Quill

Quill formed in Boston as a rock quintet whose regional following was briefly amplified by a slot at the Woodstock festival during August 1969. Brothers John Cole, handling bass, guitar, and vocals, and Dan Cole, responsible for vocals, guitar, and trombone, established the group that year alongside Roger North on drums, Norm Rogers on guitar, and Phil Thayer covering keyboards, saxophone, and flute; the players frequently rotated among instruments according to the material. After adopting the name Quill they performed across New England and New York, drawing favorable local notice for an intense, high-volume style that folded in psychedelic and jazz touches along with early performance-art gestures. In theory they might have stood as an East Coast counterpart to the Doors, yet only North approached that band’s instrumental standard, while none of the members matched Jim Morrison’s stage presence or Robby Krieger’s melodic gift, and none of their songs achieved the broad reach of “Light My Fire” or even “Break on Through.”

John and Dan Cole wrote most of the material, crafting literate, intricate compositions suited to elaborate stage presentations that sometimes incorporated substantial audience involvement. During the psychedelic climate of 1967 and 1968 such approaches felt timely and resonant to those who witnessed them. The band’s growing profile secured support slots with Jeff Beck, Deep Purple, Buddy Guy, and Janis Joplin. An engagement at Steve Paul’s Scene in New York City led directly to the Woodstock booking, though a technical problem with the filmed footage kept Quill out of the subsequent movie. Cotillion Records issued their debut album, yet lack of exposure from the film left it largely unnoticed in stores. John Cole departed soon afterward to explore other musical directions, and Cotillion declined to release a planned second album by the remaining members. The group had dissolved by 1971.

Nearly four decades later the six-CD anthology Woodstock 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm finally brought them wider international attention by including two of the four numbers they performed at the festival. Among former members, Roger North maintained the highest profile through an extended performing career that encompassed a period with the Holy Modal Rounders; he is also known among drummers for designing and playing the distinctive North Drums kit beginning in the late 1960s.