Publish The Quest News

Seattle Band Publish The Quest to Perform in Portugal and Poland

Johnny Fernandes — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:00:00

Seattle Band Publish The Quest to Perform in Portugal and Poland
Release of New Single to Benefit Arts Education in Africa

Seattle band Publish The Quest will travel to Portugal in November to perform a showcase concert and to release the single Sodade. Recorded with Cape Verdean vocalist Laise Sanches, proceeds from the sale of this song will benefit Arts Education in Africa.

Publish The Quest blends groove music melodies with vocally driven compositions that continually question social issues through story telling. Songwriter Jacob Bain formed the band in 2008 to record The Threads. As a result of that experience, seven passionate people have come together to form a strong bond and a band that is serious about keeping feet moving, bodies shaking and minds engaged. Jacob Bain, Jeffrey De Melle, Mark Oi, Samantha Boshnack, Izaak Mills, Adam Kessler and Chris Poage will be traveling with Johnny Fernandes, founder of Learn Africa, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides resources for Arts Education.

The band has been very active on the national and international scene having performed in Cape Verde in 2010 and in Zimbabwe in 2011 at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). HIFA is a six day annual festival and workshop program that showcases the very best of local, regional and international arts and culture in a comprehensive festival program of theatre, dance, music, circus, street performance, spoken word and visual arts. The group has just completed a fourteen-day tour of the west coast of the U.S.A.

Publish The Quest is destined to make a difference both at home and abroad. The group’s new album Then
What!? which was released in America in June, features Femi Kuti, Matt Chamberlain, Eyvind Kang and
Radioactive. Strong bonds and like-minded philosophies have made these collaborations possible. Following the performances in Portugal, the band will travel to Poland for three concerts with the sensational Sony recording artist Nneka.

The band has a strong social component, working closely with Learn Africa to further its mission of empowerment through the arts. To date, Publish The Quest has worked with the organization in Cape Verde and Zimbabwe. The trip to Europe is an extension of that. In Portugal, the group will collaborate with local artists to record more songs to benefit music education, “99 cents at a time.”

Fernandes, a dual American and Portuguese citizen, is trying to make Africa more relevant and accessible to his American and Portuguese communities. “Even with the Internet and social networks, Africa is still the Dark Continent, far removed from people's thoughts. The only glimpses we get are usually negative and pitiful. Africa is rich and diverse in music, culture, language and literature, but the gap between reality and perception is still enormous. Through my projects, I want to share the beauty of the continent and its people. Trips like this are hugely valuable in educational and cultural terms and the collaborative nature serves to connect everyone. Put musicians in a room together and beautiful things happen. Throw in some eager students and it turns into magic.”

While in Europe, Publish The Quest is available to work with local civic groups, schools and other institutions to promote cultural understanding, conduct music workshops and to perform concerts. To take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Johnny Fernandes immediately. The group’s current schedule is as follows:

Contact: Johnny Fernandes - johnny @learn-africa.org

7 November Arrival: Portugal
8 November Concert: MusicBox Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
9 November Departure: Poland
10 November Concert: Palladium - Warsaw, Poland.
11 November Concert: Klub Studio - Krakow, Poland.
12 November Concert: Eter - Wroclaw, Poland.
19 November Concert: TBD - Santander, Spain.
21 November Departure: U.S.A.

Unbelievable fortune

Jacob Bain — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:00:00

The sun is warm in the Sierra Nevada's today.. 3 more shows to go, and then back to the Northwest.. Time flies! The tour Van sprung a leak on our way up to Tahoe yesterday, and somehow (once again) the stars shifted, and aligned, in such a way that damage sustained was close to none. A kind faced man named Seig hooked us up at the transmission spot in South Lake.. Unbelievable fortune.
The shows have been good.. Each one different, and each night special. I have been reminded that music keeps me connected to people in a way that nothing else has ever come close to doing. I have often questioned if i would still see old friends, and make so many new ones, without this vehicle. Highly doubtful..

