Members:
Barbara Burgio - Vocals
Don Ayers - Drums
Juan Quiroga - Violin
Rich Huston - Bass
Andy Ayers - Guitar
Chris Winters - Guitar
Shows . . .
Stuff happening. . .
Players
History, Why, who . . .
Luminol was formed in Italy by Christian Valenti (Cloister) and Barbara Burgio who took the project with her to the United States. After a recording collaboration with A Hawk And A Hacksaw (Neutral Milk Hotel and Beirut), Barbara moved to Seattle, WA and transformed the initially folky-blues sound of Luminol into a more theatrical-electrified version by including spoken words and visual art to their live shows.
Current Lineup
Barbara Burgio
Vocalist and Muse
A woman of average height, with a good reputation — Barbara can cook while dancing to soul music AND eat with chopstick. Barbara inspires to be a Captain Harlock or a Captain Kirk if she needs to settle for less. Her favorite color is purple, like her heart and she hopes to work side by side with Dr. Walter Bishop one day.
Don Ayers
Drums
Don is by far the most famous member of Luminol due to his 5 years residency with The Bolshoi Ballet Academy. He is a passionate tobacconist and an exquisite cake decorator. There is a tasty rumor that Don loves custard, but no picture of the two together have been found.
Juan Quiroga
Violin
In the early 80's Juan worked primarily as a movie extra, most notably in 1984's Red Dawn (WOLVERINES!). You might remember his showcase scene, where he is machine-gunned into a bloody snow bank while defiantly singing "America the Beautiful" to a Russian firing squad. His secret dream is to drive a tractor.
Rich Huston
Bass Player
The only child of Floyd Pepper, bass player for the Electric Mayhem Band, his unique style was developed by mimicking 1950's Exotica sounds, which he later paired with the sounds of dolphin singing, creating a new form of music, Somber Hawaiiaca.
Rich is an avid supporter of the Cascadia (independence movement) and hopes one day to lead his children in a life of secessionist activism and gardening.
Andy Ayers
Guitar
Andy worked dusk to dawn as a short-order cook in a Chinese restaurant — saving up for his own Chinese food truck. Sadly he soon realized that General Tsao's sauce wasn't a real chinese recipe. Andy was able to channel the pain of this discovery into music, creating graceful guitar licks with a special tang. He collects unicorns — which he considers his passion and calling.
Chris Winters
Guitar
Chris was trained by the Hungarian Spectrum (the Hungarian secret service) — and is often regarded as a "super fast reader". He is capable of reading any Dostoevsky book multiple times per hour AND backwards. His favorite hobby is bocce ball. Before each game, he is fond of saying, "the throne is vacant, the hand is thirsty. I will lead my men into battle to enforce the King's peace". Chris is a fervid viewer of "The Real Housewives" and is a moderator on their message board.
...now it was the time to gaze at reality, to teem the heartless landscape, to come face to face with recognition. An arson fight to bring dismal self to an end; it was time for the last duel.
WATER ON WATER
Water on water
Despair on despair
A sense of defeat stroking is her hair
Water on water
Is this the last time
Your eyes are reflected in a pool of red wine?
Kill me / believe me
I would if I could
We are south of no north
We are lost in the woods
Kisses and tortures
Caresses and lashes
Try to survive one more night
Awaiting for the next day
But me, I'm too young to die
To proud to cry
To cold to pray
Water on water
Walls made of years
Carousels waltzes floating into our view
Chemical lies
From somewhere down there
Light up the city of impassable stairs
But me I am justified
I'm above all of this
Im a sacrifice
And you see me now but cant read my mind
You see my face but not behind
...On the day of the funeral a few words were spoken. The coffin lowered in the narrow hole, it shook and twisted. Suddenly grass and dirt dropped on it. "strange how this compare to my feelings now", she thought. The she looked up to the sky: "first was the rain then came the winter, I lost my bottle but not the sin", she sang quietly.
TOO LATE
It's raining again but I cant hear nay sound
The funeral mourners are down by my house
I drink to forget I am who is dead
But It's too late
Im dreaming of living in a tortured guitar
Twisting the string
Conceiving the starts
I try to wake up by furiously singing
But It's too late
I wanna to present you with a clue
I know you never trusted me, isn’t true?
I offer to reflect on your complains
They polluting the soul
It's raining again on the funeral mourner
They furiously dreaming of twisting the starts
I tey to forget the tourting guitar
But It's too late
I wanna to present you with a clue
I know you never trusted me, isn’t true?
I offer to reflect on your complains
They polluting the soul
To the ground, To the ground
I must respond to the ground
...she was now carrying the truth of self-understanding in the deepest corner of her eyes. An emotional burden inaccessible to most that was consuming her intelligible existence and splitting her into oblivion, letting the suspicions of rational sanity linger in a pool of uncertainty.
GRAPES
I cant hear anything
but the sound of my voice
trying to reason with myself
I don’t know why I live between land and sky
I don’t how to breathe this pain out
I see people smile, but taste their festered mouth.
I don’t know why I believed these broken words
I don’t know how I have drown into your skin
I see people smile, but taste their festered mouth.
Because
All it goes around
All around cries
Eehhh-everything
I remember now the sting of burning crying
Lie after lie tormenting ourselves down
All it goes around
All around cries
Eehhh-everything
And I attempt a dance
Invisible defense
I can't hear anything
but the sound of my voice
trying to reason with myself
...and here she was now, sitting still, in the house of appearance where differences are threats and smiles are impossible defenses to defeat. When the morning came the sound of awareness was shuttered through the entire home. “Freedom or slavery?” Was she free from the demons that once crawled up her arms and tried to stop her breathing? An unboubtful question with an unsavoring answer. Convincing yourself of letting go is the highest of pain. Wicked night.
