Quintron

Jay Poggi, aka Mr. Quintron, is the core of the musical train wreck experience that is Quintron. The Quintron name was apparently appropriated from the company for which his father worked as an electrical engineer.

Mr. Quintron plays the organ.
Mr. Quintron plays the drums.
Mr. Quintron plays the guitar.
Mr. Quintron plays various wind instruments.
Mr. Quintron plays things that nobody else has ever heard of which are usually of his own design, including:

• The Spit Machine - an electronic drum trigger activated by saliva.
• The Disco Light Machine - not really an instrument so much as a "sonic visualizer" for drums.
• The Drum Buddy - a theremin-esque device which triggers drum and synthesizer sounds when the light provided by a dangling incandescent bulb is interrupted by hand or by a rotating, perforated cylinder.

Science doesn't get any mo' madder than this. You can buy one of these babies for only $999.99!

Imagine the result of Jerry Lee Lewis romancing Judy Tenuta who then gives birth to a shrieking fireball of thumping, organ-ic, booty shaking fury. Now you're getting close to the groove. Mr. Quintron is often accompanied by his wife, Miss Pussycat, who will shake her maracas like the beat was a clingy spider and screech like Kate Pierson with a hot poker on her ass. She also produces puppet shows and makes her own costumes. Bully for her!

Much like Tool, Mr. Quintron and Miss Pussycat often appear to be completely full of shit. When cornered by an interviewer (which is rare for Quintron's hatred of the press is legendary) they often claim that they are first cousins, that Mr. Quintron is actually a paraplegic due to a freak rollercoaster accident and the like. I'll take my Quintron with a twist of lime and pinch of salt.

In previous incarnations, Mr. Quintron has been a member of Idol Chatter and Math. Quintron has produced music with Skin Graft Records, Bulb Records, and Rhinestone Records. He has also collaborated with The Oblivians and Ernie K-Doe. Miss Pussycat's puppet band, Flossie and the Unicorns can be found in New Orleans, Louisiana at Pussycat Caverns on St. Claude.

Discography
• The Unmasked Organ Light-Year of Infinity Man, 2000.
• Satan Is Dead, 2000.
• I.F. 001-011, 2000.
• These Hands of Mine, 1998.
• Amazing Spellcaster, 1996.

Sadly, Quintron's patented Drum Buddy machine is still an extremely rare find. Although his original intent was to produce 100 Drum Buddy units in 2000, the "target date" arrived and Mr. Quintron stopped production after building and selling only 44. Seven years later, Mr. Quintron built ten new and improved Drum Buddy machines with wood recovered from rare sinker cypress logs and sold the units for as much as US$5000 each.

In addition to working in New Orleans as a performer and inventor, Mr. Quintron has also taught high school science and operated as an independent electrician (Mighty Mouse Electric Service), and may do so again if the mood strikes him.

During the original Drum Buddy craze, Quintron released a product demo album and a video infomercial that could be easily mistaken for material from the Church of the SubGenius. In 2003 he released an album called "Are You Ready for an Organ Solo?" on his own label, Rhinestone Records. After that, he released "Electric Swamp", which also included a DVD of Miss Pussycat's puppetry. In 2007, he released "JAMSKATE", a 12-inch EP.

New Orleans film and video producer Rick Delaup has documented Quintron, Miss Pussycat, and several other interesting Crescent City locals for his Eccentric New Orleans website, which he may ultimately turn into a documentary.

After they married, Miss Pussycat and Mr. Quintron closed down the Pussycat Caverns she operated on Burgundy Street and moved into a house on St. Claude Street they dubbed the Spellcaster Lodge. For many years, the legendary lodge in the Lower 9th Ward served as their home, performance space, and mad scientist's lab until it was flooded in 2005 by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Quintron was so desperate to repair their home, which was not insured, that he snuck in to begin work even before residents were allowed to return to the neighborhood. To avoid suspicion from soldiers patrolling the area, Quintron wore fatigues while he worked on his place. Quintron and Miss Pussycat lost everything they couldn't fit into their touring van, but they eventually rebuilt the Spellcaster Lodge at its original location. When not at the lodge, the two continue to tour and perform.