Multi-instrumentalist Quintron is a celebrated nightclub organist and inventor, who has patented a number of his own inventions and often performs at his own private club, the Spellcaster Lodge, located on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans’ 9th Ward. He frequently performs with his wife, fellow musician and puppeteer, Panacea Pussycat (also known as Miss Pussycat), co-founder of the 9th Ward’s now defunct Pussycat Caverns. Quintron’s most notable invention to date is the Drum Buddy, a mechanically-rotating, five-oscillator, light-activated drum machine. They are playing with the Zero Boys at The Earl Friday on April 20th and they joined us for our 5GB series:
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
A hardcore punk band called Mr Yuck in a Basement show of my friend who was the lead singer of Mr. Yuck. He put stickers of Mr. Yuck everywhere he possibly could. It was a little sad face who was green and he looked like he was puking. Mr. Yuck was an actual campaign to keep kids from drinking poison. It was invented in Pittsburgh because the skull and crossbones that is usually used on poison bottles was also the mascot for the Pittsburgh Pirates….so uh, kids would kinda associate the ole Jolly Roger with something good and fun like soda pop and hot dogs. I dunno if they even use that any more. But that whole thing was pretty genius for a 6th grade fake hardcore band. I guess the kid must have moved to our school from Pittsburgh.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed?
Uh…I don’t know. The last one? Yea…the last show we played on Lundi Gras Night in the French Quarter. Har Mar Superstar and Bass Drum of Death were on the bill. I think we played for like 2 and 1/2 hours. I want to be a jam band….but with a minimal amount of actual jamming…..I just wanna have enough songs to compete in that realm. You have to have respect for the jam band. Everyone in the punk (or whatever you wanna call it) scene disses the jam band scene like its a big joke but really when you think about it, if you truly love music and believe in its transformative powers, it is a complete and total victory to keep an audience for that long. I think a concert should be mind blowing and exhausting and REALLY transport the room to another planet and sometimes it takes a long time to do that. We gotta stop worshiping this punk ethic of the hard and fast 20 min blast show…”in and out and leave them wanting more!”. Fuck that….I’m sorry DC, I know you had a hand in inventing that style but really…….its just like a commercial for how to dress. I say go jam bands! Go rave culture! Wear me out…I wanna be too tired to google anything when I go home. When is the last time you saw Dead Moon play less than an hour and a half by the way? But actually….if you put like 12 bands together that all sound the same with hardly any break in between bands their 20 minute sets then it sort of amounts to the same experience so um…..next question.
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
I don’t know probably the first time I saw Andrew W.K. or maybe one of the many times we played with the Cramps (on a tour) or maybe the performance of Madam Butterfly right after Katrina in a run down old theater uptown (because their opera house was totally destroyed). Probably those three are a tie for first place.
Gig you would most like to play?
Always wanted to check out The Gathering but I am pretty sure it would not be fun to play at. We are headlining ATP this fall at Asbury Park so that is kind of a dream come true. We did the one in England a long time ago and it was amazing. Even the television in the hotel rooms was curated by the programing band (who i forgot their name…something to do with a mouse).
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT with some local bands who are amazing and maybe Ian Svenonius Djing at the Red Palace in Washington DC…..wait thats actually happening really soon right? Seriously, my perfect show is every night I get to do it. The best shows just creep up on you.
(and the laughing subsides as the interviewer backs slowly out of the room….curtain, THE END).
Catch Quintron and Miss Pussycat with Zero Boys, Friday April 20 at The Earl
