Luminatus is a tale of perseverance. Formed in November 2009 as a symphonic metal cover band, performing the songs of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Sirenia, among others, the band has weathered dozens of lineup changes, a pregnancy, a rehearsal studio fire, the mysterious disappearance of their promoter, and of course, Covid. Two members remain from the beginning: vocalist Holly McGinty, an operatic soprano from Yokohama, Japan, who originally fronted the symphonic metal band Adavant, and Dale Skutt, keyboardist and vocalist, who achieved modest college radio success in the early 2000s as bassist/vocalist of the pop-punk band Driver 6, signed to Liquid8 Records. He is also a sound designer, composer, and voice actor for Forteller Games, having worked on Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, The Isofarian Guard, and Jaws of the Lion, as well as having composed music for Titan Motorcycles, the film 13 Hours in a Warehouse, the video game Dice Tactics, and has collaborated and performed with Steven Patrick of Holy Soldier and legendary blues drummer Chico Chism.
Having released their first album "Forbidden Passages" in November 2016, several years passed again in a constantly rotating lineup until finally settling in with guitar prodigy Conrad Varela, winner of Alice Cooper's 2019 Proof in the Pudding" contest. He has also played in Cooper's backing band as well as backing Geoff Tate of Queensryche and Fee Waybill of The Tubes. Also joining Luminatus was Conrad's father, Rich Varela, on bass and JP Jones, formerly of Attic Toys, Veyron Crash, and Corridor 16. In November 2021, they recorded a collection of singles, aptly titled "The Singles," featuring vocals on "Frozen Waterfall" by Lane Lariviere of Run Definitely Run, with whom Luminatus has shared the stage at Phoenix ComiCon, DevCon, and other numerous festivals. Previously, Holly and Dale had sung backing vocals for RDR as well.
