MEET THE BAND
Rob Collier
Vocals
Favorite bands/artists: Elton John, Queen, Styx, Tesla, Kiss, Kansas, Creed, Alice Cooper, Rush, 707, Richard Marx, Dokken, Stryper, Frampton, Queensryche, Alter Bridge,
Steve Gilmore
Guitars, Keys, Vocals
Favorite bands/artists: The Beatles, Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck
Steve Hughlett
Keys, Vocals
Favorite bands/artists: The Beatles, Kiss, David Bowie,
Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, Prince, Alice Cooper
Pete Lutgen
Guitars
Favorite bands/artists: Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beatles, Aerosmith, Shinedown, Waylon Jennings
Jeff Litke
Bass, Vocals
Favorite bands/artists- Armon Amarth, Revocation, Samantha Fish, Hellecasters, Patty Smyth, Allan Holdsworth, Immediate Family, Gillian Welch, Desert Rose Band, Betty Danger, Skeletonwitch, Don Rich, Junior Brown, R.E.M., Mastodon, Sue Foley, Holiday Ranch, K-Flay, Tanya Tucker
Phil Lutgen
Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica
Favorite bands/artists: Robert Cray, Keb Mo, Bob Seger, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Aldean, CCR, Elvis, Martina McBride, Patty Loveless, Allman Brothers
Mike Reschke
Drums
Favorite bands/artists: Boston, Kiss, Van Halen, Styx, REO, Foreigner, The Knack, Queensryche, Scorpions, Rush, Iron Maiden, Bad English, Hardline, Triumph, Dream Theater, Metallica, Powermad
OUR STORY
The Cyclones are made up of seven high school friends who were brought together through music as teenagers in the 70's and into the 80's, then ventured out in many different bands and projects throughout the 80's, 90's and beyond. Fate played a hand in bringing this group of high school classmates back together in 2024 when Pete Lutgen was asked if he could pull together some musicians for an upcoming benefit. Pete reached out to a number of friends from high school and a short time later The Cyclones were born. With just a couple months to pull together a show, they had so much fun working up the songs and playing the benefit, that a week later over dinner it was decided to continue on with this endeavor and continue entertaining people.
The Cyclones members all graduated from Anoka High School in Anoka, Minnesota.
ROB COLLIER
Vocals
Rob's story starts back in Elementary school, discovering Elton John in 6th grade and those great early tunes, then seeing that awesome Kiss Alive album in the local Anoka record store window at 13 and he was hooked for life. He sang with Anoka classmates through Junior and Senior High, jamming Kiss, Alice and Nugent. He was also part of the Anoka Concert Choir while in high school. Rob quickly found more melodic and progressive bands, such as Queen, Kansas, Styx, Journey and Rush as the 70's progressed.
In the 80's Rob played with TradeWinds and Krymson around the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, playing classic rock and hair metal- REO Speedwagon, Dokken, Def Leppard, Rush, Kiss, Sammy Hagar, Crue, Priest, Styx, Metallica, Sabbath. In the 90's Marriage and kids came along and Karoake was his outlet to sing, or just cruising in the SUV for his own enjoyment, as well as a period in the Northern Lights Chorale in the early 2000's with his high school choir director. Rob's kids came upon their love of music naturally, both of Rob's parents were phenominal singers, and Rob shared their passion for singing. Rob's son Eric picked up the guitar early on, and by 5th grade was playing in his first band and all through high school, where Rob became roadie extraordinaire, even roadtripping the band to Milwaukee to open for Trivium and White Chapel . Both his daughters have musical skill as well, Aly playing piano early on and Katelyn was a great vocalist in her own right, and became the 3rd generation Collier (Rob and his mom Dolores) to obtain a Star performance at the annual State Solo-Ensemble contest.
Rob was asked to join a band in 2023, which became Snarerocket with a few performances, then a year later he was invited to join friends he played with back in high school to form The Cyclones (you know Anoka is the home of the Anoka Tornadoes!) for a one-off benefit show in 2024, and they had so much fun playing together again, they decided to keep it going! Nothing better than singing great tunes, entertaining people, and playing with these great and talented guys!!
STEVE GILMORE
Guitars, Vocals
Steve first became fascinated with music at an early age listening to 45s and albums. Steve was drawn to guitar during his mid-teens and soon found himself playing in a band while in high school, growing his musical chops and embracing musical icons such as Clapton, The Allman brothers and of course The Beatles.
Steve kept up with his guitar while playing in various bands throughout his college and adult years, continuing to build his virtuosity on guitar while also developing his vocal capabilities. Classic rock and the blues are the bedrock of his playing style, being primarily influenced by Jeff Beck, Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton. Steve has been happily married to Karen going on 37 years and they have 3 phenomenal kids and two grandchildren. Life has been very rewarding and music has played a very big part of it for Steve.
STEVE HUGHLETT
Keys, Vocals
Steve started playing guitar at the age of 8 and played in several bands with friends and neighbors before hooking up with Mike Reschke, Jeff Litke and Dan Carlson to form Confuzion in 1982. Confuzion played mostly original material and was inspired by the vibrant local music scene at the time (The Suburbs, The Phones, Flamin Oh’s and Sussman Lawrence). Confuzion played many gigs from 1982 – 1983 and crossed paths with the Lutgen band “Riverside” on several occasions for some friendly band rivalry.
