Product Description

Ted Quinn is a singer, songwriter and cultural activist in joshua tree, California. Recorded entirely in analog at the rancho de la luna studio in joshua tree, in which quinn is a partner, 'help wanted' looks at the state of love and war at the turn of the millenium with healthy trepidation and, ultimately, hard-won faith. Challeging the super power status of his native America, quinn starts with a minimalist, dream-laced meditation - with musique concrete production by tony mason - on his home town, 'la porte, Indiana,' his family's move to California and the resulting change in course of a young life. Declaring the 'death of cool,' quinn employs a rich, spector-esque wall of sound and gentle singing style to denounce the cruelty of modern society, while keeping an eye out for a sign of redemption. Fred drake recorded and mixed 'tar beach' as per quinn's wishes to make it sound like a motown ballad played over a transistor radio, which has been left out on the beach overnight, from which the battery acid has mixed with salt water. '29 palms' was written for a marine widow in the small town near joshua tree, home of the world's largest military base. The tell-tale signs of impending war include the sound of helicopters moving out, as young wives are left behind to shop and wait. 'don't/shoot' (or 'don't let nothing shoot you down') was recorded with bill bizeau on a sunday afternoon in the spring. Had it been recorded on a saturday night, it would have sounded completely different. Hamilton camp's classic anti-war song, 'pride of man,' was an fm hit for quicksilver messenger service in the Vietnam era. The lyrics refer to 'babylon, that mighty city,' but could easily have said Washington, instead. Written on fourth of july, 2001, 'billions & billions' is not a post-9/11 song. It has more to do with a dubiously won election and it's aftermath. It contains the first known rhyming of oprah and deepak chopra. Quinn performed the song as part of the lysistrata international day of theatre against war in Iraq at the wilshire ebell in Los Angeles. 'apocalypse no' is one of two songs for the mad prophet of the street, dave, who prayed for the marine convoys driving by, even as he fought visions of airpalnes crashing into skyscrapers, years befor it actually happened. Tony mason wrote the extremely catchy hook and jeremy gilien provided the post-techno keyboards. Fred drake plays the drums and elia arce is heard laughing at the very end. 'if u do' is a song of the riddle of love and impending loss. If you listen closely, you can hear the object of quinn's affections making a quick run for it. Okay, 'sky cathedral' is post-9/11. ^#^it's title comes from a piece of art by louise nevelson, which was destroyed in the world trade center. It had been made the year of quinn's birth (in la porte, Indiana) and, coincidentally, the year of miles davis' 'birth of cool.' the song draws a parallel between the sculpture and the giant buddhas destroyed in Afghanistan. 'dave's song (if that's what you wanted)' was written after the suicide of the mad prophet of 'apocalypse no (the mighty cubellis).' 'orange sunshine' is a song quinn woke up to on what would have been fred drake's birthday, had he not flown out of his body the previous spring. It was as if drake was telling quinn which chords to play, which words to sing. The title refers to the glowing light of sunrise pouring in through orange colored curtains and not necessarily to a favorite past-time quinn and drake shared in the high desert. When billy was mixing 'orange sunshine,' he let the feedback reverberate for several minutes, bringing to mind the singing of tibetan bowls. This album also contains sounds of doors opening, birds singing, peace marches and tv newscasts. 67 beautiful minutes of love and loss, despair and redemption.

About the Artist

Ted Quinn is a singer, songwriter and cultural activist in Joshua Tree, California.

Born in the time of the Birth of Cool, in the decidedly unhip Midwest, 'Teddy' became the national commercial spokesperson for a nasty pharmaceutical giant by the age of four, within a year of the Quinn family's move to Hollywood and the expansiveness of the West.

Surrounded by the scents and sounds of the '60s and '70s, young Ted roamed and hitched rides through the hills of Laurel Canyon, with regular lifts from neighbors Frank Zappa, The Byrds, Tina Turner and Mama Cass Elliot.

The many colorful influences found their way into Ted's poetry, which he began at an early age, after deciding that TV was too plastic for his deeper interests in art, music and the politics of the day.

The 1980s saw Ted experimenting with minimalist techno-pop and performances which often included multi-media projections, theatrical staging and costumes. The group, Telekin, had a moderate electronic dance hit in Europe and disbanded after being called the 'pick to click' by the LA Weekly.

Stripping down to acoustic guitars in a pre-unplugged Los Angeles, Ted joined forces with fellow musicians Fred Drake and Robert Floyd to form Ministry of Fools, whose dreamy, acoustic-based music was a predecessor to the psychedelic folk heard today, mixing a bit of social observation with a subtly spiritual inclination.

After joining his friend Fred at his Rancho de la Luna recording studio near Joshua Tree National Park, Ted spent much of the mid to late '90s painting, doing some community activism and -- always -- writing songs. In the desert, Ted found the expansiveness and freedom to create which may have drawn his parents away from La Porte, Indiana, all those years before.

By the early '00s, Ted was established as an important local artist in the burgeoning music scene of Joshua Tree. In 2002, Quinn played to a full house at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, as 'foreplay' to the international theatrical event against the war in Iraq, The Lysistrata Project. His audience clapped in time and cheered as he sang his comments on the current political situation in his songs, "Billions & BIllions" and "29 Palms," named for the town adjacent to Joshua Tree which is home to the world's largest military base.

'Help Wanted' is Ted's first solo album. Recorded at the Rancho, the production began with Fred and finished in the months after Fred's death.

The album brims with melancholy, optimism and beauty, observations of an innocent heart looking through eyes which were exposed to so much, so young. The opening track, "La Porte, Indiana," tells the story of the family's migration west, into the unknown, in a minimalist meditation. The styles thereafter range from acid-drenched soul and walls of sound to bare bones production.

Quinn resides in Joshua Tree where he writes occasional columns, organizes events, performs and continues keeping an eye out for shooting stars.