Quintron (real name Robert Rolston; born c. 1967 in Germany[1]) is an American musician and one-man-band. He is a nightclub organist and inventor, who has patented a number of his own inventions and often performs at his own private club, the Spellcaster Lodge in New Orleans. He frequently performs with his wife, musician and puppeteer Panacea Pussycat (also known as Miss Pussycat), co-founder of the 9th Ward's defunct Pussycat Caverns.
Quintron is a multi-instrumental one-man-band. During performances, Quintron utilizes a custom-made Hammond organ/Fender Rhodes synthesizer combo which he has had outfitted to resemble the body of a car, complete with working headlights and a Louisiana license plate which reads "Quintron". Quintron is often accompanied by The Drum Buddy, a rotating, light-activated analog synthesizer, one of many which he has created and manufactured himself.[2]
Quintron is regularly accompanied by his wife Miss Pussycat, who sings backup and plays maracas.[3]
InventionsEdit
Quintron has invented a number of innovative musical devices. His first invention was called the 'Spit Machine' a hand organ which used saliva as a tuning conductor. Describing how the apparatus works, Quintron explains that "You had to spit on a stick, like a paint stir stick, and you had two metal leads that you would touch to either end of the line of spit and then you would move the leads closer together - higher pitch - and farther apart - lower pitch. The weird thing is that, the way I built the oscillator, spit was the only thing that I could use as a conducter (sic). Lemon juice was too conductive, water not enough, etc. You actually had a lot of control over the pitch with spit - it wasn’t too sensitive - and could really play it in tune like a real organ. There was also some resistive quality to human spit that gave the oscillator some weird overtones too."[4]
His next invention was called the 'Disco Light Machine,' a device which, in his own words, was a "system of pick-ups that you would attach to a drum kit and the sound of the drums would light up a light inside a darkened box and this light would activate electronic sounds to go along with the drums - the harder you played the drums, the brighter the light and the louder the electronic sounds."[4]
His most notable instrument, however, is the 'Drum Buddy'. The Drum Buddy is a mechanically rotating, five-oscillator, light-activated drum machine which can either be set to play automatically, or manipulated to create a number of different sound effects. The drum buddy has its own informercial, The Drum Buddy Show, which includes a number of guest appearances and performances by artists such as Quintron, Miss Pussycat, Ernie K-Doe, MC Trachiotomy, and the Drum Buddy Dancers.[5]
Quintron subsequently released a non musical invention called the Bath Buddy which is a water-level sensor designed to tell you when your bath is full. It runs off a 9v battery.
Quintron demonstrating his Bath Buddy
Private life and public imageEdit
Quintron is very enigmatic about his personal life and rarely grants interviews. It is known that he was born September 15, in Bitburg, West Germany,[6] where his father was stationed in the military. He grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and St. Louis, Missouri, before completing high school and moving to Chicago at the age of seventeen. He attended Loyola University and was an active member of the Theatre Department before transferring to DePaul University. While in Chicago he played in a cover band called Idol Chatter, and eventually joined the Chicago experimental trio MATH with Jodie Mechanic and Michael Colligan. During his time in Chicago he opened his first club, Milk of Burgundy.[5]
It was in New Orleans that he first met Panacea Pussycat, then-owner of the now-defunct Pussycat Caverns. While in New Orleans he founded his own club, the Spellcaster Lodge, which was severely damaged by hurricane Katrina. 9th Ward Breakdown, a song he had written several years prior to Katrina, predicted the human cost of the disaster with uncanny accuracy. The Spellcaster Lodge was reopened in September 2006.
Mr. Quintron is known for his eccentric behavior. In 1996, during an interview for a Times-Picayune article, he told interviewer Bill Grady that he and his wife were first cousins.[5] He also conducted the interview in a wheelchair, explaining that he had fallen from a roller coaster while at Six Flags over Mid-America. In an interview with Odyssey Magazine, Quintron qualified his unusual demeanor and explained his attitude towards the press, remarking; "I am aware that this interview is a game and I can step outside of this page to see it for what it is. You know, I may never say what I have just said in another interview ever. I can be inconsistent, unreliable, contradictory... like electricity or plumbing."[4]
DiscographyEdit
SplitsEdit
Split 7" with Flossie and The Unicorns (Bulb Records, 1996, BLB-044)
Science In the Shape of Birds 7" with XBXRX, Bobby Conn, Zeek Sheck (GSL Records, 2000)
Mardi Gras! 7" with XBXRX (Gold Standard Laboratories, 2001, G§L 49)
Split 7" with Sick Lipstick featuring XBXRX (GSL Records, 2002)
EPsEdit
We've Got Each Other 12" EP (Horseglue Records, 2003)
Mr. Quintron's first two records on Bulb were initially released on vinyl only, in very small quantities, and are now very hard to find. They were re-issued in the Bulb Gold Re-issue series on CD, but are now out of print as well. Quintron's other Bulb releases were released on vinyl and CD at the time of release, but are now out of print as well, and the CDs are harder to find than the Bulb Gold Re-Issue CDs of his first two albums (more copies were pressed of the Bulb Gold Re-Issue albums).
