What is your name and role within the Le Rayes?
Chris, and I am the singer and songwriter.
Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there?
We live on the southern end of the Gold Coast. The music scene is growing. While the Gold Coast doesn’t usually get larger bands there is a strong local emerging scene fuelled by many passionate organisers and creatives working hard to constantly improve and build it.
You’re from another band called Driven Fear, how and why did Le Rayes form as a band?
Nic (drummer) and I have been playing together in our other band Driven Fear for well over a decade now and punk/hardcore has always been our focus musically. However, I’ve always wanted to create something more rock based and do something different. Over the years I’ve written riffs that didn’t fit with the heavy stuff that we do in DF and had developed a collection of songs that I wasn’t doing anything with, but still really loved and wanted to lay them down. Inspired by living on the Gold Coast, these tracks all had a bit of a coastal feel and gave the project direction. After recording a few demos, some other mates that we’ve known for years wanted to get on board with the project and it went from there.
How did you first start playing music?
Driven Fear started when we were just teenagers, so I grew up playing in the hardcore/punk scene learning how to craft songs. Music was always in our house growing up.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’m still addicted to Gang of Youths’ ‘Go Farther in Lightness’, although its been out for a while now, that album set the bar incredibly high and I’m sill in awe of what they have created. Lately I’ve also been spinning a bit of City Calm Down, War on Drugs, and Pee Records label mates’ Nerdlinger and Forever Unclean. Other than that, I cycle between Pixies, Good Riddance and Beatles records.
What do you have planned for the remainder of 2018 going into 2019?
After this release we’ll be looking to release the 2nd half of the EP late in the year as a ‘part 2’ and the entire project will then be available digitally. I’ve got a lot of material in the works at the moment that I’m excited to lay down soon.
From here on we are looking forward to the end of the year and playing some great shows.
How would you describe your music?
It really depends on the track, but overall I guess Indie Surf Rock.
What instruments are used within the band?
Guitars, drums, percussion, horns, and I’m a sucker for layered vocal harmonies.
Who or what influences your sound?
I guess the whole band is influenced by beach and skate culture, it’s hard to escape living on the Gold Coast. We were all children in the 90s so grunge was some of our earliest experiences and comes though in Le Rayes. We have all been part of the punk and hardcore scene for a long time so that has naturally sneaked in. As a song writer I love the freedom of the song structure found in punk and hardcore music particularly; when writing a song it can go wherever it needs to go and not necessarily a generic form. The Pixies and The Strokes are also massive influences on Le Rayes, they’re fun, interesting, and just really fucking cool.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Beatniks Records in Broadbeach is well worth checking out, they have a huge collection of all things vinyl. Most nights you can find Benny and Joe at Eddies Grub House in Coolangatta. It’s a cool little blues bar that serves great food and it’s a good place to kick back with mates. Food wise, in Miami I love to go to The LC (Love Child Place) it’s all vegan and the collection of restaurants there are all top notch. Other great places to check out on the Gold Coast are The Lockwood in Burleigh, Miami Marketta and Mo’s Desert Club House.
