Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Stef Loy, Genesis Elise, and Elijah Hewson Loy from the band Claravox.
Stef Loy is the father of Genesis Elise and Elijah Hewson Loy. Stef Loy, a Grand Rapids Michigan West Sider, is a lifelong musician, most notably known for his role overseas a few years back in the alternative pop band the miscellaneous.
Genesis Elise is a High School senior living in the suburbs of Grand Rapids. She has already been accepted to many colleges, looking to pursue an education in Special Education.
Elijah Hewson is a Freshman at the same High School. Always social and inclusive, Elijah is known for his awesome sense of humor, his wry smile, and his ability to beat you in just about any game on the PS4.
So tell us about Claravox! How did it happen?
Stef: I began playing out with Genesis and Elijah in the summer of 2019. It was strictly acoustic, and we had tons of family and friends showing up. It was so much fun. I guess we just wanted to up the ante a bit — write our own original music. Quarantine was the perfect opportunity to launch that, I suppose.
Can you please tell us more about your journey?
Stef: It didn’t begin on YouTube! We actually started out with a Kickstarter in mind for a whole album. But since falling in love with making videos of the singles, we have pushed that back a little bit.
Genesis: It’s not that a whole recording won’t be in the works someday — it’s more that this has been fun, and it’s been a bonding experience that we can share.
When writing the original music, what are you going for? In terms of style, lyrics…
Elijah: Dad is old, and he wants to go “retro”…
Stef: We were originally just trying to write music that sounded like The Sundays. Then we realized The Sundays are a sound that’s too intricate to actually copy well. So. I suppose we will just find out how we want to sound as we go?
Genesis: Building the ideas visually to match the sound as well.
Stef: Like “Manifest(o).” I wrote that for Genesis to sing because of a very specific period of time she went through that was… tough. I wanted her to sing truths about herself.
Can you talk more about that?
Genesis: Well… There was a time in my life when happiness was hard to reach. The world felt bleak and gray. It was difficult because I wanted to be happy! And I didn’t know why I wasn’t. I didn’t understand it.
Eventually, I learned to live with it. Not against it. I learned that it’s just a part of who I am, so I may as well learn to live alongside it and figure out different ways to be happy, despite it.
It seems to have worked! Because now my days have more color. And I do feel hopeful. There are always bad days in the mix, but now I know how to get through them.
Any message for our readers?
Genesis: Sure! It’s this: You receive what you put into a situation. That’s my message! … And, if you walk into a situation thinking you can’t do it, then you probably won’t. But if you go into something thinking, “I can do this!” — well, then you probably will.
Stef: Music has always been therapy for me. Whether writing it or listening to someone else’s tunes. Radiohead and The Cure were always there for me. I guess it’s my hope that our music can touch people as we explore our own truths too.
So I’m really happy with a song like “Manifest(o),” which I think has the ability to remind us of who and what we really are — and hopefully, touch people at the same time.
I’m happy with the concept of a family band in general! Elijah has actually learned bass guitar to do Claravox. How committed is that?
Elijah: Yeah! Learning bass has been so much fun. I love music, especially when it’s as good as we’ve made it so far.
Fantastic! So tell us, how can people find out more about you?
Stef: We have fallen deeply in love with the concept of video making, and YouTube has been a blast. I suppose… subscribe?
Elijah: Subscribe and watch us grow!
You can also check out the Instagram handle @Claravox2021.
Thank you so much for giving us your precious time! We wish you the best for your journey ahead!