crazy," a delightful upbeat rock track. We asked Jody about it. She said, "The song is about me becoming successful but having left somebody behind, back home and realizing it's just not as good without him there. But instead of giving it all up, asking him to follow me, cause I miss him like crazy." She continued, "It's for the guy I'm still seeing now. I wrote it when I was in LA on a two month writing sabbatical, and I missed him. He never came to me, but I'm back home now and the friendship continues." She concluded, "I's cool to have written a song for somebody and have it be a complete recording and watch him listen to it--like an amazed child with a new toy."

The CD continues with "Hollywood," a characteristially Jody Quine-style ballad with lush arrangements. We just adore the way Jody sustains the notes. We asked her to tell us more about the song. She said, "Again, it's about being in LA for those two months, and living on Franklin a block away from Hollywood Blvd, right by Mann's Theatre. And the desperation of it all, so palpable." She says, "And for me too, knowing what I want and so badly. I was naming my need, instead of insisting I just want to make music. I call out the desire for fame, and embrace it in song." She concluded, "It's my favorite of the three."

The demo concludes with "For Bradley," an acoustic ballad with absolutley stunning vocals. While "Hollywood" might be Jody's favorite on this recording, her voice is most expressive and sensual in this track. She shared her thoughts about the song with us, "It is about a very good friend of mine who shall remain nameless. His his fiance sat up in bad one night after six weeks of engagement and told him it was over. No working it out or discussion. Over. His heart was understandably crushed." She continued, "I wrote that song for him. And now that he's moving on, he says it's a reminder of how her leaving was a good thing cause she wasn't the one." She remarked on the situation, "In my books she was no where near good enough either and was worthy of a right slap upside the head and an ass kicking to boot. It is a very sad song and I think one of the best ones I've ever written."

Jody Quine is one of our Women of Balligomingo and a singer songwriter we can't wait to hear more from. Visit her website, check out her debut album and also her work on Balligomingo's Beneath The Surface. We can't wait to hear more from her collaboration with Vic Levak.
- Russ Elliot

(30 June 2002) Canadian folk/rock chanteuse Jody Quine is definitely an artist worth keeping an eye on. Although known for her vocal contributions to Garrett Schwarz's Balligomingo project on the songs "Purify" and "Privilege," Jody Quine's solo release, Star demonstrates that Jody is both a gifted and passionate singer and songwriter.

According to her website, Jody first discovered her calling as a vocalist when she stepped up to an open mic to perform lead vocals in front of a live audience. Thereafter, Jody spent several years in Vancouver and Toronto developing her guitar-playing and songwriting abilities. Jody has also studied acting and performed in numerous stage and theatre productions as well as travelled through the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Each track on Star is worthy of mention and unique in its own right--neverthless, the following songs are particularly noteworthy: "Don't Remind" me exudes a k.d. lang-influenced langorousness that is simultaneously smart and sexy. By using dubbed harmonies, Jody captures the vision of a honey-laden afternoon in the sun. The lush and melancholy "Astounded" is a beautiful folksy piece; acoustic guitars caress Jody's pure and intimate voicings. This one could very well be a hit if it received wide play.

That sense of rural decay and night-hidden danger so perfectly captured by many Cowboy Junkies songs is recreated in the song "Long Wolf." A mesmerizing guitar plays an almost lullaby-ish lead that continuously circles while Jody's voice weaves a sense of regret and lonliness.

Sarah McLachlan could have easily penned the noirish "Superman" with its groovy organ and string tracks and laid-back funky percussion. A highly impressive debut, "Star" announces the arrival of a new voice that would fit comfortably in that Canadian panoply of female singer/songwriters which also includes Sarah McLachlan, Tara MacLean, Mae Moore and k.d. lang. With a powerful and genuinely lovely voice, penetrating lyrics, and compelling music, Jody Quine is no doubt headed for big things. We enthusiastically recommend "Star" and eagerly await Jody's next album.--Justin Elswick
- Justin Elswick

(15 November 2003) When Jody Quine contacted us with news that she and producer Vic Levak had recoorded a three-track demo we couldn't wait to hear it. Jody informs us that mp3 streams will be available of the tracks at her website soon. Click on the image to browse Jody's website.