Thank you Skyway, Eugene, Delta of Venus, Santa Barbara, Wisnstons in Ocean beach, The Concrete Project, The Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice, and The Pastime...

One of my favorite Northwest's

Jacob Bain — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:00:00

One of my favorite Northwest's. Pouring rain, interspersed by quick, squinting-bright sun beams. The kind of Autumn Weather that leaves trees naked.. Last time Publish the Quest headed down the coast, is was to do a quartet of shows, mostly in and around San Fran. The old silver van that I bought on Craig's list was left in Placerville as a casualty of the short and bitter sweet tour.. Cliche. A disas-tour that somehow makes a band tighten (in a good way).
A book I once read about the Pacific Crest Trail, referred to the short-lived blasts of powerful sun that the Northwest offers this time of year, as sucker holes. If you are not familiar with this season at the top of the west coast, then you will be tricked into stripping your thermal and Gortex layers as the sun heats your blood, just in time to put everything back on again as the rain slaps you sideways, and soaks your shoes through to your socks.. "Sucker!" The author yells at herself, time and time again.

ZigZag Oregon tonight... The Skyway Bar.

New muisc, new links, and what's coming...

Jacob Bain — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:00:00

Publish The Quest has had a busy year, and we wanted to take the time to catch you up on what we have been up to...
First of all, we have some new music for you!! 2 new songs are now available to download through Itunes and cdbaby..

The first is called THEN WHAT!? it is the title track to our new album, that we are looking to release at the beginning of June, which features Femi Kuti...

The second is called SODADE. Sodade is a Cape Verdean song by origin, made famous around the world by a brilliant artist named Cesaria Evora. We learned, and performed the song in our own style, while participating at the International Festival of Santa Maria, while in West Africa last September.. After returning from that trip, we stepped into a studio, and recorded Sodade with Cape Verdean singer Laise Sanches.
The proceeds from the sale of this song, will be going to a music school in Cape Verde, that we got to spend some time conducting workshops at, while we were there..

Here is the link to Project SALT, the Non-profit that the funding from Sodade will go through.. http://salt.nimekula.org

Here are the links to purchase both of those songs...
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sodade-single/id424776147?uo=4
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/PublishtheQuest

The song THEN WHAT!? in addition to Itunes, will soon be available to purchase on a brand new music site, built by PATAGONIA. (That’s right, Patagonia the outdoor company) Patagonia has been working hard this past year to launch a new site, in a collaboration with Itunes, that you can purchase music through. The proceeds from music purchased on this site will directly benefit our environment. Even Itunes has agreed to give their profits of the sales of these songs to a variety of environmental causes!! Pretty radical!! In preparation for that site, and the fusion of outdoor adventure/travel and music, my good friends Fitz and Becca Cahall did a podcast about Publish The Quest’s music.

Check it out!!
www.dirtbagdiaries.com

Last but not least, Publish The Quest has been invited to perform at HIFA in late April of this year.. (coming right up) HIFA stands for Harare International Festival of the Arts. It is a six day festival that takes place annually in Harare, Zimbabwe. We have been pushing hard to get our funds together to make this trip happen, and honor the fact that we received such a blessed invitation.. We are trying to raise just a bit more cash, to solidify the trip.. We set up a Kickstarter account to do this.. For those of you who are not aware of Kickstarter, it is a fundraising website, that allows Artists (and just about anyone with a good idea) to raise money to do something... Make a CD, a book, a movie, put on a performance, go to Zimbabwe, etc... You set a dollar amount that you are trying to reach, and a time frame to do it in, and then start spreading the word. You can go to the site to learn more about the project, and donate if you feel inspired. There are some rewards for different dollar amounts given as well. (CD’s, T-shirts, PTQ to play at your private party, to name a few) If the dollar amount that you are trying to raise, is not achieved in the time frame given, then all donors get their money sent back to them..

