Quinzy’s tribute to Norman Borlaug

Is Sandy Taronno, singer-guitarist for pop-rock quartet Quinzy, Winnipeg’s Bono? Or at least, is that the way this writer has made him look?

That’s the question readers might ask themselves when they read the article about Quinzy in the issue of The Uniter that hits newsstands today. That’s because the article starts with a discussion of the life and work of Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning American agronomist who is credited with saving over one billion lives as a result of his work increasing food supply around the world.

Quinzy have a song called Ode to Norman Borlaug on their new EP, Self-Defense. It doesn’t seem like the subject matter a pop-rock band would cover—especially one made up of four guys who are given to cracking clever jokes often, and talking about things like Satan’s eternal erection. It seems more like something an Irish rock star given to championing humanitarian causes might write about in a song.

But maybe that’s part of what makes Quinzy’s music so great—amidst the upbeat tempos and catchy melodies are lyrics with depth that are open to interpretation.

Ode to Norman Borlaug isn’t a retelling of the man’s life, of course. (That would definitely be a Bono move.) Rather, Taronno uses the man’s life as the starting point for a song about selflessness.

Maybe the best part the story isn’t even included in the Uniter article. This past September, most of the songs on Self-Defense had been mixed. Taronno and his bandmates were waiting on the mix of one last song—Ode to Norman Borlaug—and they were wondering what was taking so long.

Unbeknownst to Quinzy was the fact that their manager was preparing a package to send to Norman Borlaug that included a copy of the song. A way to say, Look, you’ve had an impact on the world, and there’s this band in Winnipeg, Canada who are paying tribute to that in some small way.

Borlaug died of cancer at the age of 95 one day after the package was sent.

“It’s almost appropriate [that he never heard the song], because what that song is about is not getting recognition,” Taronno says.

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Here are a few lighter excerpts from The Uniter‘s interview with Quinzy that didn’t make it into the article:

Sandy Taronno on recording at The Warehouse in Vancouver, where the studio time they booked included a runner—someone whose job it is to get you whatever you want—named Adam:

“I miss Adam. I never thought I would enjoy having a slave so much.”

Sandy Taronno on Quinzy Breaks Singapore, a three-episode TV series (available on MTS TV’s Winnipeg on Demand later this month) that chronicles Quinzy’s experience living in the city-state this past summer, where they played 13 shows over the course of a month:

“I wanted to call it Singapore Breaks Quinzy.”

Sandy Taronno on taking part in a public Guitar Hero competition with drummer David Pankratz while the band was in Singapore:

“It might’ve been the biggest crowd we played for.”

Visit Quinzy online at www.quinzy.ca and view a trailer for Quinzy Breaks Singapore here.