The three track demo begins with "Crazy," a delightful upbeat rock track. We asked Jody about it. She said, "The song is about me becoming successful but having left somebody behind, back home and realizing it's just not as good without him there. But instead of giving it all up, asking him to follow me, cause I miss him like crazy." She continued, "It's for the guy I'm still seeing now. I wrote it when I was in LA on a two month writing sabbatical, and I missed him. He never came to me, but I'm back home now and the friendship continues." She concluded, "I's cool to have written a song for somebody and have it be a complete recording and watch him listen to it--like an amazed child with a new toy."

The CD continues with "Hollywood," a characteristially Jody Quine-style ballad with lush arrangements. We just adore the way Jody sustains the notes. We asked her to tell us more about the song. She said, "Again, it's about being in LA for those two months, and living on Franklin a block away from Hollywood Blvd, right by Mann's Theatre. And the desperation of it all, so palpable." She says, "And for me too, knowing what I want and so badly. I was naming my need, instead of insisting I just want to make music. I call out the desire for fame, and embrace it in song." She concluded, "It's my favorite of the three."

The demo concludes with "For Bradley," an acoustic ballad with absolutley stunning vocals. While "Hollywood" might be Jody's favorite on this recording, her voice is most expressive and sensual in this track. She shared her thoughts about the song with us, "It is about a very good friend of mine who shall remain nameless. His his fiance sat up in bad one night after six weeks of engagement and told him it was over. No working it out or discussion. Over. His heart was understandably crushed." She continued, "I wrote that song for him. And now that he's moving on, he says it's a reminder of how her leaving was a good thing cause she wasn't the one." She remarked on the situation, "In my books she was no where near good enough either and was worthy of a right slap upside the head and an ass kicking to boot. It is a very sad song and I think one of the best ones I've ever written."

Jody Quine is one of our Women of Balligomingo and a singer songwriter we can't wait to hear more from. Visit her website, check out her debut album and also her work on Balligomingo's Beneath The Surface. We can't wait to hear more from her collaboration with Vic Levak.
- Russ Elliot

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Jody Quine in search of her muse
By MIKE BELL
Calgary Sun

No matter who you are, no matter how much you have succeeded in life and at your chosen profession, there's nothing quite so humbling as coming home.
Unless, of course, it's coming home and working as a beer-tub girl during the Stampede.
"I still need a shower," laughs local singer-songwriter Jody Quine.
"It was so hot out, and they put me outside, and I always got the bad tub because I was the new girl ... it was horrible."
Ah, the things we do for our art ...
But when they pay off, as they have of late for the engaging vocalist, it makes it worthwhile.
Quine, who's been living and working in New York since the beginning of the year, moved back home a month ago due to the illness of a family member.
Now she's heading out on the road for a North American tour with Balligomingo, a Delerium-like electronic project spearheaded by producer Garrett Schwartz, who discovered Quine when she was recording her own album, Star, in a Vancouver studio.
Purify, one of Quine's vocal contributions to the Balligomingo album, Beneath the Surface, was remixed by Icelandic act Gus Gus and wound up on a Billboard chart.
The high-profile Balligomingo tour, with Gus Gus headlining, will take Quine all across North America (Chicago, Toronto, L.A., etc.), and hopefully Europe later this year.
As much as she's looking forward to raising her profile even more, Quine admits she's heading out with somewhat of a heavy heart.
"This time I'm kind of sad to go," she admits, even with the Stampede memories/scars still so fresh.
"I mean I'm excited to be going to do what I'm doing because it's paid work and I'm doing what I love, but I'm really sad to be leaving my family this time.
"They're my support team. It's so important to have a support team. The more successful I get, the more I realize that without that I'm basically nothing ...
"It's something I really work on cherishing the further I go."
As to why she thought she had to get out of town originally, Quine says there were a couple of factors, including a lack of gigs and the fact she didn't feel like a part of the local scene.
"I slowly went crazy," she says.
"Artistically, I wasn't really being challenged here. In New York I can describe five minutes of my day and the whole thing sounds pretty fantastic to my ears."
Plus, living in a more populated centre like New York will hopefully supply that one other factor she'll need when she gets back to her own project in October -- a man.
"I'm looking for a muse," she says.
"I'm so looking for a muse. I meet someone, get involved, write a song, and inevitably it always ends before I finish the song."
When it's posed to her that 'for songwriting material' is a rather spurious reason to enter into a long-term relationship, she protests with a laugh.
"But they're becoming immortal," Quine says. "I'm immortalizing them with my love and my words."

