Curtiss A (aka Curt Almsted) has been a fixture in Minneapolis rock since 1978, when he recorded with his punk-ish combo the Spooks. Never really a punk rocker in the traditional sense, Almsted was more of a roots rock wiseguy more influenced by John Lennon than John Lydon. In the late '70s and early '80s, he was a big part of the burgeoning pre-Replacements/Hüsker Dü Minneapolis rock scene which, at the time, included the Suburbs, Suicide Commandos, Flamin' Ohs, and Hypstryz. He recorded a great debut record, Courtesy (with future Replacement Slim Dunlap on lead guitar), which brought him and indie label Twin/Tone acclaim. Since his last album (1988's so-so A Scarlett Letter, with ex-NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson on board), he has kept an extremely low profile. ~ John Dougan, Rovi