the NEO LUX

I recently reached out to an old pal, Ray, to talk about his current band the Neo Lux. Ray and I had worked together, many years ago, for a retail skate company, and I met him when I made the move from Nova Scotia, to Ontario, to work out of the head office there. Ray and I quickly bonded over a love of skateboarding, and especially, music. Here is what Ray had to say:

"The Neo Lux" is an intriguing name—how did you land on it? Does it reflect a philosophy or aesthetic for the band? 

Yeah Totally! Even though it sounds a bit Sci-Fi it’s simply “The New Luxury” - These days luxury to us isn’t a house, a sweet car, or whatever else people are hustling for. For us, it’s getting 4 friends together in a room to write music, record, and play a few shows.

Toronto has a rich punk history (from Teenage Head to Fucked Up and so many more). Where do you feel The Neo Lux fits in that lineage? Are you reacting against or building on something?

Big question. Southern Ontario’s punk scene (including Ottawa, Buffalo, London, Detroit) in the early/mid-90s was tightly connected. Toronto, Burlington/Oakville, Brampton, Hamilton — all had rising punk scenes, and our generation linked east and west coast hardcore and skate punk.

We grew up in Mississauga (‘Sauga), skating at a random Church with a pastor who let us use the basement for shows. — a clean, safe, drug- and alcohol-free space. Shows blended vegan potlucks, spoken word, zines, and bands across emo, math rock, skate punk, and hardcore. Huge bands passed through, and many kids from those shows went on to start major projects: Grade, New Day Rising, Blake, Rocket Red Glare, Ignorance Never Settles,  and more. My band Racer signed with Raw Energy Records too. 

It mostly ended when a Despair show caused damage, but by 2000, a new wave began. I co-founded The FullBlast (Dine Alone Records), booking shows with the new gen at the Oakville Pine Room. Again, massive bands rolled through — we saw the rise of Moneen, Boys Night Out, Silverstein, AOF,  The End, Sinclair etc — and The FullBlast was always at the centre. Near the end, Black Box Records started, everyone was taking off touring, and I stepped away to go back to school & work at a skateboard retailer before returning to music.

So to answer your question: we come from hardcore, punk, and metal — and today, we’re not building a scene so much as reacting to boredom, just like when we were kids.

Post-skate punk is a niche genre—how would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard it? Any unexpected non-punk influences (post-rock, noise, hip-hop)?

When we* were in TheFullBlast we didn’t fit a genre, I would refer to us as Melodic Punk Rock. At the time not many were doing it, we/they weren’t emo, or skatepunk, but a mix with a lot of tech (prog). It was a term to stand out and to not be pigeon holed into a sound. So as for The Neo Lux, we’re derived from that but not the same. I wouldn’t categorize ourselves as emo, or skatepunk, or rock’n’roll. But we are an evolution of all that, but with all the same sensibilities as our previous bands, just more chill.

* Darran and I were in Racer & TheFullBlast. Drew, Darran and I were also in a short lived band called Take Cover Arizona. Derek is in The Parallax - he's rad.

Walk us through writing a song—do you start with a riff, a lyric, or pure chaos? How much is composed vs. jammed?

No Jamming ever. Either I write a song, or D writes a song, (sometimes a colab) but it’s all done digitally. Files are sent, parts are learnt or written (drums,bass) and then we come together and play it.

As an independent band, what’s your recording process? Any lo-fi studio hacks or “this cost $50 and sounds insane” stories?  

These days we record everything in our jam space, all done on logic. No hacks. Plugged straight in, only the drums are live and triggered. We learnt the basics, record, mix and edit all the tracks, and then send it out to be mixed and mastered.

Your lyrics seem observational/personal—what themes haunt your music? Any lines you’re proud of that fans might miss?

I write what’s on my mind. It’s very personal, some have an undertone of social commentary. I think any lines I like are the parodies or creative interpolation of other lyrics. “You can't always get what you haunt, but you should die sometimes” I might be the only one who thinks they are clever.

Punk is often about energy over perfection. Do you rehearse meticulously, or thrive on raw live mistakes?  

Rehearse meticulously, errors are unacceptable. Energy always.

What’s the most “Toronto” thing about your band (a venue, a local legend, a specific dive bar experience)? 

Technically, we refer to ourselves as a Toronto band, but I’m the only one from Toronto. Everyone lives in a different nearby cities in the GTA

How do you navigate being a punk band in a city where rent is brutal and venues are disappearing? Any guerrilla tactics to get noticed? 

The best tactic is to never play your hometown, unless you are a band of youths with tons of friends. I always found, shows in random places have people who want to hear new music vs scenesters repping. But there’s a lot of venues kicking.

Best and worst show you’ve ever played in Toronto? (Bonus: Any opening-act-gone-wrong or last-minute-save stories?) 

All shows are fun and shit for different reasons. Nothing stands out at the moment.

who are the other unsung Toronto bands we should be listening to right now?

Not from Toronto, but Frank Dux is the first that comes to mind.

Skate punk traditionally ties to California. As a Toronto band, how does your environment (weather, culture, isolation) warp that sound?

I think this is another reason we’re not a skatepunk band, we love double time fast punk but we’re lacking the sunshine to write it all the time.

Is there a visual aesthetic to The Neo Nux (flyers, merch, stage looks)? Who designs it?  

Most flyers are done on the promoter side. But all our design is done by me, it's what I do for a living.

Do you feel connected to skate culture beyond music? Any skaters in the band? 

We all skated at some point. I’m the only one who is still riding, even as I type this my feet are on my new board. I’d like to be more connected to the skate world, but I don’t think it's looking for what we do.

If you could put one record into a time capsule for future punk archaeologists, which would it be and why? 

LifeTime - Jersey’s best Dancers. In my opinion, that band was the turning point for a lot of bands that came out of the 2000’s.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your band?

Not sure. Maybe that we are a fast band?  

Dream collab: Any Toronto (GTA) artist (dead or alive) you’d want on a split EP?

Frank Dux. They’re a rad bunch of doods. Dream Collab isn't the right term though. Don’t think there is anyone that we idolize, but there are a bunch that would be appropriate and cool.

What’s next? Any secret recordings, tours, or “we’ll quit our jobs if this works” plans?  

All of the above.

If your band was a Toronto street food, what would it be and why?

Sneaky Dee’s Kings Crown Nachos

What’s the most un-punk thing you secretly love?

Too many to name, Justin Bieber? We did do a cover so I guess it’s not a secret.

What’s a myth about punk you’d like to destroy?

That it’s a phase. 

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