QUINNELL BLOWS UP IN 2020

Jackson Quinnell is a local musician who plays solo gigs in pubs around Albury/Wodonga – with his Mini Maton acoustic guitar and smooth, often haunting vocals; he captures and portrays emotions and places in time effortlessly. He’s definitely someone you want to see live at least once in your life!

By day, Jackson is a Contracts Administrator for a small-medium sized construction company. By night, his musical passion comes to life. I asked Jackson what he thinks his music style is and this was his response:

“‘Folk’ comes to mind, but I really think ‘Singer-Songwriter’ captures the feel of my music best.”

Jackson mentioned that his style of music isn’t suited to a specific venue: he’s very versatile and is actually working with an EDM artist at the moment, so who knows, we may hear Jackson in a nightclub!

Jackson Quinnell hasn’t always been an Albury/Wodonga local. He grew up on a farm near Tumut in the Snowy Mountains and was raised by a truly amazing Mum and Dad, alongside two beautiful siblings and a lot of extended family.

Jackson said it was amazing as a young boy growing up and experiencing things a young boy should – like fishing, hunting, swimming in rivers, camping, exploring, building things, even looking after injured wildlife. He said that Tumut isn’t without its fair share of problems, but outdoor fun, clean air and camping locations are not among them.

Before moving to Albury/Wodonga, Jackson was living in Melbourne for 3 and “a bit” years. He moved here for the love of the city/country vibe and the access to amazing parts of Australia, such as the snow, mountains and the wine regions – as well as to be closer to his Dad and sister.

Jackson’s music passion started with singing hymns at Friday afternoon mass at his Catholic school. There was something satisfying about hitting those notes, and unbeknownst to his close friends, he actually enjoyed it. He was 8 years old when he was given his first acoustic guitar from his beautiful Grandma and Grandpa. Jackson said he taught himself ‘You’re Beautiful’ by James Blunt and his Mum must have thought it sounded alright (or that he needed practice) because she enrolled him in guitar lessons and it all snowballed from there.

His personal life aside, I needed to get down to the nitty gritty – his original music.

Jackson has released 4 singles and has had 3 of them place in the Atomic Hundred Most Radioactive Hits of 2019 Charts. He said having 3 out of 4 place in the charts is a very rewarding feeling:

“I could never have done it without my dear listeners/supporters, they are everything to me and they are the reason I record all this music instead of keeping it to myself. I can’t explain how much I appreciate them.” 

Jackson doesn’t have a specific favourite out of the four tracks that he’s released, saying they are all very special to him because he has captured places and emotions in each one. Douglas and Caprice is one he loves to play live because it’s more upbeat than the others, whereas he loves simply just listening to Nowhere Town because it takes him back to a place he loves.

When I asked what the inspiration for his music was, he proceeded to tell me that he’s not entirely sure where the inspiration comes from:

“At times, I feel an extremely strong sense of emotion or nostalgia sometimes toward a certain feeling, place or a memory and I am compulsively compelled to write it down and try and capture it with music.”

I know a lot of people that love Jackson’s music so I had to ask if an album or EP was in the works. He let me know that he’d love to release an album once a month but his pockets aren’t very deep these days (trust me, myself and many others know the feeling). He will hopefully be releasing as many singles as possible as he has a vast supply of original songs that he’s written and wants to record!

Another question that came up was if he was taking a break from music. He and his Fiancé Cindy welcomed a baby boy, James Jackson Quinnell, into the world – and by the way, he is the cutest baby I’ve seen! Jackson started off by saying that he’s a very proud father!

“My son and my Fiancé are the centre of my universe! I don’t think they will let me stop playing, Cindy knows how much it means to me. She encourages me every chance she gets and that’s one of the many reasons I love her.”

Talk about an “aww” moment!

My final question to Jackson was, “What are your thoughts on the local music industry?”

He began with saying that he loves our music scene. He hopes it grows exponentially over the next few years and that we have some ridiculously talented people, some are half his age!

Jackson also had more to add and I will let his exact words tell you – “Our music industry here is incredibly generous and supportive, so I’d like to extend that support to the current and next generations of musicians & supporters around here. I love what you all do – from grime to rap and from country to rock, from photographers to interviewers, events managers to venue owners, fans and artists – please keep doing what you’re doing because you make this industry worth being a part of. Thanks”.

I’d just like to thank Jackson for taking the time to answer my questions and for just being a downright good bloke. His music is amazing and you definitely should go check out his socials! *links below.

Article by Dani Sanderson.

Facebook: @jackson.quinnell
Spotify: Jackson Quinnell

Jackson Quinnells latest single “Moscato” is OUT NOW!! On the Atomic Music Space.