Squeaking Soul
It's enough
the sound
of the squeaking floor
to perceive
your soul
walk away
from me.
...fear. Blood. Shame. Madness. A thick cerebral fog of contaminated thoughts, chocked hope, stumbling emotions and earthquaking desire for truth. Truth...an imploding chaotic glimmering light, hiding under the skin of simple words. The need to cut open its chatting mouth t’was untamable.
Right Hand Man
‘till you try to starve me
I'll be yearning for your touch
"till you try to kill me
I'll be sipping from your cup
‘Till you try to drain the heart that's dripping with my life;
just try to kill me
I'll be coming back…for more
Trust is overrated
when the vipers are by your chest
The closet to the heart
is likely closet to attack
Never fault the right hand man
For reaching out to far
Just try betray me
I'll be gutting you…and cutting out your heart.
...it was a dark and stormy night. His corpse laying on the sand covered in blood. The sound of the wind is hiding his moaning. Awwww loooove! They wanted to be forever so she pushed the sharp, thirsty, blade into his throat while grinning with endless happiness.
Snarling Ghost
I miss you darling
Mostly since I buried you
Im really scare of you darling
Mostly when the sun goes down
Afraid of your look
That wants back everything that I took
Afraid of your laughter
Afraid of your touch
When I killed you darling
It was a night like this
I took my knife back when we departed
Then I gave you the very last kiss
I remember your struggle to live
And your blood under my feet
I remember at all
And make me smile again
I remember the bar near the sea
And that snarling ghost on the road
I remember at all
Because I was there
Numen
I’m loosing / my breathe
Into the crease of a flawless pillow
Trapped in frozen pain
I’m sleeping / with shame
Under the cover of a lie
Chocked by despair
Tell me where my courage go
It fall into my throat oh oh oh
Tell me where my courage go
Misfortune of my blood oh oh oh
I’ve prayed / out loud
Only to increase your aging rage
Drinking your deepest fear
I was / Embrace
A gentle promise of false desire
Lout memories
Tell me where my courage go
It fall into my throat oh oh oh
Tell me where my courage go
Misfortune of my blood oh oh oh
Alma
Tu sangue amaro
Tu precario vizio
Sai la gente e' strana
Si separa da ogni essere che ama
La mia ansia, la tua ombra
Senza sosta, il tuo lamento
Non mentire, non parlare, non guardare
Dentro di me
Si Cambia idea improvvisamente
OEd il vento salza
La mia ansia, la tua ombra
Senza sosta, il tuo lamento
Non mentire, ti ho sentito mentre piangi
Disperamente
Non ho smesso di amarmi
Reviews
What the peeps are saying . . .
If the resurgence of psychedelia (whether pop or otherwise) led by strong female vocals is more your speed, head over to Chop Suey where Luminol is set to headline an evening of like-minded performers. The self described "theater rock" band from Seattle are hard to pin down stylistically speaking, though one could hear elements of Beirut, Portishead and Morricone in their music." — The Seattlest
Luminol is a chemical used by forensic investigators to detect trace amounts of human fluid left behind at crime scenes. It emits an eerie glow. Luminol is also a band of jarring creativity — a band that has a particular sense for the eerie itself. While largely creating soothing atmospheres, Luminol takes a certain delight in disrupting the gentle flow of songs with delicately unnerving melodies. When, as happens sometimes in the band's music, the lead singer should take a moment to sing a cappella, a feeling of dread begins to mount. When, as sometimes happens, that serene dread is interrupted by instruments, the effect is never a relief, but rather a further descent into murky unease. Luminol coldly offers no release, just more beautiful, relentlessly mounting fear." — The Volcano
The band has so much texture...such inventive and interesting music" — Internet Fan
The sound of Luminol is very heterogeneous. Their EP Organ Grinder includes prog, swing,rock, folk (both American and Italian), Morricone and the Spaghetti Western. You can clearly hear the constant experimentation and the moving-forward feeling in their songs." — Miusika
"Locked In The Woods sounds great. "Too Late" has a haunting Lynchian feel at times like a 50's pop ballad of longing but it takes a darker spin into almost Sister's of Mercy territory at the end. "Water on Water" is such a cool and diverse tune; it's a sad finality to the EP like the closing credIt's, it is my favorite. I love the longing in Barbara's voice, it blends with all the layers and I sank into it slow and comfortable. The tracks had a nice fluidity to them and the transition to the next track never seemed abrupt or unwelcome." — DJ Venus
Very inspiring music. so glad to hear music in Seattle with texture, space and dynamics."
— David Pollon"
"Luminol wants to tell you a story. An epic journey of love, passion, deceit, treachery, and murder. When the first word is uttered, there is no turning back. Their members are from opposite corners of the US, Argentina, Bolivia, and Italy. Such a diverse group of people, yet all perfectly synced in a way that inspires an undeniable lust for passion and truth. Vocalist Barbara Burgio has the kind of voice that can lull you like a sirens song, or blow you away with the raw vocal power of the blues greats. Inter-playing layers of guitar and violin float and tease the listener while the bass and drums sing along. The whole set is tied together by a recited story that connects the entire show through a wider spectrum of arts and will always leave you wanting more. Going to a Luminol show is an experience like none other.True Theater Rock at It's best. "
— Mojo Radio
Luminol's music and the lyrics make me think" — Mike Votava
"Their music conjures up such strong visuals, It's hard to stop your brain from creating the movie scene in your mind."— Anonymous
Contact
Booking Information
SEATTLE
Luminol is currently booking shows. If you are a promoter, club owner or another band who would like Luminol to play, please contact us. We are always happy to make new friends..
