Luis Alberto Dubuc Jr. (born January 28, 1985) is an American DJ, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and former drummer from

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. He was a member of The Secret Handshake and Of Legends. He is currently the man behind Mystery Skulls.

History

Luis Alberto Dubuc Jr. was born in a small town in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

on January 28, 1985, he and his family moved to

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

when he was 8 years old and years later to

but Dubuc went to live in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(whose main inspiration for the song "Ghost"). He speaks

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

fluently, but in an interview he said "I didn't want people to think I was a Latin singer like

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

. Not because those people are bad, because they make great music. But I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. I wanted a nondescriptive band's name so that the music can speak for itself."

Thirty Called Arson and The Secret Handshake (2004–2011)

Dubuc first got his start playing drums in a couple of bands with his friends, most notably in the hardcore unit Thirty Called Arson where he played in their live shows. Inspired by artists like

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

, he eventually began writing and recording some songs as a side project in his Dallas-based bedroom with a laptop and

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

to assist him. By November 2004, Dubuc had self-released his first full-length album, entitled ''Antarctica''. Less than a year later, he followed up with the EP ''This Is Bigger Than You and I'', which was issued through Doll House Recordings. Momentum began building around his distinctive electronica laptop pop/rock, and The Secret Handshake developed a devoted fanbase. Another EP, ''Summer of '98'' (referring to the summer before he started high school), was released in early 2007 through New York's

Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York–based rock music record label created in 1997 by Fred Feldman. The label features such artists as The Receiving End of Sirens and The Dear Hunter, ''Artists Page'' and launched the career of Brand New in 2001. ...

, anchored by the vocoder-heavy title track. The full length ''

One Full Year ''One Full Year'' is The Secret Handshake's second full-length studio album. It was released on September 25, 2007, by Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York–based rock music record label created in 1997 by Fred Feldman. The ...

'' followed, becoming his full length

debut. In 2008 The Secret Handshake was featured on the

Punk Goes Crunk ''Punk Goes Crunk'' is the seventh compilation album in the '' Punk Goes...'' series released by Fearless Records. The album is composed of popular hip hop songs performed by various post-hardcore, metalcore and pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-p ...

compilation/covers album, where he covered

Skee-Lo Antoine Roundtree (born March 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Skee-Lo, is an American rapper best known for his 1995 song " I Wish", which became a hit in several countries and reached No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was ...

's rap classic "

I Wish I WiSH was a J-Pop, Japanese pop group consisting of two members, Ai Kawashima and Nao (musician), nao. Ai is responsible for the vocals and occasionally plays the piano also with nao on the keyboard or piano. Their most notable track is and wa ...

". On April 29, 2009, The Secret Handshake released his third studio album, ''

My Name Up in Lights ''My Name Up in Lights'' is The Secret Handshake's third full-length studio album. It was released on April 29, 2009 on Triple Crown Records. Luis Dubuc began writing songs for ''My Name Up in Lights'' immediately after he finished '' One Full Ye ...

''. The album was recorded entirely in Dubuc's apartment in Dallas. In 2009, the album reached #17 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Heatseekers chart and #45 on the Independent Albums chart. The Secret Handshake opened for the ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'' Tour 2009, entitled The Fall Ball, which also featured You Me At Six, Set Your Goals, The Academy Is..., and

Mayday Parade Mayday Parade is an American rock band formed in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2005, as the result of a merger between two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Their debut EP '' Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released i ...

. Luis Dubuc was featured on the subscriber-only cover of ''

'' November 2009 issue, along with the lead singers of the other bands featured on The Fall Ball tour with a feature article. The Secret Handshake toured in Australia from November 26 to December 6. The Secret Handshake finished a two-month tour in the summer of 2010 with

Every Avenue Every Avenue is an American pop-punk band from Marysville, Michigan, formed in 2003. The group's most prevalent line-up consisted of David Ryan Strauchman (lead vocals, piano), Joshua Randall Withenshaw (lead guitar), James Francis Deeghan (rhyt ...

Sing it Loud Sing It Loud was an American pop rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. History Sing It Loud grew out of a friendship between cousins vocalist Pat Brown and guitarist Kieren Smith, who founded the group together and added members whom they m ...

, and

There for Tomorrow There for Tomorrow was an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in February 2003. The original group consisted of vocalist Maika Maile, drummer Chris Kamrada, guitarist James Flaherty and bassist Jay Enriquez. Christian Climer joined ...

on the

Motel 6 Motel 6 is an American chain of motels with locations in the United States and Canada. The chain was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962 by William W. Becker and Paul Greene, and derives its name from the fact that rooms initially cos ...

