Querkus has been suggested for placement into a variety of non-existent categories of music such as classical art-pop and electronic pop-noir. Rooted in the unlikely combination of punk and classical music, wedded to a love for lush melodies and raw, sexy grooves -- Querkus remains happily, elusively unclassifiable. With their dreamy, musical meanderings, Querkus is… Querkus.

Karen Asmundson, vocalist and pianist for Querkus, initiated the project. Her desire was to combine well-crafted, piano/guitar based pop songs with dramatic, electronic orchestrations. Edgar Ozolins’ guitar wizardry moves from classical style to well-placed noise. Karen’s edgy, gorgeous vocals and classical/experimental piano soar through a virtual forest of emotion and texture. These live elements, often with the addition of live drums, are sewn together with spaced out electronic beats and sequences. The result: music that is melodic, hypnotic, seductive and captivating.

Querkus began the summer of 1999 from the ashes of Celine’s Real Killer, Karen and Edgar’s previous band. Wanting to perform her own creations, Karen dove into them, introducing Edgar into the chaos. Over the years they have developed into a formidable songwriting team. Querkus performs often, and has opened for some notable acts including Sarah Slean, DJ Andy Smith of Portishead, and Ember Swift.

Querkus debuted their first EP No Direction, at a sold out release party January 2002. After release it spent several weeks at #1 on UMFM 101.5 FM, #2 on CKUW 95.9 FM and received airplay on CBC. It appeared on college radio charts across Canada throughout 2002. This success was followed up with a six stop tour of eastern Canada in October 2002. A limited-print live album, The Fire Behind Us, was released in September 2003 at the UMFM Autumn Art Expo, to an audience of 300. The majority of this album was recorded during a single performance in Toronto during their 2002 tour. It also features two studio tracks recorded at Precursor Productions, and a remix by Winnipeg DJ Joe Silva.

Recently, Querkus has become entrenched in Winnipeg’s underground film movement. They have most recently created music for Jaimz Asmundson’s “Blow Me”, as well as “Weave”, “Liquid Lunch”, and “Cannibalism: A New Taste in Style”. Edgar has applied his sound engineering skills to location and post-production sound and scoring for film. Karen has applied her skills as an actor and a composer. Querkus is currently involved in several film projects as well as writing new material and making plans for a full-length studio album.