Check out the project!
http://kck.st/e4g0fZ

AFRICA!

Jacob Bain — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:00:00

Seattle Band Publish The Quest Headed to Cape Verde Islands in September

Part of Local Effort to Preserve the Country’s Rich Musical Traditions

Seattle band Publish The Quest will be heading to Cape Verde in September to perform at Festival Santa Maria, an international music festival, on the island of Sal. They will also conduct music workshops for local children and collaborate with local musicians. Cape Verde is an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, off the coast of Senegal. Most of the islands’ inhabitants are descendants of Portuguese settlers and African slaves, and this heritage is reflected in the diverse culture, music, and dance.

Publish The Quest's music is a combination of Blues, Rock, Ska, World Pop of some-kind and something else mixed and then decolonized; dance music melodies and powerful lyrics.. thumping bass, and stout snare shots coupled with sassy horns and some wicked guitar lines. Band members Jacob Bain, Jeffrey DeMelle, Mark Oi, Samantha Boshnack, Izaak Mills, Adam Kessler, and Chris Poage will be traveling with Johnny Fernandes, director of Salt, a effort to preserve the musical traditions of a people whose daily struggle is to put food on the table. Salt is a project of A World Institute for a Sustainable Humanity (A W.I.S.H.), an international non-profit organization registered in Washington state that helps to provide models for solutions to poverty while fostering self-reliance.

Salt was established after Fernandes visited Cape Verde in 2000 where he saw incredible talent being overshadowed by poverty. “How can it be that such gifted musicians do not own any musical instruments?” said Fernandes. “What will happen to their musical traditions that have been passed down for generations?” The project’s mission is to provide practical resources and training as part of a long-term approach to economic empowerment.

In 2005 Fernandes lead a successful trip with Quasi Nada, another Seattle band. On that mission they collected dozens of instruments that allowed the music school to be formally launched. The group will be joined by Mell Dettmer, a music producer and engineer, and Shannon Welles, a photographer that is collaborating with Johnny on a book to raise funds for the project. TACV, the Cape Verdean airline, is assisting with travel, and the municipal government on the island is providing accommodation.

Fernandes has long-term plans as well, for which he requires more support, including funding and awareness as well as the ongoing need for musical instruments. “I want the world to experience with me the beauty and soul of the Cape Verdean people and their music.” Some of Salt’s other initiatives are to build a library, a workshop for luthiers, and a recording studio, and to form a musician exchange between the US and Cape Verde.

This is not Fernandes’ first such project. Born in Zimbabwe, he came to America to get his Bachelor’s degree at Gonzaga University and his Master’s degree in Computer Science at Western Washington University. He worked in the high-tech industry for 15 years before committing most of his time to social issues. His first project, A Wall for Social Consciousness, which he is still very much dedicated to, was established to help orphans of the AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe.

###

Project Salt : http://salt.nimekula.org

Publish The Quest: http://myspace.com/publishthequest

A Wall for Social Consciousness:http://barefootworkshops.org/projects/awfsc.html

Cape Verde: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Verde

Carpentry for recording...

Jacob Bain — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00

Sooo close, i can smell the end.. By far the longest recording project that I have ever been a part of.. And worth every minute of the carpentry/recording barter that Mell and I have constructed.. A new wall for a new song, a new drain for a new melody, and a new stairwell for a new rough mix..

Late nights into new days, and some birds and frogs churping and croaking into a U67...

Next PTQ Update!

Jeff DeMelle — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:00:00

We're going back in this weekend to nail down the drum and bass tracks! Jacob has been hard at work crafting the songs and even surprised us with a new 'new one' last week that has been on heavy rotation in my head ever since. Can't wait to share!

P.S.

We still need more ears on The Threads (it makes a great birthday present!) and we're always looking for reviews too.

More soon...

The Start of the Quest...

Jacob Bain — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 08:00:00

PUBLISH THE QUEST's album THE THREADS is now available.. We started working on the album at the start of 08, almost a year ago..

