‘Coming Home Tour’ set for Neon Arrival

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Matt Spurbeck, left, and Derek Harlow are the founding members of Neon Arrival, a band that began while both were students at Kasson-Mantorville High School. They have regrouped to play original indie music across southeast Minnesota; you can catch the group July 17 at the Dodge County Free Fair.

Mark Spurbeck and Derek Harlow graduated together in 2003 from Kasson-Mantorville High School, which is where they formed their first band — working gigs between homework and extra-curriculars.
Their three-piece band first performed at the Dodge County Fair in 2002; 24 years later, they’ll appear on stage again.
Spurbeck and Harlow both attended Bethel University in the Twin Cities, continuing to play during and after college. In 2009, they recorded a song called “Leaving Neon.”
Then things started to get busy in the real world; Spurbeck was a web designer for eight years, a personal trainer at a corporate store, and is now a personal trainer in Eagan. He has been married for 15 years and has a daughter.
Harlow lives in Rochester and is the worship planning coordinator at NewDay Covenant Church in Rochester; he said he is still flying solo.
The duo stopped making music together in 2010. Spurbeck stepped away from music entirely for 15 years while Harlow played with bands in the area.
As life got more busy, it was hard to find the time to line up bookings, fit in practice with work schedules and family time, they said, adding that time off was necessary to get some life stories and emotions in order to write original music.
More than two decades after first appearing at the Dodge County Fair together, Spurbeck and Harlow are once again writing songs, recording in studio and performing as Neon Arrival. They have concentrated on writing songs during the winter for a summer release, with an interest in producing quality music rather than quantities of songs.
In 2025, they performed at the Dakota County Fair, Rochester’s Thursdays Downtown and venues across in the Twin Cities.
The pair get together each week to share ideas and finish songs they have written.
They have recorded seven songs professionally, four of which have been released and can be streamed on services like Spotify, YouTube, etc.
“Minnesota Summers” is their next single, which dropped on June 17. In July, a single called “County Fair” will be released — just in time for the Dodge County Fair.
Neon Arrival’s style would be considered alternative, similar to Matchbox Twenty, with influences from 90s rock and acoustic small town charm. When asked how long they might continue performing their music, they said as long as it is enjoyable — and not stressful — it will happen.
The band added a drummer and bassist for their live shows, completing the transition from their college years of “Leaving Neon” to their own Neon Arrival.
The band will perform at Music at Mantorville at 5:30 p.m. on June 30; at the Dodge County Fair at 7 p.m. on July 17; at the Olmsted County Fair at 5:30 p.m. on July 31; at Rochester’s Thursdays Downtown at 5 p.m. on Aug. 6; and an acoustic performance at 5 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds.
Nearly 25 years after starting that band in high school, Spurbeck and Harlow are calling this their “Coming Home Tour.”
The Dodge County Fair is celebrating its 169th year, making it the oldest county fair in Minnesota.