- Mike Bell

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Jody Quine in search of her muse
By MIKE BELL
Calgary Sun

No matter who you are, no matter how much you have succeeded in life and at your chosen profession, there's nothing quite so humbling as coming home.
Unless, of course, it's coming home and working as a beer-tub girl during the Stampede.
"I still need a shower," laughs local singer-songwriter Jody Quine.
"It was so hot out, and they put me outside, and I always got the bad tub because I was the new girl ... it was horrible."
Ah, the things we do for our art ...
But when they pay off, as they have of late for the engaging vocalist, it makes it worthwhile.
Quine, who's been living and working in New York since the beginning of the year, moved back home a month ago due to the illness of a family member.
Now she's heading out on the road for a North American tour with Balligomingo, a Delerium-like electronic project spearheaded by producer Garrett Schwartz, who discovered Quine when she was recording her own album, Star, in a Vancouver studio.
Purify, one of Quine's vocal contributions to the Balligomingo album, Beneath the Surface, was remixed by Icelandic act Gus Gus and wound up on a Billboard chart.
The high-profile Balligomingo tour, with Gus Gus headlining, will take Quine all across North America (Chicago, Toronto, L.A., etc.), and hopefully Europe later this year.
As much as she's looking forward to raising her profile even more, Quine admits she's heading out with somewhat of a heavy heart.
"This time I'm kind of sad to go," she admits, even with the Stampede memories/scars still so fresh.
"I mean I'm excited to be going to do what I'm doing because it's paid work and I'm doing what I love, but I'm really sad to be leaving my family this time.
"They're my support team. It's so important to have a support team. The more successful I get, the more I realize that without that I'm basically nothing ...
"It's something I really work on cherishing the further I go."
As to why she thought she had to get out of town originally, Quine says there were a couple of factors, including a lack of gigs and the fact she didn't feel like a part of the local scene.
"I slowly went crazy," she says.
"Artistically, I wasn't really being challenged here. In New York I can describe five minutes of my day and the whole thing sounds pretty fantastic to my ears."
Plus, living in a more populated centre like New York will hopefully supply that one other factor she'll need when she gets back to her own project in October -- a man.
"I'm looking for a muse," she says.
"I'm so looking for a muse. I meet someone, get involved, write a song, and inevitably it always ends before I finish the song."
When it's posed to her that 'for songwriting material' is a rather spurious reason to enter into a long-term relationship, she protests with a laugh.
"But they're becoming immortal," Quine says. "I'm immortalizing them with my love and my words."

- Mike Bell

Vocalist Jody Quine sings with passion, her voice deep and true, her recent EPSeven showcasing the immense breadth of her talent. After fronting a number of bands, Quine takes to the mic solo for Seven, proving that a voice like hers needs very little in the way of support.
Perhaps coming from her extensive musical experience, Jody Quine’s voice has a surety and confidence to it which gives each song a touch of grace and a sense that it is on this EP that Quine has really come into herself as an artist. Smooth, rich and full, Quine’s vocals are at once powerful and gentle, rising and dropping with great finesse. There is no flashy production or musical trickery on this album, Quine performs no racing scales or feats of vocal flexibility and she does not need to. It is the simplicity, the joy of listening to a masterful singer, which makes Seven good.

Quine’s talents also stretch to song writing, the songs found on Seven spanning the breadth and depth of timeless love stories. She sings convincingly as the ‘other woman’ in “Tonight”, a proud and patient mother in “Come Back Home”, and a loving partner in the aptly named “I Love You”, adopting each and every persona with truth and compassion. It is her unguarded and honest approach to both singing and song writing that makes Quine’s music so easily enjoyable.


Jody Quine as a rare voice, the effortless power of which shines through again and again on this EP. Seven is a collection of songs for listeners who like their music to be uncomplicated and meaningful. Simply put, Seven is good music created by a highly accomplished musician. - Indiemunity

The pop music scene is littered with more than its fair share of pop tartlets these days. From the aging attempts of artists like Britney Spears to the antics of a twerking Miley Cyrus, music seems to have become secondary to being an artist. That’s not to say that some of these young ladies can’t sing but, as further advances in technology like Auto Tune and the like continue to press their way into the mainstream, it’s making having real, well-honed talent a secondary consideration.

