ALMOST SURREAL
How did we get here from there?
Currently based in Minneapolis, Almost Surreal plays most frequently in the Twin Cities metro area, but still can be seen in venues from northern Wisconsin to the Chicago area occasionally.
Kathleen grew up with a gospel and choral background in Kenosha, WI. As a vocalist with the Remnant Band, she performed at churches, fairs, and civic organizations, and recorded demos in Lake Geneva in '96 and '97. Country music became her focus after moving to Central WI, and a demo caught Luke's ear after she came to a practice with his then-current group Modym. After toying extensively with the idea of working together, a transfer necessitated relocation and a decision, and Almost Surreal was born.
Kathleen brings a powerful, emotional voice to the group in the style of Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, and Concrete Blonde... she also represents the country and pop influence in Surreal's originals and set list!
Luke owes a musical debt, among others, to a mother who taught piano lessons from age 6 on, and a father who monitored progress carefully. In seventh grade, an elective course in guitar offered an alternative to piano, and he never looked back. Raised in the 80's school of shred guitar, Luke successfully auditioned for entrance to the Minneapolis guitar school Music Tech at 15, only to shy from the big city and a "musician's paycheck", or lack thereof.
Luke recorded and performed with several hard rock bands in Central WI in the mid-90's, including Revelation (Rapture, '94), Lazarus (Lazarus, '96), and Modym (Too Many Secrets, '98). Modym performed extensively around Central WI, placing as finalists in two Battle of the Bands contests in Wausau, WI. It was in the hard rock genre that Luke embraced the performance motto that emotion should be not only evident in every note, but in every movement and expression. If it's just a job, we'd make at least minimum wage and perhaps fail to love every minute of it!
A stint with the group Funk's Grove in Madison, WI resulted in not only a danceable demo with no headbanging rhythms or shredding solos, but an appreciation for a style of music that appeals to people who don't necessarily wear leather! Here Luke discovered the sound of clean guitar, which had heretofor been a dormant channel on guitar amps, as well as the possibility of vocals, other than being every singer's "arm-chair quarterback":)
Luke's acoustic influences are somewhere between the more intricate Springsteen material and darker Dave Matthews Band songs, with a focus on intensity fueled by an adolescence spent with Slayer and Satriani.
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