After high school, Steve and his buddy Dan Carlson joined the new wave band “New Toy” and headed to Los Angeles to take a shot at the big time. Things don’t always go as planned and after several months of living in a tent and just barely getting by…. It was time to come back to Minneapolis.
At that point, he stopped playing in bands but continued to write and record original songs. He took a break from music for many years to raise a family, then found his way back to songwriting in 2010. His songwriting from that point on was focused more on the singer songwriter genre (Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Joe Jackson, etc). He had a creative burst and wrote and recorded over 100 songs from 2010 to 2020.
Though his original instrument is guitar, these days Steve plays mostly keyboards. He spent a few years recently playing keyboard and bass with an acoustic Beatles trio called “Where’s Ringo?” and is now content to hold down the Keyboard duties for the Cyclones!
JEFF LITKE
Bass, Vocals
Currently holding the bass chair in The Cyclones is Jeff Litke. Playing some sort of stringed instrument since the age of seven, Jeff's first "band" experience was with high school classmates and future Cyclones members Steve Hughlett and Mike Reschke. Steve is a prolific songwriter and the band's focus was performing that material along with a pinch of select cover tunes and played very few gigs, just enough to get a taste of the stage and never looked back. Jeff found himself in good company with fellow Kiss fans Steve and Mike.
That high school band split-up, but the guys remained good friends; collaborating throughout the years which brought them together again to form The Cyclones.
Still a Kiss fan at heart, Jeff derives his approach to Bass guitar from a vastness of musical influences, and it's not easy to pick out exactly one who is informing his style at any given moment.
"Whoa, was that a Geddy Lee lick he's ripping?"
Or
"I swear he's got a Bass just like Leland Sklars!"
Or
""He's pretty good, but he's no Entwistle!"
Are some of the things you may hear someone say at a Cylones show.
Guess we'll have to see you there so you can draw your own conclusions.
PETE LUTGEN
Guitars
Guitar and groove architect. Pete's musical journey started like many great ones do- self-taught, fueled by passion, and powered by a guitar that rarely left his hands. After high school and a couple of years at Riverside, Pete chased the band dream, jumping into a group that, in a strange twist of fate, featured two guys named Joe Perry and Jeff Beck (spoiler, not those ones). That project didn't last long, and soon life called- family, work, and raising kids took center stage.
Music never really left Pete, as his kids grew up, Pete passed the torch, teaching them how to play drums and bass. Watching them fall in love with music reignited his own spark. After a few starts and stops trying to get something going again, the stars finally aligned. What was supposed to be a one-time reunion gig with old friends turned into The Cyclones- a band born out of nostalgia, timing and undeniable chemistry. The crowd loved it! The band loved it! And just like that, the journey kicked back into gear!!
PHIL LUTGEN
Bass, Vocals
Phil has been chasing melodies since the age of 10, when he first taught himself to play guitar by ear. A true multi-instrumentalist, Phil has mastered six or seven instruments over the years- whatever he could get his hands on- driven by nothing but passion and an unshakable love for music.
Though life took him down a different path- into the world of restaurants and cooking, where he now owns and operates several spots in the north-west suburbs, music never left his heart. Joining The Cyclones is a full-circle moment for Phil: reuniting with old friends, getting back on stage and reconnecting with the joy of playing the songs he grew up on.
Whether he's behind the keys, strumming a guitar, or throwing in harmonies, Phil brings a ton of heart and talent to the band, along with a rock-solid appreciation for the classics.
MIKE RESCHKE
Drums
A rock drummer with a history spanning more than 4 decades, performing and recording with dozens of Twin Cities rock bands.
While learning the craft early on through private lessons and school band, Mike performed for first time on stage at the Anoka High School talent show playing Stairway to Heaven. This led to joining his first rock band with high school classmates Steve Hughlett, Dan Carlson and Jeff Litke. That’s where it all started.
Mike became very passionate in music, pushing new boundaries in heavy original rock bands, but sometimes derailed by his quickly growing passion of off-road motorcycle racing, however always landing back behind the kit.
Being a musician during the 80s heyday was an exciting time, eventually leading to Mike forming the all original heavy guitar driven band Scream Parade, and having some success after recording in California with Producer Peter Marino of Cacophony fame.
The cover band years…. During 90s and early 2000s Mike found himself hammering out the classics with regional touring bands Decade and Arena before taking a long hiatus from music to raise a family.
Time to play again…. With the kids grown up, Mike worked with a handful of bands before being asked to rejoin Arena and playing some pretty awesome shows, opening for acts such as Hairball, The Hype, Rockshow and Jump, to name a few.
Full circle…. Mike was asked to play a one off charity fundraiser event with some high school classmates which evolved into a legitimate band, an all Anoka High School classmate band, The Cyclones.
Mike is also on call as a live performer with the all original supergroup Blue Rain.