I called Izaak Mills and Samantha Boshnack after returning from Cuba, knowing that I really wanted to have their bold melodies be a part of the stories that I had been writing.. I felt completely inspired by what I had been watching and listening to in Havana and Trinidad.. I played a bit of music with some young and talented horn players in Havana, and got a chance to try out some new songs in the process.. to say the least I was hooked.

Jeff DeMelle received a phone call next.. BIG-BASS-THUMP.. To my delight and surprise, he told me that he was in, no thought needed.. I wore a grin from ear to ear after our conversation about the music over the phone, and would find it easy and fun to play with Jeff in the recording sessions that followed.. SOLID

I have always wanted to incorporate keys of some kind.. Back in the early days at the Trolls Cottage, we used to have keys.. I have always missed the days when Erik Reimnitz (now bass player for Trolls) used to play them, although I wouldn't trade his new found love back in, I envisioned keys for Publish The Quest from day one.. The first person that I thought about, who I admire deeply for his song writing abilities and energy on and off of the stage, was Chris Poage.. Again Chris agreed to come to my studio and work out some songs.. we immediately recorded some tracks which would become some of the foundations found on our new album THE THREADS..

Earl Clay, drummer for Trolls Cottage and long time friend of mine, has always been my clock. I have played with a couple other drummers, briefly in my life, but not much. I asked him if he would like to work on this project with me, and he told me that he would play drums on any song that I wrote.. :)

Our first show was on August 29th, 08 at the Lo Fi, At which time out Album was being mixed, edited, dubbed, and arranged by Mell Dettmer.. Another new, amazing person in my life. At that show I saw Mark Oi, who I have seen for a long time play with Clinton Fearon, and always respected.. I had a great conversation with Mark on the sidewalk before the show that night.. When the show was over and I was loading some equiptment out, I found myself enjoying an almost-forgotten-first-show-buzz... I felt high on this music.. I think right about then, Mark told me that he heard some great spaces in the tunes, and if we wanted some guitar work that he was in..

My big brother Matthew has always taken care of me.. I must say. Building websites, printing shirts and buisness cards every time I think I have a new idea for something.. I probably own a few domain names that I will never use and have a few stacks of cards that will never see the light of day.. Matt designed our album, designed the website WWW.PUBLISHTHEQUEST.COM and some posters in between... he designed our shirts and did all the screen printing - Something he knows how to do well from his Casual Industrees days..

So thats are story so far.. If your reading this I would like to say THANK YOU for checking out the music! I hope it sturs you in some way...

-Jacob

The day before THE THREADS Seattle release party

Jeff DeMelle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:00:00

It's been about 9 months in the making and what a time it has been! I remember the first time Jacob called about this project and how easy it was to say "yes" to the idea of being a part of it. I was excited from the start and I'm psyched things have gone so well this whole time. I knew right away that we had an awesome group of people and getting Mark onboard was such a natural step - so glad he came to Lo-Fi on opening night! And Mell!, OMG, don't even get me started.

I listened recently to some of the earliest recordings, ones that are just Jacob with his guitar and Earl or even a beatmachine and that's it and I like them as much now as I did then. I said at the time that I could see some of them being released as is with no further development at all and people would dig them! I still think so. That is magic. And then to hear what they've turned into is just craZy!! What a cool process. I can't wait to do it again and again (and we already are!). Stay tuned...

The Threads

Jacob Bain — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:00

What are The Threads? a commonality within and between humans or the barely-visible-fibers that hold our clothes together? Perhaps both.. The truth is, that the shirts that were wearing tell a story.. and as Thomas King so elegantly states in his book title The Truth About Stories, “The truth about stories is that thats all we are.”
Publish The Quest’s First album, The Threads, examines the human condition, and questions our moral obligations, through stories. Some of these stories are told from personal experience, and some an attempt to step outside of a that personal experience, and into one that has been observed.. Shoes..

It has taken one year to make this album..