Tell us a little about yourself?
We are Luxrem and weāre a progressive metal band from Miami Florida. The band started for a high school talent show but ended up being something none of us could live without. Marcus Noga (Guitarist), Gabriel Cuervas (Guitarist) and Ed Escalante (Drummer) have been here since the start. We met Jon Sookdew Sing (Singer) in college and Peter Alvarez (Bassist) recently joined the band. We consider ourselves a sound thatās fun enough to jam to, yet technical enough to be considered prog.
How did you come up with your artist name?
We wanted something cool that really spoke to the nerdy personality we have. We actually spent a couple of weeks brainstorming and ultimately decided on the Latin words for āLightā and āRealityā put together, hence Luxrem was born. It also made sense for us at the time since our last album was called Dreamwalker.
How long have you been in the music industry?
The band has been a āthingā since High School (2012). However, the change from hobby to something more came around 2015/2016, when we started doing shows in our local scene.
How did you get started in the music business in the first place?
All of us had different backgrounds musically. Jon and Ed met in college as both were in the same Music Business program. It was shortly after that that we did our first show in the local scene which was Kryptonite Metal Fest, which really opened a lot of doors for us. For the band, thatās definitely where we got our real start.
How would you describe your latest single?
Bouncy and Fun existentialism. The song is about breaking the cycle that at one point became the norm to the life we live: work until you die. Itās a back and forth between Jon and featured vocalist, Javi Amador, were the one voice wants to disconnect from the mobius strip and the other voice demands conformation to the norm.
When can fans expect the visuals for the single?
We have a visualizer that will be released immediately, on the day of the release (October 27,2021) and the full music video will be released later on as part of the full release cycle!
Who are your inspirations in the music industry?
As far as work ethic and just doing everything right Iād say SpiritBox really stands out right now. The balance they have between music, marketing, socials and merch, everything is just so on point.
If weāre talking all time we draw our musical inspirations from a bunch of different sources. Queen, Dream Theater, Rush for old school and then Leprous, Tesseract, and Haken, for current bands.
How do you go about writing a song and what is your process?
That has changed a lot over the years. For our first album, it was all created in the ālabā sending tux guitar files back and forth, creating the whole song and then putting it into practice.
With this single, āMobiusā, and our next run of songs, itās much more organic. One of us will come up with an idea and we then jam on it and flesh it out together. When our minds are working at the same time the product is often much better than we had imagined it when just bringing an idea or riff. We often joke that we are getting a āraging clueā whenever we think of something cool to add.
What is the concept behind your forthcoming project if working on one?
We havenāt decided whether or not the next songs will come together on an EP however, we are in the process of writing and recording several songs that explore emotions, changes, and afflictions that weāve had personal experiences with.
Any plans on touring to promote your latest single?
While we would love to tour and are actually planning on doing so in the coming year, I donāt think touring to promote is very effective in this era of the music industry. We think starting to create a presence before going on a big tour is much more effective. When people see someone in person that they have a connection with, itās much more of an experience vs āHey, that last band was pretty goodā.
What did you buy with your first check off music?
We invested it back into the band! People wholly underestimate how expensive it is to run a band, especially with aspirations of being a successful national/ international act.
What are must haves when your in the studio working?
A banana for the tone haha (see Instagram). All jokes aside, our tracking engineer Gio is a personal friend and really knows how to pull the very best out of us. He always makes this really good tea that for some reason unlocks all the potential within us.
What is the best piece of advice in this business you actually followed?
1) No one owes you anything, and 2) there are countless talented musicians. Youāre going to have to work super hard and even then thereās no guarantee that youāll make it. If youāre persistent and you love it enough, youāll make great memories along the way.
Will you be collaborating with any other artists in the future?
For sure. We currently have some names in mind for our upcoming songs that are about 90% confirmed.
What artist have you had the pleasure of working with and what was it like?
As far as our music goes, for āMobiusā, we had the absolute pleasure of working with Javier Amador from Vagrant Son. What an awesome band and what sweet guys. Weāve even played a couple of shows together.
Name an artist(s) that you would love to work with?
