Curtiss A (born Curt Almsted on January 31, 1951) is a musician and visual artist from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

. One of the original artists on the

Twin/Tone Records Twin/Tone Records was an independent record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which operated from 1977 until 1994. It was the original home of influential Minnesota bands the Replacements and Soul Asylum and was instrumental in helping the ...

label, he performs one of the most popular shows in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

, an annual tribute to

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

held at First Avenue.McKinney, Devin
"The John & Curtiss Show"
''American Prospect'', December 14, 2005. He was the first musician to headline at First Avenue's sister club 7th Street Entry, and opened for

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

's first concert at First Avenue (then still called Uncle Sam's).

Career

Curtiss formed Wire, his first

band, in 1969 and played with various permutations of that group through the 1970s. (Almsted's band is unrelated to the English post-punk band of the same name.) His first recording, a six-song EP, was with the Spooks, which he started with future Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap. In 1978, Curtiss (as Buzz Barker) released the single-cum-political rant, ''I Don’t Wanna Be President''. Its B-side, ''Land of the Free'', was played at

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

rallies as the Polish trade union protested martial law. Following those classic singles, Twin/Tone released a full-length album in 1980. The acclaimed ''Courtesy'' received four stars in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

''. Curtiss followed with two more albums on Twin/Tone, ''The Damage is Done'' and ''A Scarlet Letter'', the latter produced by Al Anderson of

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock music, rock band founded by Terry Adams (musician), Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbande ...

. The next LP was to have been produced by

Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician, who formed, along with Chris Stamey, the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canonga ...

and

the dBs The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album, ''Stands for Decibels'', is often acclaimed as one of the greatest "lost" powe ...

, but Curtiss took a break from performing following a family tragedy. During his hiatus from music, Curtiss turned to making collages, an art form that has interested him since childhood and has fulfilled his desire “to see stuff that wasn’t together, together.” He mixes all types and periods of art, particularly different styles of

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

illustrations. Curtiss describes his collages as dreamscapes where iconic figures—or other images that embody a mythic quality—are placed in iconoclastic situations or surroundings. He often uses political and theological images along with depictions of superheroes to represent the constant struggle for justice and to question who or what is truly good. His work also has a great deal of humor, leaving the viewer with a mixture of despair and hope. Since his return to music, Curtiss has released several albums, and he plays throughout the

with his band, The Jerks of Fate. His annual Lennon show is being documented by

filmmaker Amy Buchanan.

Personal life

Almsted has four daughters; the third, Alyson, died in 1987 of

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

. He has five grandchildren.

Honors and awards

Almsted has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the

nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Selected discography

* ''Courtesy'' (

Twin/Tone Twin/Tone Records was an independent record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which operated from 1977 until 1994. It was the original home of influential Minnesota bands the Replacements and Soul Asylum and was instrumental in helping the ...

, 1980) * ''Damage Is Done'' (

, 1984) * ''Scarlet Letter'' (

, 1988) * ''Jerks of Fate'' (independent, 2020)

Notes

References

*Collins, Cyn
"Curtiss A prepares for his 31st annual John Lennon Tribute"
''City Pages'', December 7, 2010. *McKinney, Devin
"The John & Curtiss Show"
''American Prospect'', December 14, 2005. *Walsh, Jim
"When Yoko Met Curtiss"
''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', December 4, 2000.

External links

Official Curtiss A website

Twin/Tone Records
{{Authority control Living people 1951 births Guitarists from Minnesota Artists from Minnesota