Quan Yeomans

Quan Yeomans

Quan Yeomans performing with Regurgitator in Sydney on 31 December 2012.
Background information
Birth name Quan Yeomans
Born (1972-12-12) 12 December 1972
Sydney, Australia
Genres Rock, alternative rock, hip hop, electronica
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, animator, producer
Instruments Guitar, vocals, keyboard, synthesizer, drums
Years active 1993–present
Labels Valve Records, Warner Bros.
Associated acts Regurgitator, Happyland, Blox
Website

Quan Yeomans (born 12 December 1972) is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of critically acclaimed and the multi-ARIA Music Award winning band Regurgitator.

Biography

Early years

Yeomans was born in Sydney to a fifth generation Australian father, Neville, and his mother Lien, a well-known Vietnamese Australian chef and author. His parents divorced during his childhood, during which he recalls listening to various Fleetwood Mac albums.[1][2] At an early age Lien arranged for family friend and Channel Seven newsreader Peter Waltham to give music lessons for Quan in exchange for cooking lessons. In 1984, his family relocated to Brisbane and he attended Bardon Primary School before attending Kelvin Grove State High School until graduation in 1989. Yeomans travelled with his father in 1991 to Rio de Janeiro to the World Economic Forum, where he heard Indian scientist and author Vandana Shiva speak about the crippling, cyclic effects of debt on the Third World. He has stated, "To find out about that was a critical moment for me and inspired a lot of work that I did in the band [Regurgitator]".[3]

Regurgitator

In 1993, Yeomans was a drummer for Brisbane punk band Zooerastia. After meeting Pangaea bassist/vocalist Ben Ely on a bus, they would form Regurgitator with Yeomans on guitar/vocals and Martin Lee on drums. He has stated that he felt like a hypocrite signing to major label Warner Music because of his views on the music industry as the mouthpiece of global capitalism.[4]

Yeomans is the dominant composer in the group, owning the writing credits to over half the songs on each album. The majority of songs chosen for single releases are also his. Regurgitator's shift towards synth-driven 80s pop on their second album Unit, which contrasted greatly to their earlier rock/hip hop orientated works, is largely due to Yeomans' frustration with their male-dominant audience who embraced their heavier sound. Manager Paul Curtis recalls that he had once stated "thank god Grinspoon came along because they took all the male angst away from our shows".[5]

Happyland

In 1996, Yeomans became acquainted with Janet English, bassist/vocalist for Melbourne-based band Spiderbait. The two started dating and the relationship lasted several years. The pair formed Happyland,[6] an art pop band and released '’Welcome to Happyland'’ in 1998, which spawned a few hits that received airplay on Triple J. The project has been inactive since 2000.

2000 onward

Yeomans formed a solo project entitled "BLOX" and Quan the Amateur, releasing a self-titled album in December 2008 under the latter moniker. Quan: The Amateur was recorded in Hong Kong, where he resided at the time of recording, and Yeomans then performed the album on the 2009 Big Day Out tour.[7][8]

Yeomans' hip-hop project Disaster!, featuring former girlfriend Emilie Goegan, played shows in Japan and Australia. Disaster! has ceased due to the couple ending their relationship.[9]

As of October 2013, Regurgitator is on a period of indefinite hiatus due to personal matters and the geographical locations of Ely and Yeomans (the former resides in Melbourne, Australia, while the latter resides in Hong Kong).[10]

Musical and lyrical style

Yeomans' lyrical style has been described as a trademark postmodern lyricism and sceptical cynicism.[11] He is known for the explicit lyrical content that appeared on Regurgitator's earlier releases. Songs such as "I Like It Like That", "Pop Porn" and "The World of Sleaze" deals with issues of sexism. Yeomans has acknowledged feminist performance artist and friend Kiley Gaffney as a major influence. He has also credited his father, a psychiatrist, as his 'greatest intellectual and emotional influence. It is through his insights that I discovered the true nature of subversion, subtlety and brutality.'[12] Their attendance at the 1991 World Economic Forum directly influenced the lyrics for the song 'G7 Dick Electro Boogie'. Another reoccurring theme in Yeomans' lyrics is about musicians dealing with fame, which is possibly influenced by his own career. Regurgitator bassist/co-vocalist Ben Ely noted that 'Quan was really playing around hardcore topics with cute pop songs'[13] when asked about the controversial track 'I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am'.

Personal life

In 2004, Yeomans stated that he voted for the Australian Greens party.[14]

As of September 2013, Yeomans resides in Hong Kong with his partner and their first child will be born in late 2013.[10][15]

References

  1. ↑ Kotori Magazine – Explosions by Regurgitator – An Interview
  2. ↑ Listen | triple j
  3. ↑ live dreamer – quan yeomans | map magazine's street editors Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ "Pig City: From the Saints to Savage Garden" By Andrew Stafford, Published by University of Queensland Press, 2004, p.275
  5. ↑ The Album Series – Regurgitator: Unit | media | triple j
  6. ↑ Happyland Discography on spakatak.com
  7. ↑ "2013 Speakers: QUAN YEOMANS". Big Sound. Qld Music Network Inc. 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Alistair Erskine (12 May 2009). "Quan-tum Leap". BMA Magazine. BMA Magazine. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  10. 1 2 Jody Macgregor (20 September 2013). "Regurgitator going on indefinite hiatus". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  11. ↑ Musicfeeds.com.au drops in on Quan in Hong Kong
  12. ↑ "Australian Story: Australian Lives" By Gabrielle Carey, Published by ABC Books, October 1997, p.185
  13. ↑ FBI Radio Interview with Ben Ely, 16 November 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4joDRbgyvM
  14. ↑ Greens allied with the 'gurge – Music – www.smh.com.au
  15. ↑ "So we have some good news... and some not so good news.". Regurgitator on Facebook. Facebook. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
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