Ryo Kinoshita from Crystal Lake, Daniel Thompkins from Tesseract, Jared Dines, Angel Vivaldi, John Petrucciā¦thereās honestly too many to name haha.
Do you think your music is mostly enjoyed more for the beats or for the lyrical flow and content?
I think itās a balance of both as with prog itās not just enjoyed for the lyrics/ vocals but also for the musical movements, riffs and switching of time signatures mid song.
What area do you need to improve on in regards to your career? (Example: Better production, Delivery, Stage presence, etc…)
Weād love to have more merch out there and are actually working on a run for this. Weāre quite happy with the production of this next run of songs and keep working hard towards making sure they come out just right!
What’s your all time favourite song?
Jon – Nessun Dorma as sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
What was the last album you listened to?
Jon – This Place Will Be Your Tomb by Sleep Token.
Your favourite artist of all time and why?
Jon – This is a really hard one. It changes all the time but most consistently itās been Queen.
Whose your favourite five artists right now?
Jon – Spiritbox, Sleep Token, Crystal Lake, Don Broco, Loathe and Vola.
In your opinion who is the most influential and successful artist in your genre today and why?
For progressive metal, Iād have to give it to Dream Theater. They are almost synonymous with prog and definitely, weāre the inspiration for a lot of the bands that are around now.
Who have been some of your favourite artists that youāve been able to work with?
Weāve had the pleasure of opening for a couple of National acts: Angel Vivaldi, Nita Strauss, Sarah Longfield and Felix Martin, I would definitely say any one of those as well as our Homies from the local scene: Dyne Side, Vagrant Son and Silenmara.
How do you feel about the current state of music?
Post covid I feel like especially within the metal scene thereās been a boom of new music and production mostly because thatās how everyone coped with not being able to do shows.
Any dream award shows you hope to one day play at?
Iād say the Heavy Music Awards is what all of the bands in our generation are striving for.
What is your main goal as far as music?
We would love nothing more than to be able to write and perform music for the rest of our life and to see the world. Hopefully, that can be on a global stage.
Who would you say your music relates to the most?
People that enjoy something out of the norm, and love music with some technicality to it. The songs we write and have written, are rooted in our own real life experiences, which also connects to people who have gone through similar experiences.
What separates you from other artists? (What’s makes you different?)
Iād say it’s our versatility. While we are a āprogā band, we donāt confine ourselves to that and now more than ever weāre focused on writing good songs and not just being āprogā for the sake of being āprogā.
When your not in the studio, What do you like to do for fun and relaxation?
Jon – For myself, it has to be working out, doing martial arts, exploring nature, watching anime and playing video games (Smash bros/ Monster hunter).
If you could work with any producer who would it be?
We love our producer right now Javi Melo (JMelo Recordings / Revolt Entertainment). He really knows our sound and weād love to continue working with him.
If weād work with any legend, it would probably have to be Rick Reuben.
Whatās the biggest highlight of your career thus far?
Having fans reach out and tell us that our songs have pulled them out of a bad place. I think that one had the most profound effect on us.
What is your dream venue to perform at?
Jon – Radio City Music hall. I visited it once when I was younger. It felt surreal and made a lasting impression on me.
Whatās the name of the last book you read and by whom?
Does Manga count? haha, currently Iām reading One Piece. The last novel I read was Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey and Iām in the process of reading Six of Crow by Leigh Bardugo.
Whatās your favourite sports team and why?
Jon – I donāt really watch any team sports however, I love watching MMA and Muay Thai. My favourite fighter is Saenchai.
Whose your favourite actor or actress and their best movie?
Christoph Wash – Inglorious Bastards.
Name someone famous who inspires you and why?
Dave Grohl. Just his legacy within the music industry. Even though there are many musicians with great legacies, I donāt think there’s anyone as unanimously liked as he is. I hope to one day meet him.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Whatās for certain is that in the Next year weāll be releasing at least 4 new songs. Whatās beyond that we decide along the way.
Where can the fans check out for your music?
Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Amazon Music – most all streaming platforms should have our music! Link:
https://luxrem.biglink.to/LuxremOfficial
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