Almaas wasn't a part of the whole corporate scheme of things, having played in various bands during the decade of big-hair metal and warming synth pop. Born to Scandinavian parents who emigrated to Minnesota, Almaas' adolescent years were spent exploring the Minneapolis post-punk scene, making music with the Suicide Commandos long before the haven days of Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum. Beat Rodeo followed in the mid-'80s, shortly after his stint with the alt-country trio the Crackers. Beat Rodeo scored a deal with I.R.S. and released Staying out Late with Beat Rodeo (1985) and Home in the Heart of the Beat (1986), as well as successfully touring across Europe and the U.S. A collaboration with George Usher resulted in the Gornack Brothers toward the end of the decade and a solo career for Almaas was about due. His gigs at the Ludlow Street Cafe in New York City allowed Almaas' tweaking rock to mold into his own creation. East River Blues marked his debut in 1993; Bridge Songs followed in 1995 and Human, All Too Human, which featured backing by the Ministers of Sound, was issued in 1998. However, his hometown still shared love for Almaas' original rock posse. In 1996, Minneapolis welcomed the Suicide Commandos in for one reunion show, where the group played to more than 10,000 people. ~ MacKenzie Wilson