The album The First Two Records is somewhat of an oddity, because although tracks from the first two records are present, compilation tracks and guitar solos are more prevalent. Also, a set track listing is not actually known. Bulb owner Pete Larson was asked, and said that there is no track list for the album. When asked about the track listing, Quintron said "yea...that is a Bulb records budget re-issue. I submitted different stuff for the re-issue but the just listed the first two lps track listing. I doubt they even listened to it before release. sorry to say that I don't even know the track listing so it will remain a mystery.......Q".
^"The Musician Who Built A Weather-Sensing Synth". Popular Science. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
^James, Falling (2018-09-28). "Quintron and Miss Pussycat Bring Puppetry to Music Tastes Good". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
^ abcHunt, Phil. "The Odyssey: An Interview with Mr. Quintron". Odysseyzine.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
^ abc"Mr. Quintron". Eccentricneworleans.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
^"MySpace : Quintron". Myspace.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quintron.
Allmusic
Official Site of Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Official Site of Drum Buddy Instrument.
McDonnell, E. "Bayou Beat", The Miami Herald, September 26, 2002.
October 15, 2023
quintron, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from, article, talk, pa. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Quintron news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Quintron real name Robert Rolston born c 1967 in Germany 1 is an American musician and one man band He is a nightclub organist and inventor who has patented a number of his own inventions and often performs at his own private club the Spellcaster Lodge in New Orleans He frequently performs with his wife musician and puppeteer Panacea Pussycat also known as Miss Pussycat co founder of the 9th Ward s defunct Pussycat Caverns QuintronQuintron in concertBackground informationBirth nameRobert RolstonBornGermanyGenresRock alternative rock indie rock noise rockOccupation s MusicianYears active1990 presentLabelsBulb Crypt Skin Graft Rhinestone Three One G Tigerbeat6 Contents 1 Music 2 Inventions 3 Private life and public image 4 Discography 4 1 Splits 4 2 EPs 4 3 Albums 4 4 Other appearances 5 References 6 External linksMusic EditQuintron is a multi instrumental one man band During performances Quintron utilizes a custom made Hammond organ Fender Rhodes synthesizer combo which he has had outfitted to resemble the body of a car complete with working headlights and a Louisiana license plate which reads Quintron Quintron is often accompanied by The Drum Buddy a rotating light activated analog synthesizer one of many which he has created and manufactured himself 2 Quintron is regularly accompanied by his wife Miss Pussycat who sings backup and plays maracas 3 Inventions EditQuintron has invented a number of innovative musical devices His first invention was called the Spit Machine a hand organ which used saliva as a tuning conductor Describing how the apparatus works Quintron explains that You had to spit on a stick like a paint stir stick and you had two metal leads that you would touch to either end of the line of spit and then you would move the leads closer together higher pitch and farther apart lower pitch The weird thing is that the way I built the oscillator spit was the only thing that I could use as a conducter sic Lemon juice was too conductive water not enough etc You actually had a lot of control over the pitch with spit it wasn t too sensitive and could really play it in tune like a real organ There was also some resistive quality to human spit that gave the oscillator some weird overtones too 4 His next invention was called the Disco Light Machine a device which in his own words was a system of pick ups that you would attach to a drum kit and the sound of the drums would light up a light inside a darkened box and this light would activate electronic sounds to go along with the drums the harder you played the drums the brighter the light and the louder the electronic sounds 4 His most notable instrument however is the Drum Buddy The Drum Buddy is a mechanically rotating five oscillator light activated drum machine which can either be set to play automatically or manipulated to create a number of different sound effects The drum buddy has its own informercial The Drum Buddy Show which includes a number of guest appearances and performances by artists such as Quintron Miss Pussycat Ernie K Doe MC Trachiotomy and the Drum Buddy Dancers 5 Quintron subsequently released a non musical invention called the Bath Buddy which is a water level sensor designed to tell you when your bath is full It runs off a 9v battery nbsp Quintron demonstrating his Bath BuddyPrivate life and public image EditQuintron is very enigmatic about his personal life and rarely grants interviews It is known that he was born September 15 in Bitburg West Germany 6 where his father was stationed in the military He