The Signal (formerly Stru Tural, pronounced Stroo Ter Al) was formed in December of 1994. Dan Kennedy, Pat Kennedy, and Jamie McGoldrick grew up together in the Richmond District of San Francisco and in the fall of 1994 they got a demo together and with the help of drummer Ken Sells played their first show in February 1995. They quickly gathered a loyal following and appeared on the NBC television show �First Cut� as winners of a local band contest, released their first full-length tape in March 1995 and their self-titled debut CD in March 1996. The day they released the cd their drummer Ken disappeared. He literally disappeared and has not been heard from since. It is rumored that he went to Japan, but no one knows for sure. Between Dan, Jamie and Pat they had nearly thirty songs that they were ready to record for the next album and fortunately, Jamie, played drums as well. The Signal spent the next 5 months recording and mixing 30 songs themselves. They decided to use 23 of these songs on the album. Although their 2nd album, Monticello Compromise was recorded in their basement it is not your typical garage band recording. The album was released in March of 1997 and The Signal (still Stru Tural at this time) received critical acclaim and drew the attention of fans and critics along the West Coast. They promoted the album with a two-month tour through the Southwest and Midwest, culminating with two shows in Chicago. The response was overwhelming. They were well received everywhere they went and encouraged to come back soon. After returning from the tour, they met drummer Brian White in January 1998 and immediately began working on their third album. The Triumphant Return of Amsted Butterfly was released on Ixchel Records in December 1998. A concept album of sorts, The Triumphant Return of Amsted Butterfly, exhibits the different moods of The Signal (still Stru Tural). They supported the album with a West Coast tour and several trips to Los Angeles. They continued to garner the attention of critics and record companies at the 1999 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. The Triumphant Return of Amsted Butterfly introduced them to new fans and by the end of 1999 they had increased their fan base ten fold. When they returned to San Francisco with their sights on the fourth album they were tired of explaining the name Stru Tural and decided to become The Signal. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Stru+Tural">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.