| Quan Yeomans | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Quan Yeomans |
| Born | December 12, 1972 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Rock, alternative rock, hip hop, electronica |
| Occupations | 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 | [1] |
Quan Yeomans is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of the multi-ARIA Music Award winning band Regurgitator, which formed in Brisbane in December 1993.
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Yeomans was born in Sydney, Australia to a fifth Generation Australian father and his mother Lien Yeomans, a well-known Vietnamese chef and author. His parents divorced during his childhood, during which he recalls listening to various Fleetwood Mac albums.[1] In 1986, his family relocated to Brisbane and he attended Kelvin Grove State High School until graduation in 1989. Yeomans has credited his father, a psychiatrist, who travelled with him 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]".[2] His father died in 1999.
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.[3]
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".[4]
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,[5] 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.
Quan also has a solo career and a side project from Regurgitator with Sydney musician Spod called "Blox".[6]
On 2 November 2008 Yeomans launched a solo project with the release of his debut solo album Quan: The Amateur[7] which was recorded in Hong Kong, where he previously resided. Quan performed on the 2009 Big Day Out tour.[8]
Yeomans' lyrical style has been described as a trademark postmodern lyricism and skeptical cynicism.[9] 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. Another reoccurring theme in Yeomans' lyrics is about musicians dealing with fame, which is possibly influenced by his own career.
Quan has stated that he votes for The Greens party.[10]