Yet, for all of the fluffy pop out in the world, there are still intelligent, talented women making great music. Following along in those footsteps and making a name for herself is rising artist, Jody Quine. Quine first discovered her love for music at an open mic night when, closing her eyes and letting loose her voice, she silenced the room in awe. She honed that talent and has performed as part of Balligomingo, serving as lead singer and songwriter for the band, as well as with Sleepthief. Along the way, she’s had her music featured on television shows such as “Queer as Folk” and “Dead Like Me,” among others.
Now, Quine’s stepping out on her own, letting her heart speak for itself.

“I used to date boys for song fodder,” Quine jokes, “but since I met my husband I’ve been happy and lacking material to write about!”
And while Quine may joke, on Seven she shows that she still has plenty to say.

“You Are” opens the record up with a soulful, organic acoustic arrangement that easily draws reminders of Sarah McLachlan. Quine’s voice is clear and resonant and the gentle arrangement frames her voice wonderfully, letting her lyrics of love hold center stage. The artist brings more energy to “Tonight,” poignant piano setting the stage against a set of electronic influences that press the track into a mid-tempo pop flow while “To Be Frank” reins things back in, threatening to break out with some electronica-tinged fills but never quite going all the way there.
Quine aims for some radio play with the keyboard driven “Piece of My Heart,” her voice rich, resonant, as the arrangement colors itself with guitar and perky percussion and the lyrics speak of lasting love and remembrance. She returns to an acoustic template with the simply titled, “I Love You,” and continues to shine vocally, singing both her own lead and backing vocals and harmonizing magically while an ethereal keyboard swell lends an emotive note.

“Finch Diving” lets some strings set the tone before a pop-tinged R&B vibe drops, recalling recent work by Ellie Goulding. The composition is tight and performed with ease by Quine and is easily on of the best tracks on the record. Quine closes out the record with “Come Back Home,” letting her voice do most of the talking, supported by some orchestral strings and a solo piano that present something of an epic feel to the song as Quine showcases her power and range to full effect.
Jody Quine is the real deal, not only possessing a voice that any artist would love to have, let alone listen to but also a keen mind for songwriting and composition, crafting intelligent and hooky songs here on her solo debut, Seven. That’s no small feat but it’s one that Quine does time and time again here. If she can keep up that streak, she’s bound to go far. - Along The Journey

I have to say that this isn’t the kind of music I listen to a lot. The sound here is more or less a modern pop sound with a lot of retro elements. Although the music is good, what really sells this is Jody Quine’s voice. She’s one of the best singers I’ve heard in a long time. That, combined with some clever pop music means this EP is likely to make my best of 2013 list. Considering this doesn’t fit into my usual favorite type of music, that says a lot. Jody Quine is an incredible talent and I plan to follow her career going forward. I’m hooked.




Track by Track Review

You Are
Atmospheric elements bring this in, serving as sort of a spacey introduction. Then a more bouncy kind of pop rock vibe enters. When Quine’s vocals enter the picture is completed. This is dreamy and powerful.


Tonight
This is more energetic and more of an adult contemporary song. The vocals again are just awesome. This song is catchy and accessible and might be even better than the opener was.

To Be Frank
Another change, this has a real electronic element to it. The vocals lend something in between country and soul sounds. This is an unusual piece of music. Yet, it works really well. There is a more powered up section later that almost has a club electronic vibe to it. Still, there’s a more artsy edge to this than that conveys. This is another great piece on a set full of them. If there’s a complaint here it’s that Quine’s voice seems a little over-produced here. As strong as her voice is, that’s a disservice.


Piece of My Heart
Starting on piano, this has more of a full on modern electronic pop vibe than anything else here does. It’s another good song, though. I have to say that the arrangement on this is a little pedestrian, but Quine’s voice saves it. That’s despite a little bit of over production at times, too.

I Love You
The drums on this are pretty prominent. The song has more of a modern take on a folk rock sound. The vocals here are more pure, and that’s a plus. When a singer is as good as Quine is, she deserves to be heard without a lot of augmentation or processing. This is one of the better songs on the whole set.


Finch Diving
The musical arrangement here is dramatic and classic. This is arguably the best song here. Quine’s voice is awesome and the song just really grabs the listener with its magic and charm. This is such a great tune.


Come Back Home
This is more or less a slow moving ballad. That said, the arrangement gets quite powerful with waves of sound that serve as a rather electronic symphonic production. Normally I wouldn’t consider a slower song like this a good closer. The thing is, this type of arrangement really shows off Quine’s voice. That makes it a great choice here. - Music Street Journal