When not performing onstage alongside one of three bands, 29-year-old Quinn Decker focuses on their solo project, Quinn Decker and the Limited Liability Corporation. Decker, a Houstonian, began making music at 12 years old, when their parents bought them their first Tascam SD card recorder.
Decker, a percussionist for the band Grandmaster and a drummer for both Billy Glitter and Mountasia, carved out a name for themself in the Austin music scene. On Feb. 13, Decker released their fourth solo studio record, titled “The Second Greatest Depression,” marking their first attempt at writing about their experience in love, heartbreak, addiction and mental health struggles. Decker said they find community in allowing themself to express vulnerability in their lyricism.
“(As) an artist … you try and build a community of vulnerability,” Decker said. “You share experiences you’ve had, and maybe someone can connect with that.”
Although much of the album remains on the somber side, Decker said they curated the tracklist so it ends on a positive note, conveying to their listeners that everything will turn out okay. On their final track on the album, Decker sings, “I’m sure we’ll pull through” and “It’s time I start looking up.”
“We’re gonna get out of this, and we’re gonna do it together,” Decker said.
Blaise Eldred, a songwriter, vocalist and keyboard player for Grandmaster, said Decker possesses a variety of musical abilities, consistently enhancing the productivity within the studio whenever they work together.
“Quinn is really well-fashioned in being a musician,” Eldred said. “Quinn can do it all … when Quinn enters the room, we’re able to quickly get everything together due to their talent and ability to understand the pocket and what it is the sound needs.”
Decker said the Austin music scene proved to be beneficial in refining their career as a musician, a profession often hard to develop in their hometown, largely due to the size of Houston in comparison to Austin.
“(Houston) was such a hard environment,” Decker said. “A lot of the bands are so good, but no one comes to see them because everything’s so far away … it gets tough maintaining a music career out there, which is why I made the move (to Austin).”
Since moving to Austin in 2019, Decker has performed at several venues across Austin, including previous shows at The Hole in the Wall on Guadalupe. Austin Leos, a talent booker at The Hole in the Wall, said he met Decker before COVID-19 and felt fortunate to witness their performance live.
“Whenever I saw (Decker’s) solo stuff, I thought (it was) super unique,” Leos said. “(Decker’s) level of musicianship is one of those ones that you get really lucky to see.”
Decker said the project they are trying to push the most is the LLC, which is currently fully booked until April, including a show at The Hole in the Wall on March 19.
