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Freddy Quistgard
Percussionist Freddy Quistgard specializes in the tropical rock and singer-songwriter genres of music. Freddy performs from coastal Maine, down to Key West, FL and beyond. A musical childhood filled with piano and guitar lessons took a back seat to a long professional ice hockey coaching career. Music came back into his life in 2000, when he began his percussion journey as a guest member of Maine's original trop-rock band, The Corona Brothers, Shortly thereafter, Freddy joined The Calypso Cowboys and performed with them until the band retired in 2015. Since 2015, he has been a guest percussionist for The Island Castaways Band in Massachusetts. Staying close to his coastal Maine home, Freddy performs with the Tiki Thom Starkey , Quiet Riot Act acoustic duo, singer-songwriters Dave Jacquet and New Hampshire singer/songwriter Todd Trusty, In June of 2020, Freddy was chosen as an Academy Musician member of the Trop Rock Music Association (TRMA).
Freddy has been influenced by some very talented trop-rock percussionists including the late Ralph MacDonald, Eric Darken, Walfredo Reyes Jr, John Patti, Melanie Howe, Jax Bowers, Howie Golub, Michael Robertson, Scott Ciprari, R. Scott Bryan, and Quentin Leverich. Through observations and/or discussions these talented musicians reinforced Freddy's percussion philosophy of providing tasteful fills and tones to complement the songs. After all, percussion enhances the music and shouldn't distract from the story the singer is sharing through his or her songs!
Freddy has experienced success as a songwriter too. He penned
"Key West Attitude" and "If This Porch Could Talk" for Tiki Thom Starkey. Trop-Rockin' Magazine named "Key West Attitude" as one of their top 10 songs about the Florida Keys. "If This Porch Could Talk" spent 6 months on Shorelife Radio's Top 20 request list for 2018. He also co-wrote the hit song "Somewhere Down US 1" with The Island Castaways Band. In 2024, Todd Trusty will be recording "Northern Slice of Paradise", a song about life in a Maine beach town.
Freddy has been a regular performer at regional trop-rock music events including: Margaritaville Night at the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox AA affiliate), Sunday River Ski Resort Spring Weekend, New England Parrothead Convention, Northeast Regional Parrothead Convention, Sun of the Beach Festival, Key West annual Jimmy Buffett Parrothead Week (Meeting of the Minds) ,Trop RockN Duval & TikiMan Radio Songwriters Showcase.
He has performed with a veritable "who's who" of trop-rock stars including: Scott Kirby, Gabriel Donahue, Erica "Sunshine" Lee, Donny Brewer, James "Sunny Jim" White, Aubrey Wollett, Thom Shepherd, Harold Boothe, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Scherz, Mike Nash, Brendan Mayer, Boomer Blake, Isabella Stefania, Kirstie Kraus, Jeff Dayton, Dave Matchette, Danny Rosado, Jonas Lorence, Reggie Starrett, Jeff Dayton, Tim Campbell, Dave MacKenney, John McDonald, Bill Crowley, Joe Downing, Jeff Randall, Jody Bly, Ray Boone, Beth Travers, Dave Signs, Bill Cockrell, The Boat Drunks, Flip Flop Republic, Hungry Hard Luck Heroes, The Tropical Attitudes Band, and many others.
His percussion has been featured on albums for Tiki Thom Starkey, Todd Trusty, Jack Fossett and Keys Strong (a benefit CD for Florida Keys victims of Hurricane Irma).In 2024, Freddy will be adding percussion to a new Bill Crowley song. In 2021 Freddy was honored by TikiMan Radio's tongue in-cheek "Shunned Artist Coalition" with a Golden SAC Iron Man Award for all of his hours performing during Parrothead Week in Key West.
In his other "life", Freddy has been a professional ice hockey goaltending coach for over 4 decades working with pro, Olympic, collegiate, junior, prep school and youth goalies. He is currently goaltending coach for the Maine Mariners, the AA affiliate of the Boston Bruins.