There are artists who create songs, and then there are artists who live them. Jason Bill McKee belongs firmly to the latter.
The story behind Reetoxa is not one built on overnight success or polished industry formulas. It is a story shaped by resilience, honesty, heartbreak, and the kind of creative persistence that only comes from someone who has spent a lifetime carrying music inside them. For Jason, songwriting has never been a passing ambition. It has been a constant force, one that followed him through every chapter of life and refused to be silenced.
After more than three decades of writing, reflecting, and quietly refining his craft, Reetoxa has emerged as something deeply personal and refreshingly authentic in today’s rock landscape. There is no artificial image here, no borrowed identity, and no attempt to fit neatly into what modern music expects. Instead, Jason brings something increasingly rare: truth. His songs feel lived-in, emotionally raw, and strikingly human, drawing listeners into stories that are both uniquely his and instantly relatable.
Much of that honesty can be heard in Lisa, one of Reetoxa’s most compelling and emotionally charged songs. Inspired by a fleeting encounter at Melbourne’s iconic Forum Theatre during a Spiderbait show, the track captures a moment that would quietly alter the course of Jason’s life. What began as a chance meeting became the spark that pushed him to stop postponing his artistic future and finally commit to recording the music he had carried with him for years.
There is something undeniably cinematic about the story. A missed date, a chance seat in a VIP booth, stage lights illuminating a stranger who would become unforgettable, and a song written almost instinctively before the night had even ended. But beyond the poetry of that moment lies something even more powerful: the realization that sometimes life gives us brief encounters that reveal exactly who we are meant to become.
That moment eventually led Jason toward his collaboration with acclaimed producer Simon Moro, whose remarkable ability to translate Jason’s melodies and instincts into fully realized recordings helped unlock the true sound of Reetoxa. Together, they have created music that feels timeless yet modern, drawing subtle inspiration from classic Australian rock while carving out a sound entirely their own.
What makes Reetoxa so compelling is not simply the quality of the songwriting, though it is exceptional, but the emotional courage behind it. Jason writes without disguise. He confronts memory, mental health, regret, identity, and hope with a level of honesty that many artists spend entire careers trying to reach. There is substance in these songs. There is purpose. And above all, there is heart.
With two powerful albums already behind him and a third on the horizon, Reetoxa is proving to be one of Australia’s most intriguing emerging rock voices, an artist whose best work may still be ahead of him.
We sat down with Jason to talk about the unforgettable night that inspired Lisa, the long road to finding his voice, his creative partnership with Simon Moro, and the deeply personal experiences that continue to shape the soul of Reetoxa.
Every artist has a defining moment that quietly changes everything. For you, that moment is often linked to the night at the Spiderbait Forum Theatre show and the encounter that inspired “Lisa.” Can you take us into that night as vividly as possible, from your perspective?
This is an amazing explanation.
web1.cc/soundnex…vwPp2w
What was your first impression of Lisa, and at what point did that brief interaction start to feel like something more than just a random conversation at a gig?
Well at first I was very curious as it seemed that everyone else in the booth, about 7 people new Lisa. It appeared that she was sitting next to her dad. The only other girl tried to get me kicked out of the booth but Lisa said to me you paid for your ticket so you stay. I can only guess she got the ticket for free. I found Lisa very funny and she seemed naturally kind. Lisa would flirt openly and be outgoing but then her body language would close this up. That helped inspire the shy part of the song but in reality I was the shy one. I had been stood up on a date that night so I was in a terrible mood. I nearly went home after getting my vip pack but luckily I stayed.
The image of Lisa stepping into your camera frame, almost illuminated by the stage lights, has become a central part of the story. Why do you think that single visual stayed with you so strongly?
Unfortunately when I changed my last name from westerhof to Mckee to honour my mother Bobbie Mckee I lost that photo with the transfer of apple accounts failing. They lost all my photos, lyrics, voice memos of melodies etc. But the stage light made her blonde hair look like the sun. Then I started writing the song and singing into my phone while a punk band was playing in the background. I must of looked like a lunatic.
When she asked what you did and requested to hear your music, you only had voice notes at the time. How did that moment affect your confidence as a developing artist?
I realised I was procrastinating on my art by being at art music school at emit and that all I wanted to be was a song writer rock star. I guess i felt like a fraud. I was on income protection payments for mental health and felt ashamed not having a job and felt no girl would like me.
You made the decision to contact Simon Moro shortly after that night. What exactly changed in your mindset that made you stop postponing your music career and begin recording seriously?
I met simon moro at emit university at a two day how to record pro tools course. He asked me why I was doing the course and I said I don’t think anyone will help me as I am old and I am good at the melodies, lyrics and song structure. I said I could here all the instruments in my head but had trouble getting them out on guitar and piano. Simon mentioned he run a studio and could record me, and session musicians could build around me. I was very stubborn and wanted to do everything myself but Lisa made the penny drop that I needed help and simon was the right man.
Walking away from a university path is a major turning point for anyone. Looking back, how difficult or instinctive was that decision after the events of that night?
After I finished my first album the government tried to get me off payment and back at university. I went for a month but had a panic attack. University was a frightening but wonderful experience and I learnt a lot. But I just want to be a rock star.
“Lisa” has become more than just a song title; it carries a narrative weight. How do you translate such a personal, real-life moment into songwriting without losing its authenticity?
The song came quickly at the forum but when I got home something happened and I completed the song in about 10 minutes. The song writing gods just helped me I guess but the soliloquy six month session improved my song writing incredibly.
You’ve been writing music for over 30 years, yet Reetoxa feels like a more defined artistic identity emerging later in your journey. Why do you think that clarity came at this stage of your life?
I think about this a lot and as a 15 year old living in the Frankston pines ghetto of Australia I just could not afford to record a demo or decent instruments. My parents would not help me so I was stuck. I think overall I just let life get in the way but you can’t stop the songs. No matter where I was even in the navy in the middle of the ocean the melodies would come back. I finally confronted who I was and become the artist I always should of been.
Working with producer Simon Moro marked a new chapter for your sound. What did he help you unlock creatively that you hadn’t been able to fully express before?
I could hum simon a song and somehow he knows exactly what is in my head. I sung him the insatiable guitar riff and how I wanted the drums in demand perfection. HIs a genius who knows artists and how they think.
Stepping back from your personal story, how would you describe the emotional core of Reetoxa’s music to someone hearing it for the first time, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
I have notice the people who listen to my music talk about their own lifestyle and experiences. I want to take them on that journey like the great artists. When I listed to I got id by pearl jam I think of my own struggles not Eddie venders experience. That’s what I ask of my fans.