grew up in Mobile Alabama and St Louis Missouri before completing high school and moving to Chicago at the age of seventeen He attended Loyola University and was an active member of the Theatre Department before transferring to DePaul University While in Chicago he played in a cover band called Idol Chatter and eventually joined the Chicago experimental trio MATH with Jodie Mechanic and Michael Colligan During his time in Chicago he opened his first club Milk of Burgundy 5 It was in New Orleans that he first met Panacea Pussycat then owner of the now defunct Pussycat Caverns While in New Orleans he founded his own club the Spellcaster Lodge which was severely damaged by hurricane Katrina 9th Ward Breakdown a song he had written several years prior to Katrina predicted the human cost of the disaster with uncanny accuracy The Spellcaster Lodge was reopened in September 2006 Mr Quintron is known for his eccentric behavior In 1996 during an interview for a Times Picayune article he told interviewer Bill Grady that he and his wife were first cousins 5 He also conducted the interview in a wheelchair explaining that he had fallen from a roller coaster while at Six Flags over Mid America In an interview with Odyssey Magazine Quintron qualified his unusual demeanor and explained his attitude towards the press remarking I am aware that this interview is a game and I can step outside of this page to see it for what it is You know I may never say what I have just said in another interview ever I can be inconsistent unreliable contradictory like electricity or plumbing 4 Discography EditSplits Edit Split 7 with Flossie and The Unicorns Bulb Records 1996 BLB 044 Science In the Shape of Birds 7 with XBXRX Bobby Conn Zeek Sheck GSL Records 2000 Mardi Gras 7 with XBXRX Gold Standard Laboratories 2001 G L 49 Split 7 with Sick Lipstick featuring XBXRX GSL Records 2002 EPs Edit We ve Got Each Other 12 EP Horseglue Records 2003 Jamskate EP Rhinestone Records 2007 Albums Edit Internal Feedback 001 011 LP Bulb Records 1994 BLB 039 Out of Print The Amazing Spellcaster Live from the Pussycat Caverns LP Bulb Records 1996 BLB 049 Out of Print The First Two Records CD Bulb Records 1996 BLB 049 Out of Print Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron Crypt Records 1997 Satan Is Dead LP CD Bulb Records 1998 BLB 052 Out of Print These Hands of Mine LP CD Rhinestone Records Skin Graft Records 1999 Rhinestone 003 GR57 Unmasked Organ Light Year of Infinity Man LP CD Bulb Records 2000 BLB 072 Out of Print Drum Buddy Demo LP Vol 1 CD Skin Graft Records Rhinestone Records 2001 Are You Ready For An Organ Solo CD Three One G Records 2003 The Frog Tape LP Skin Graft Records 2004 GR72 Swamp Tech Electric Swamp LP CD DVD Set Tigerbeat6 Records Rhinestone Records Vinyl 2005 Too Thirsty 4 Love LP CD MP3 Rhinestone Records Goner Records 42GONE 2008 Sucre Du Sauvage LP Goner Records 2011 Spellcaster II Death In Space LP Pizza Burglar Records 2011 Erotomania Quintron at the Chamberlin LP Mind Meld Records 2019 MM 002 Goblin Alert Goner Records 2020 Other appearances Edit Silent Night and Jingle Bell Rock with Miss Pussycat on Psych Out Christmas Cleopatra Records 2013 Mr Quintron s first two records on Bulb were initially released on vinyl only in very small quantities and are now very hard to find They were re issued in the Bulb Gold Re issue series on CD but are now out of print as well Quintron s other Bulb releases were released on vinyl and CD at the time of release but are now out of print as well and the CDs are harder to find than the Bulb Gold Re Issue CDs of his first two albums more copies were pressed of the Bulb Gold Re Issue albums The album The First Two Records is somewhat of an oddity because although tracks from the first two records are present compilation tracks and guitar solos are more prevalent Also a set track listing is not actually known Bulb owner Pete Larson was asked and said that there is no track list for the album When asked about the track listing Quintron said yea that is a Bulb records budget re issue I submitted different stuff for the re issue but the just listed the first two lps track listing I doubt they even listened to it before release sorry to say that I don t even know the track listing so it will remain a mystery Q References Edit Howell Steven Robert Rolston Biography Allmusic Macrovision Corporation Retrieved 2008 08 12 The Musician Who Built A Weather Sensing Synth Popular Science Retrieved 2020 05 06 James Falling 2018 09 28 Quintron and Miss Pussycat Bring Puppetry to Music Tastes Good LA Weekly Retrieved 2020 05 06 a b c Hunt Phil The Odyssey An Interview with Mr Quintron Odysseyzine com Retrieved 24 December 2014 a b c Mr Quintron Eccentricneworleans com Retrieved 24 December 2014 MySpace Quintron Myspace com Retrieved 24 December 2014 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quintron Allmusic Official Site of Quintron amp Miss Pussycat Official Site of Drum Buddy Instrument McDonnell E Bayou Beat The Miami Herald September 26 2002 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Quintron amp oldid 1175525725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
