Melbourne band Reetoxa announce the release of their new single, “The Lisa Song” — and with it, the story behind the song that changed everything. Not just a track, but a catalyst. The moment that sent frontman Jason McKee down a path of thirty years of songwriting, one extraordinary chance encounter at a time.
It begins, as the best stories do, with a coincidence and a missed connection.
Jason had two expensive VIP booth tickets to a Spiderbait gig at The Forum Theatre in Melbourne. He had been stood up for a date. He went anyway — if only to collect his VIP merch pack, which contained a limited edition vinyl 7-inch collection of Spiderbait singles he wasn’t about to leave behind.
Across from him sat a girl named Lisa.
Blonde. Dimpled. Wearing a power suit. Friendly in the way that makes a room feel smaller and warmer at the same time. At some point during the gig, Jason raised his camera to photograph the stage. Lisa stepped in front of the lens as a joke, waving — and the stage lights behind her formed what looked like a halo, or a sun, blazing around her head.
Jason’s imagination ignited. He became obsessed with finishing a song — right there, in the venue, in the middle of the gig. Lisa leaned over and asked what he did for a living. He was embarrassed to admit he was a music arts student and an aspiring musician. She asked to hear a song. All he had were voice notes on his phone.
The embarrassment was clarifying.
They talked. They laughed. The night moved on. Then the last song of the set began — “Old Man Sam” — and Lisa said, “Sorry, I have to dance to this one,” and disappeared into the crowd. After the show, Jason made his way toward the stage to get his vinyl box signed by Kram. By the time he looked up, Lisa was gone.
He walked home to Southbank through the Melbourne night. By the time he arrived, he had made two decisions: he was going to call producer Simon Moro. And he was going to quit university.
His musical journey — properly, seriously, without apology — was beginning.
That was the night “The Lisa Song” was born. And it is the song that made everything else possible.
Reetoxa are a Melbourne band fronted by Jason McKee, who after thirty years of songwriting teamed up with producer Simon Moro to finally bring his vision to life. The duo are responsible for the sweeping double album Soliloquy — a record featuring a European Budapest Orchestra and some of Melbourne’s finest session musicians — and now, with “The Lisa Song,” they return to the very beginning of that story to honour the moment it all started.
As for Lisa — a search has come up empty. But Jason keeps an eye out at every gig. Especially the ones at The Forum.
