From Ellen DeGeneres to opening for Buddy Guy at age 9. What this child prodigy is up to
New Bedford’s Quinn Sullivan is used to being referred to as “six-string boy wonder,” or some variation of the “kid who’s going to save the blues,” a description that was somewhat accurate but still a burden.
That’s what happens when you play on the Ellen DeGeneres Show at age 6, or get called onstage at your hometown Zeiterion Theater to jam with Buddy Guy that same year. Three years later, he was opening a Guy national tour and had appearances on Oprah, and The Today Show under his belt. New England music fans have seen Sullivan grow up, and have savored his music all the way, supporting him and the albums he began releasing with his 2011 debut, “Cyclone.”
But with his fifth album (“Salvation” on Provogue Records) just out this week, Sullivan wants to be respected as a songwriter, and points out that he views himself as more of rock ‘n’ roller, with soul and even pop influences too. Fans can catch Sullivan on Friday night at City Winery in Boston, where he’ll be playing a lot of his new music, such as the tunes from his previous album, “Wide Awake,” which earned him a nod for his writing from no less than American Songwriter magazine.
(City Winery is located at 80 Beverly St. in Boston, near City Hall Plaza, and the show begins at 7:30 p.m., with tickets priced between $25-$45. Check citywinery.com/boston or call 617-933-8047 for more information.)
“Naturally, when you first come onto the scene playing with Buddy Guy, you’re going to be called 'blues guitar prodigy,’” Sullivan, now 25, said recently while driving to a New Hampshire show. “I was also always called ‘the future of the blues,’ and ‘the guy who’s going to save it.’ That’s a job for thousands of people. It put me in kind of a tough position, and there was pressure to carry on the tradition. But my own music is not strictly blues, and my influences range over a lot of different musical tastes.”
“I never honestly envisioned myself as a blues artist,” Sullivan continued. “Obviously the blues is the base of all of our American music, but I think of myself as more of a contemporary rock and soul guy, with even a little nod to pop music in there too. I don’t care what kind of music it is, as long as it moves me, I’m good with it. And my own music has evolved over time. I was first known as a guitar player, and that is no doubt an essential part of me. But as I’ve become older, I’ve become more aware of how good a song is, and how much it can mean – before I can use it to frame a guitar solo.”
Sullivan can point to his early life as how his tastes were formed. His father played drums in a Grateful Dead tribute band for decades, while his mom was more of a soft rock, folk-rock, and pop fan. They never forced him into music, the young Quinn was just curious about playing guitar and dove into it with uncommon dedication.
“Both my parents just loved music,” said Sullivan. “I grew up loving their records, and that’s where most of my influences came from. My father was into bluesy rock ‘n’ roll, and my mother was more into singer-songwriters, like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Carole King. That’s where I got my style, which is just a mix of their favorite music.”
Yet his parents never pushed Sullivan to pursue a music career. They were, however, endlessly supportive as the young tyro dove into it deeper and deeper.
“My parents were totally supportive early on,” said Sullivan. “I’m an only child, but I definitely never felt any pressure to do anything else. They just wanted me to stay inspired, and were instrumental in supporting me and making sure I loved what I was doing. But they were practically perfect parents for someone like me, because they were never forcing me to practice. From a very early point, everything that I did musically was my decision – I wanted it. My career was very much in my hands, and they made sure I had the best people in the business who guided me along. “
“Now the idea was that if my music sticks and was good enough, maybe I could do it as a full-time job,” Sullivan added. “That’s how it developed, and I’m lucky enough to make a living doing this. I’ve never really had any other job.”
The challenge for modern musicians who play the blues is to bring the venerated form into contemporary life, using the familiar form to say something that will move today’s audience. Sullivan recognized that early on, and began writing his own material. The first single from the new album is a good example of how well he’s immersed himself in creating new music, as “Dark Love” deftly portrays the pull and frustration of a toxic relationship, with a soulful vocal and engaging melody.
“Anything I write starts with just an acoustic guitar and me,” Sullivan explained. “I do get into a routine, and it may also involve singing lines into my phone. I never write on electric guitar, because I tend to become distracted by jamming on that. I can have more focus with the acoustic guitar, stick to a more structured process, and find the right place for a song to go. But I have no set writing time – it’s just when inspiration strikes.”
“I’ve never been much of a keeping-a-journal guy,” Sullivan noted. “For lyrics, I do tend to make a lot of notes on my phone, random lines that seem interesting. I sing a lot in the shower, any mundane thing that occurs to me that might work in a song. I enjoy telling a story with my songs, looking at the ups and downs I’ve had since starting as a young kid. There’s no rules for songwriting, and everybody does it differently. I’ve tried writing my own songs as long as I can remember, but I’d say I really serious about it when I was 16 or 17, when I began turning out fully formed songs.”
