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Any fans of CA Quintet here?

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SeaStorm Posted: Apr 19, 2006 1:30
Hey, anyone here into CA Quintet?  There are one of those bands that I just love, yet I never run into anyone who has heard of them.  Brief bio:

"Virtually no one outside Minneapolis heard of the C.A. Quintet during their late-'60s heyday. It was their fortune (or curse) to actually reach a considerably bigger international audience when their album was reissued in the '80s. Starting as a rather conventional pop-soul/garage band, their one and only album, Trip Thru Hell (1968), was a worthy slice of dark psychedelia. With spooky organ and the occasional trumpet of singer/songwriter Ken Erwin, the group's murky and macabre vision -- dotted with trips through hell, cold spiders, Colorado mornings, and the like -- was genuinely original and chilling. Trip Thru Hell only sold 700-800 copies when it was first issued, but after gaining status among hardcore '60s psychedelic collectors, it was reissued in 1983." (allmusic.com)

A quite lengthy review of their album is at http://www.lysergia.com/LamaReviews/reviews3.htm#C%20A%20QUINTET

Initially I got hooked by the 60s pop sound of the singles that are the additional tracks on the 1983 re-issue.  But eventually the psychedelic stuff got to me (not normally my thing, either).  Good stuff.  The title track freaks the hell out of me.  Incredible bass.

Well, if anyone here is into them, this was recently posted by Ken Erwin:

"Greetings. After giving it a lot of thought and talking it over with friends and other band members, I have decided to let go of some C.A. Quintet records and some of other C.A. Quintet items that I have held onto for many years

On June 21st of this year, the 39th anniversary of our first recording contract and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the year we became the C.A. Quintet, I will offer a sealed copy of the original Trip Thru Hell album on EBay.

My plan is to offer a C.A. Quintet record and/or some other C.A. Quintet memorabilia every 10 days on EBAY until June 21st when I will offer one of the few remaining original sealed copies of the TRIP THRU HELL album.

My plan is to donate most if not all the proceeds to a non-profit organization. I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to be on this "trip" forever and these things are not much use to anyone tucked away in storage.

If you are the winning bidder and wish for me to personalize your item, I will. If you would like more information you can also go to our web-site caquintet.com

I want to thank all of you that have kept the music alive all these years! Ken"

Current eBay auction:

Three C.A. Quintet 1971 Live Albums New and Signed:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4863344283&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


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Update: CA Quintet is being inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame (formerly Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame) on May 2 at the Medina Entertainment Center.  I'll be there.

http://www.rockcountryhall.com/08event.html

I also recently learned that trumpeter and songwriter Ken Erwin is the nephew of renowned trumpeter Pee Wee Erwin, who played in the famous orchestras of the 30s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_wee_erwin).

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I've got the Sundazed reissue of "Trip Through Hell" on disc. Haven't listened to it in a long while, but as I remember it was necessarily my favorite psychedelic Lp. I'm a big psych fan amongst umpteen other genres and that one didn't seem to really register with me. I dunno, I'm not a big fan of the Litter either.

     It doesn't meant I wouldn't pass up the chance to get an original copy of the Lp though...

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I forgot to say that they are playing at the induction - a 4 song set.  I'm told by the band that this is the last time they will ever perform on stage.

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