QUOIA Launches with All-Star Musical Collaboration Inspired by Iceland’s Wild Landscapes

Featuring members of Goose, Dawes, Lettuce and Dead & Company, Rainbow Body will release its debut album Oct 23 to benefit wild Atlantic salmon conservation.

LAGUNA BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What happens when extraordinary musicians leave the familiar behind, immerse themselves in one of the world's wildest places and create music inspired by the land and people they encounter?

That's the idea behind QUOIA™, a new initiative bringing artists and conservation together through the power of music.

Founded by an alliance of conservation-minded private industry leaders — Cox Enterprises, Atlantic Packaging and Eleven — QUOIA invites artists into wild places to create original music, connect audiences to nature and inspire action to protect it.

For its inaugural session, QUOIA brought an all-star group of musicians to Flóki Studios in northern Iceland, where dramatic landscapes, immersive experiences with local conservationists and the plight of wild Atlantic salmon became the backdrop for an extraordinary musical collaboration.

The result is Rainbow Body, a new supergroup featuring acclaimed musicians from Goose, Dawes, Lettuce, Soulive and other celebrated acts. The group will release its debut album digitally on October 23 and perform together publicly for the first time that evening at Coast Film & Music Festival in Laguna Beach, California. A collectible vinyl edition will follow in early 2027.


MUSIC BORN IN THE WILD

Rainbow Body brings together an extraordinary lineup of musicians:
- Rick Mitarotonda – Goose
- Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith – Dawes
- Eric Krasno – Lettuce, Soulive; three-time Grammy Award winner
- Ross James – Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band
- Adam MacDougall – Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Circles Around the Sun

With special appearances by Oteil Burbridge, two-time Grammy Award winner and member of Dead & Company and the Allman Brothers Band, and singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm.

The musicians came together without a predetermined sound or setlist, allowing the experience of Iceland and the creative chemistry among them to shape the music.

Their first single, "Strange Memory," earned recognition from Rolling Stone as one of its songs to know that week. JamBands.com praised the Iceland sessions for capturing "a sound that feels both timeless and adventurous."

“We hope to create awareness around certain things that people would not normally know are happening in the world,” says Krasno. “That it can be kind of a backdrop for coming together on these issues and people collaborating in different ways to help the world.”

“As musicians, everyone’s focused on their pursuit and expression as artists, and that can become all-consuming,” says Mitarotonda. “To be able to be a part of this and serve something bigger, it’s an honor and something I would love to do a lot more of.”


A SOUNDTRACK FOR CONSERVATION

Iceland's wild rivers are among the remaining strongholds for Atlantic salmon, a remarkable species that migrates thousands of miles between freshwater and the open ocean. Wild Atlantic salmon populations have declined dramatically since the 1970s, threatened by habitat loss, climate change, pollution and industrial ocean salmon farming.

As an indicator species, wild salmon tell us something larger about the health of our planet. When salmon thrive, it signals healthier rivers, oceans and ecosystems. When they disappear, it's a warning that those natural systems are under pressure.

QUOIA's first session supports the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, founded in 1989 by Icelandic conservationist Orri Vigfússon. NASF works to protect wild Atlantic salmon through habitat conservation, sustainable fisheries management and efforts to address the threats posed by ocean salmon farming.


A NEW KIND OF CREATIVE ALLIANCE

QUOIA is based on a simple belief: Music is the ultimate unifier, a pathway to listening to, and truly hearing, nature.

Its founding partners — Cox Enterprises, Atlantic Packaging and Eleven — share a commitment to conservation and a belief that business, creativity and collaboration can be powerful forces for protecting nature.

Together, they are building a platform that brings artists into some of the world's most extraordinary landscapes, connects them with people working to protect those places, and transforms those experiences into music that reaches far beyond them.

Iceland and wild Atlantic salmon are just the beginning. Future QUOIA sessions are being developed in other wild places around the world, bringing new artists, new sounds and new conservation stories to audiences everywhere.

Let's keep the world humming.


THE ALLIANCE BEHIND QUOIA

QUOIA was founded by an alliance of conservation minded private enterprises who are committed to innovation, collaboration and the revitalization of the earth. They are building an impact network for the future of biodiversity and the revitalization of nature.

About Cox Enterprises:
A global, privately held company that invests in innovative businesses working to create a better future for people and the planet.

About Atlantic Packaging:
Founded in 1946, Atlantic Packaging is a third-generation, family-owned business providing innovative packaging solutions across North America. Guided by a profound commitment to the health of people and the planet, Atlantic launched A New Earth Project as an invitation to industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers to collaborate in accelerating the transition toward a healthier, more regenerative future.

About Eleven:
Eleven creates experiences that connect people to extraordinary places, cultures, and pursuits. From intimate lodges and expertly guided adventures to thoughtfully designed spaces, every detail reflects a commitment to craft and a deep connection to the natural world. On Iceland’s Troll Peninsula, Flóki Studios extends this philosophy into music: a world-class recording studio and record label set between volcanic peaks and the Arctic Ocean, where artists find space to create, connect, and be inspired.

About the North Atlantic Salmon Fund:
Founded in 1989 by Orri Vigfússon, NASF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting wild Atlantic salmon through habitat preservation, fighting ocean salmon farming and closing unsustainable fisheries.

About wild Atlantic salmon:
A key focus of NASF’s work is fighting industrial salmon farming in order to restore wild Atlantic salmon populations. Wild Atlantic salmon is an indicator species, which means its health reflects the health of the ecosystems in which it lives. Wild Atlantic salmon populations have fallen 80% since the 1970s. Dams, climate change and pollution all play a role in the decline, but a leading threat is ocean-farmed salmon. 99% of the Atlantic salmon consumed globally is farmed in sea cages, where escapees, sea lice and waste spill into wild populations. Wild Atlantic salmon need healthy rivers, healthy oceans and a strong, supportive food web to help them thrive across an extraordinary lifecycle. When they disappear, they’re sounding a warning about habitat degradation.

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Website: https://quoia.earth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quoia.earth
Hi-Res Press Images

Adam Hymans
Resource Media