Luxley (band)
| Luxley | |
|---|---|
 Luxley in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Genres | Indie |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | Luxley Music |
| Members | Ryan Gray |
Luxley is a self described wildfire dance rock (or indie rock) band, from in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] The band was formed in 2012, and consists of member Ryan Gray (singer, songwriter). Luxley gets its name from combining Robin Hood's hometown of Loxley and the Latin word for light, lux.
History
After beginning to see local musicians play nearby, and having a band in college, Gray was inspired to start a band again while in medical school at Tulane.[1] After struggling with the decision, he ultimately left school in order to fully pursue his passion of music. On leaving medical school for music, Gray regarded that "with medicine, I could be satisfied and find some bliss, but with music, I could be fulfilled and find bliss outside myself."[2] Luxley was formed in 2012 by Gray and Sky McElroy in New Orleans, and began to play locally shortly after.
Spirit (2013-present)
Beginning in early Fall, Luxley began their North American tour as an opening act, along with Milo Greene for Bombay Bicycle Club. The tour has been well received, and was named by Teen Vogue in their list of "The 12 Concert Tours You Can't Miss This Fall"[3] The band faced an obstacle when their guitarist was unable to cross the Canada–US border due to some unknown issue. Their bassist was re-arranged in order to accommodate this unexpected change.[4] After their North American stint ended, Luxley was a performer at Voodoo Experience, a music and arts festival in New Orleans, Louisiana. Regarding their tour with Bombay Bicycle Club, Gray admits that it was a big step for the band, as well as good opportunity to expand their fan base. He also said that Bombay Bicycle Club was "a great band to learn from and be educated by and just become friends with".[5]
The band re-released their single Spirit on October 15, 2014, via Bandcamp. Spirit features vocals from Nora Patterson of Royal Teeth.[6] Gray describes Spirit as a song about "finding that one person that makes you feel completely alive and wanting to tell them you love them and not knowing how they’ll feel when telling them the first time”.[6]
Luxley recently finished recording their 5 song debut EP called Spirit in New York, slated for release in early 2015. The EP was co-produced by former Passion Pit member Ayad-Adhamy. Sound engineer and mixer Justin Gerrish, who had previously worked with Vampire Weekend on their Grammy winning album, also contributed to the band's EP.[2] The band hopes to have a full-length album and to be touring with similar style bands again in the near future.[7]
Members
Ryan Gray is a New Orleans native who grew up in a musical environment, with older siblings and a father who played music. After his parent's divorce and being left with his father's guitar, Gray taught himself how to play and began to write music at the age of 14.[7] After being in a band in college and exploring the music scene in Nashville while doing medical research, he was inspired to begin a band when he moved back home for medical school. As a performer, Gray is known for his energetic and lively stage presence.
Sky McElroy is also a New Orleans native who help found Luxley when Gray came back to New Orleans. He helps contribute to songwriting. As well as being the band's manager, he is the founder of Rude Fox records.[2]
Influences
The band includes fellow rock bands Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, and Jimmy Eat World among their influences.[1] Gray also identifies wine, whiskey, summer, spring and early fall as key influences in his songwriting process.[8]
Gray also credits his upbringing in musically celebrated New Orleans for influencing his band's sound. Horns and "blues-sounding guitar parts" are a New Orleans' characteristic influence in particular.[5] Luxley also strives for a "real" sound in their instrumentation.
Genre
While classified as indie rock, Luxley identifies as wildfire dance rock as a genre. In a recent interview, Gray justified this classification by saying that he is pretty insistent about there being some form of bounce or groove to the music he writes, reflecting the dance part. The wildfire part describes the feeling that Gray has regarding that each song has its "own thing", and how it has buried melodies layered throughout, as well as how the inspiration for writing these songs have been pulled from a myriad of influences.[7]
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Spirit (Single) |
| 2014 | Elegance (Single) |
| 2015 | Spirit EP |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Adam, Lauren. "Luxley". Where Y'at. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 Juryte, Alexandra. "Luxley". Revolution Three Sixty. Revolution Three Sixty. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ↑ "12 Concert Tours You Can't Miss This Fall". Teen Vogue. Teen Vogue. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ↑ Rix, Sarah. "BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB WITH LUXLEY AND MILO GREENE AT THE OPERA HOUSE". Live In Limbo. Live in Limbo. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- 1 2 Ryan, Meg. "Luxley enjoys the 'Festival Vibe' during first Voodoo appearance". The Daily Reveille. The Daily Reveille. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- 1 2 O'Neil, Luke. "Spin Through The Clouds on Luxley's Synth-Romance "Spirit"". Bullet Media. Bullet Media. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 Amanda, Ferrarese. "Music Discovery: Luxley". Local Wolves Mag. Local Wolves Mag. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ↑ "Luxley". Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved 20 November 2014.