Quill -

Quill was an American psych-rock band from Massachusetts that released a 1970 album on Cotillion. Drummer Roger North played in a later edition of the Holy Modal Rounders.

Members: Dan Cole (vocals, guitar, trombone), Norm Rogers (guitar, bass, cello, vocals), Jon Cole (bass, guitar, vocals), Phil Thayer (keyboards, bass, saxophone, vocals), Roger North (drums, vocals)

Background

Quill originated in 1967 in Boston; where brothers Dan and Jon Cole co-founded the band with drummer Roger North and multi-instrumentalists Norm Rogers and Phil Thayer. They played regional stages and supported major acts such as the Jeff Beck Group, Janis Joplin, and The Grateful Dead. Their jazz-tinged, theatrical sound was developed through intensive gigging and a rotating instrumental setup that included horn and string arrangements handled in-house.

A spring 1969 performance at Steve Paul’s Scene in New York earned them a slot at Woodstock, where they opened the second day of the festival at 12:15 PM on August 16, ahead of sets by Santana, Keef Hartley Band, Mountain, Sly & The Family Stone, and The Who. Though Quill’s set was not included in the film or original soundtrack, it led to a deal with Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion. The label granted the band full production control and allowed them to self-record at their Massachusetts studio with engineer Aengus.

Quill

Quill released their self-titled album in January 1970 on Cotillion. It contains seven original compositions: six by the Cole brothers and one (“Too Late”) by Norm Rogers. As on stage, the group handled their own arrangements, switching instruments and blending harmonic voices into a dense, sometimes chaotic whole.

“Thumbnail Screwdriver” opens the album with a distorted buildup that resolves into a driving, riff-forward rocker with an angular contour and layered vocal interplay. “The Tube Exuding” shifts through contrasting segments, shaped by progressive pacing and unexpected pivots in phrasing and tone. “They Live the Life,” the only track from their Woodstock set to make the album, unfolds over nine minutes with theatrical vocals, shifting dynamics, and an extended percussion interlude that breaks into polyrhythmic freeform.

Side B leans further into the group’s eclectic leanings. “BBY” introduces a rough-cut horn section in a collision of brassy stabs, jagged rhythms, and punk-toned vocals. “Yellow Butterfly” moves the furthest from rock convention—a lysergic ballad with softened edges and delicate pacing, its surreal tone drawing comparison to Syd Barrett’s early solo work. Norm Rogers contributes the more conventional “Too Late,” followed by the closer “Shrieking Finally,” which collapses into rhythmic disarray and fragmented chants across seven minutes of structure-averse experimentation.

A1. “Thumbnail Screwdriver” (5:30)
A2. “The Tube Exuding” (3:50)
A3. “They Live the Life” (9:23)

B1. “BBY” (4:40)
B2. “Yellow Butterfly” (4:15)
B3. “Too Late” (Norm Rogers) (3:40)
B4. “Shrieking Finally” (7:28)

Quill self-produced the album with phantom engineer Aengus, a soundman on the 1970 Polydor release Records Are Like Life, the debut by Andy Pratt. The record sleeve identifies the member as Da-ank Khol (Cole), Ju-unk Khol, Phil Stan D’ There, Red Rocket Rogers, and R. Willy North. The album was mixed at Natural Sound Studios on Staten Island by one Rordy Berred.

Quill appeared in a gatefold with a crumpled cross-worded lyric sheet (inner-left) and a wayward band pic (right). The cover art features ornate, psychedelic lettering embedded in a surreal, moss-green collage of textured faces, evoking late-1960s acid rock aesthetics with strong influences from San Francisco poster art and Art Nouveau

Wrap-Up

Quill dissolved soon after the album’s release, hampered by the absence of their Woodstock footage from the film and soundtrack and a lack of promotion from Cotillion. Jon Cole and Norm Rogers left during follow-up sessions; the unreleased material was shelved, and the band folded in 1971.

Jon Cole later transitioned into renewable energy ventures, while Dan Cole pursued studio work and production. Drummer Roger North remained active as a performer, notably with the Holy Modal Rounders, and earned recognition for his invention of North Drums, a curved-shell design used by percussionists into the ’70s and beyond.

Though out of print for decades, Quill has since been recognized as a curious, early American entry into progressive psych, marked by shifting textures, elaborate arrangements, and a disregard for radio format norms. Two songs from their Woodstock set, “They Live the Life” and “That’s How I Eat,” were finally released in 2009 on Woodstock 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm.

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