Sullivan has a busy summer schedule, and mentioned the advantage he has being on a respected international label like Provogue, when being on any label is a rare bonus for musicians. Along with his City Winery show this Friday, Sullivan has been doing a sort of monthly residency at The Music Room in West Yarmouth, where his next performance is slated for July 27. In the meantime, he was headed to a gig with the band Trouble No More when we talked.
“Trouble No More is a group of New England musicians who play the music of the Allman Brothers Band,” Sullivan said. “I devote about 25-30% of my time to them, but my primary focus is still my own solo career. But I love the Allman Brothers’ music, and it makes for a nice change of pace to do these shows, because it takes me a bit out of my comfort zone.”
Lauren Henderson releases her latest album, 'Sombras'
Marblehead native and Wheaton College alumna Lauren Henderson released her latest album, “Sombras,” on May 31 on her Brontosaurus Records label. Henderson, the vocalist who also went on to earn her MBA at Brown, has crafted an album that examines her own mixed ancestry, American and Latin, with roots in Montserrat, and the way it impacts one’s sense of identity. Singing in English and Spanish – the English version of the title cut, "Shadows," concludes the album – Henderson delivers another compelling and personal perspective that enhances the impact of her music. Along with her stellar vocals, she’s accompanied by some of New York City’s finest jazz players, with Joel Ross on vibraphone, Sean Mason on piano, Jonathan Michel on bass, and Joe Dyson on drums. The new disc has already been cited by WBUR as one of its 10 Albums to Listen to This Spring.
X Ambassadors play sold-out show at Paradise Rock Club
The X Ambassadors are back and potentially bigger than ever, at least judging from the reception their new material got Sunday at a sold-out Paradise Rock Club in Boston. You can call it as comeback of sorts because the Ithaca, New York, band was racing up the charts with its 2015 debut album, “VHS,” which went platinum, and yielded the red-hot singles “Renegades” – which went three times platinum – and “Unsteady” – which went four times platinum. Their two albums since then haven’t resulted in that kind of sales, and 2021’s “The Beautiful Liar,” while applauded for its concept examining mental health, didn’t bring much radio play. The band had also been involved in various other activities, such as producing Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” album in 2019, or lead singer Sam Harris releasing a solo album (as Sam Nelson) in 2023. But on April 5, X Ambassadors released their fourth album, “Townie,” which looks at growing up in a small town, the desire to escape, and the eventual realization that the people and values of that small town shaped them in myriad ways.
Sunday’s 95-minute show was as electrifying and engaging as any rock show we’ve seen in years, probably partly because X Ambassadors’ songs often include insanely infectious choruses, even if they are sometimes non-verbal, such as the "woah-oh-oh" chants that made “Renegades” such a hit. The X Ambassadors include Sam Harris on vocals and guitar, brother Casey Harris on keyboards and Adam Levin on drums, with Russ Flynn a touring member on bass and guitar. Casey Harris is blind, and the band has always made a point of crafting songs that support and uplift people overcoming handicaps. Generally, they’d be considered alt-rock, with some jazz accents and frequent nods to trap – the heavy bass-and-drums sound that makes them dance floor favorites.
Seven of the 17 songs in Sunday’s set came from the new album, and were well received by the raucously joyful crowd of 933. “Renegades” opened the show, and the energy hardly downshifted from that point, with vibrant new tunes like “No Strings” and “Smoke on the Highway.” But there were also slower songs with lyrics that reflected the musical brothers’ formative years. None were more moving than “Your Town,” which is largely designed as a tribute to the late music teacher, Todd Peterson, who supported and pushed them towards a music career. A song they created with Teddy Swims, “Happy People,” was such a potent soul ballad it evoked Sam Cooke’s best, and proved that beyond the singalong choruses, Sam Harris has some major league pipes. The plaintive ballad “Fallout,” the romantic ode “Half-Life,” and the sibling story “Follow the Sound of My Voice” had the audience transfixed. And the exuberant “Start A Band” was as effective an anthem to kids who love rock ‘n’ roll as anyone ever penned. The hit “Unsteady” was a predictable singalong finale, its lyrics a warm plea for us all to support one another. For encores, The X Ambassadors delivered a pair of scorching rockers from further back in their history, “Gorgeous” and “Jungle” and 933 folks roared and sang along gleefully.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Child prodigy musician Quinn Sullivan playing Boston, has new album
