INTERVIEW BY SHELBY BAKER
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NATE FENDER
Norfolk dwellers LUX NOVA pursue to make quirky indie pop with a theme of heartbreak and self-discovery. In the two years since their formation, the band has been busy songwriting and creating a cohesive sound. Recently, they released their single “Blue Dice,” which has already had airplay on local radio. They haven’t performed as a group yet during their time as a band, but you can expect their performances will be as distinctive and euphonious as their debut single. We we’re given the opportunity to speak with vocalist Kelsie McNair, guitarist/synth player Nate Fender, and bassist Lizzy Paluszek about the band and what the future holds for them.
How did your band come about?
Nate: Around [January] a little over two years ago, Joe [Hamm. drummer] and Kelsie were playing for JAKE HULL. They were like, “Let’s get together and create music.” Then we got together and started writing. It took us a while to work toward a sound. In the last year, we reached a point where we came across a more cohesive sound amongst our songs. We haven’t played shows yet since we’ve been focused on writing. The recordings have been done in all of our apartments and TAPTAP Recordings in Norfolk, and we work with our friend Jackie. We brought her on as a producer for us when our band started. We were like, “Let’s see what happens,” and we focused on writing songs and on recording. We’re now just putting out our content.
Lizzy: Then I joined in 2013. I met Joe in a coffee shop, and he invited me to start playing.
What does LUX NOVA mean?
Lizzy: During the rise of gothic architecture, a French monk entered a cathedral and was in a trance by the color of the stained glass. He was inspired by the light, and he called it “Nova Lux.” And then we switched it around, and made it our own.
Kelsie: I like thte imagery of the cathedral and the light. I always hoped to create music to take someone out of where they are; that’s what music has done for me. I hope to make music that could do that for other people as well.
Kelsie, in an article with AltDaily.com, you said that your writing in LUX NOVA is “adventurous” by being able to take on different perspectives. What do you mean by that?
Kelsie: I’ve been a songwriter for a really long time, and songwriting has been intimate for me. I feel like I need to send direct messages of my music, and my best way to write is what I’m feeling right then. With LUX NOVA, I’ve been able to shed that, and I’ve started writing about friend’s stories or movies. It was liberating. I never knew that I was so straining, and LUX NOVA has been allowing me to take on different perspectives in that way.
So far, you band has released your debut single, “Blue Dice.” What inspired the song?
Kelsie: When I wrote “Blue Dice,” I was in a different space. It’s about when you realize you have a place and a choice. Then you made a choice, or by chance you are where you are, and this is about looking back and following the footsteps of now.
“Blue Dice” has already been featured on local radio. Is it an aspiration for you guys to be featured on other popular radio channels to a broader audience?
Nate: Yeah, always.
Lizzy: I mean, who doesn’t want to hear their music on the radio? It’s fun to text people, and [have] they tell me, “I heard you on the radio.”
Are you guys working on new material?
Nate: We’re trying to wrap up the songs in production right now, and we have backburner tracks that we worked on prior to the release [of “Blue Dice”]. What we’re doing right now is we’re releasing a new song each month. Hopefully, what we’ll do is we’ll release the songs we put on the back burner, and then create music that represents us now.
