Buckeye Beat

Home
Bands and Performers
Labels
Venues
Works
Radio
TV
News
About the site
Contact Us

Quintessence


Hubbard, 1958-70

pic

L-R: Jim McCutcheon, Dave Cisler, Jeff Cisler, Reb Bilinski, (seated) Jay Carna;

Quintessence: Dayton Ohio. Band featuring Jim McCutcheon (flute, guitar, vocals), Mike Carnal (vocals, guitar, keys and woodwinds), Jeff Cisler (bass, guitar, woodwinds, vocals), Robert (REB) Belinsky (drums) and Dave Cisler (lead guitar, Hammond organ/keys, flute, vocals). The band formed in about 1971 when Dave Cisler, while attending Wright State University, became friends with Jay (mike) Carnal and they spoke of putting a band together. Jay knew Jim McCutcheon (who was attending University of Dayton) and Dave’s brother, Jeff, knew Reb Belinsky from high school. The band formed with a very different view of music. 

Not only did Quintessence play rock, but it also stepped into country, jazz, folk and even big band idioms. Quintessence was very well known for vocal harmony and lack of fear in playing material that some might have considered “too challenging” for rockers to play. It was not unusual to hear classical guitar pieces, followed by folk music, followed by material by Henry Mancini, followed by bossa novas by Antonio Carlos Jobim, followed by swing music (the Mills Brothers), Puttin’ on the Ritz (Irving Berlin) and even Pop Goes the Weasel. 

The band was handled by Jim May in Dayton and was a staple all over Dayton for clubs, parties, Christmas parties and so on and in about 1973 after all members graduated from their various schools, the band went on the road. Jim May kept the band working all around Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. 

The band broke up after about a year from internal strife and Dave and Jeff continued as a duo. Dave and Jeff met Bill Heaberlin of Media Promotions Enterprises out of Huntington WV and Bill kept the duo working all over the US from Reno NV to Atlanta to Marquette to Rochester and all over Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia. Dave and Jeff played for about 3 more years and retired from road work in 1975 to open a music store in Marietta Ohio called Cisler’s MusiCat. Jay and Reb also played music on the road in different bands and Jim settled down back at Dayton. .
Thanks to Dave Cisler