"Rock Yourself to Sleep" tour. The Secret Handshake's fourth studio album '' Night & Day'' was released on August 17, 2010. ''Sound In The Signals'' complimented the new style found on the album, but criticized Dubuc's vocal ability. ''

'' noted the new Motown sound was a risky move but stated that Dubuc "obviously had the skills to pull it off". Luis Dubuc was interviewed in the ''

'' October 2010 issue, in the feature article titled ''You Can Hurry Love''.

Mystery Skulls (2011–present)

In 2011, Dubuc put The Secret Handshake to sleep and began to make music under the name Mystery Skulls. In 2013, Mystery Skulls signed with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. His debut album as Mystery Skulls featured collaborations with

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his dynamic vocal performances that combine his theatrical training with modern and classic genres. Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after ...

, and

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

. Dubuc followed up with his sophomore album "One of Us" in 2017, originally envisioned to be a soundtrack for an accompanying film. In early 2018 Dubuc began airing live streams from his studio inviting fans to collaborate on his upcoming third album. Over the next several months he aired weekly videos on either YouTube or his Patreon. He released the first single from the forthcoming album "Don't F*ck With My Money" December 13, 2018. The album "Back to Life" was officially released on April 12, 2019. As Mystery Skulls, Dubuc has performed across the country and has held many shows, including a performance at

Furry Weekend Atlanta Furry Weekend Atlanta (FWA) is a furry convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia. Started in 2004, the convention caters to members of the furry fandom, a subculture focused around fictional anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic animal charact ...

in May 2019, and a summer tour to promote "Back To Life". Dubuc performed the fourth ending theme of ''

Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. Set during the time frame of Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Son Goku and his friends during the ten-year timesk ...

'' for its English release, "Forever Dreaming", originally performed in Japanese by

Czecho No Republic is a Japanese band. Their album ''Santa Fe'' reached the 19th place on the Weekly Oricon Albums Chart and their singles "For You" and "Oh Yeah!!!!!!!" reached the 24th place on the Weekly Oricon Singles Chart. "Oh Yeah!!!!!!!" was also the third ...

Mystery Skulls band members

Current members

*Luis Dubuc – vocals, electronics, production (2011–present)

Session and touring musicians

*Zack Ordway – guitars (2023–present; studio only 2014–2023) *Sean William Friday – drums (2023–present)

Discography

As The Secret Handshake

Albums

*''Antarctica'' (2004) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2009) *'' Night & Day'' (2010)

EPs

*''This Is Bigger Than You and I'' (2005) *''Summer of '98'' (2007)

Singles

*"Too Young" (2007) *"Summer of '98" (2007) *''Gamegirl" (2008) *"Midnight Movie" (2008) *"Saturday" (2009) *"All for You" (2009) *"Domino" (2010)

Mixtapes

*''History in the Making, Vol. 1'' (2008)

Compilations

contributed the cover of ''I Wish'' by Skee-Lo (2008) * Family Force 5 Album, Dance Or Die With A Vengeance, song titled Dance or Die (Secret Handshake Han Valen Remix) * Contributed to the

Suicide Season - Cut Up ''Suicide Season'' is the second studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 29 September 2008 in the United Kingdom and Europe through Visible Noise. The band signed a licensing deal with Epitaph Records on 11 Sep ...

remix album by remixing the track ''Suicide Season'' by

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon are a British Rock music, rock band, formed in Sheffield, England in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean (musician), Matt Kean. T ...

(2009) * Remixed

All Time Low All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...

's song " Weightless"

As Mystery Skulls

Albums

*'' Mystery Skulls - EP'' (2011) *''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

'' (2014) *''Ultra Rare Vol. 1'' (2015) *''One of Us'' (2017) *''Back to Life'' (2019) *''Now or Never'' (2020) *''Ultra Rare Vol. 2'' (2020) *''Beam Me Up'' (2022) *''The Gold Album'' (2023) *''Ultra Rare Vol. 3'' (2024)

Singles

*"Amazing" (2011) *"Money" (2012) *"

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

" (2014) *"Paralyzed" (2014) *"Number 1" (2014) *"

Magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

" (2014) *"Soul On Fire" (2015) *"Music" (2017) *"Losing My Mind" (2017) *"One of Us" (2017) *"Erase Me" (2017) *"Endlessly" (2017) *"Don't F**k With My Money" (2018) *"Stronger" (2019) *"Back to Life" (2019) *"Its Mine" (2019) *"Far Away" (2019) *"Now Or Never" (2020) *"God" (2020) *"Movies" (2021) *"Be With You" (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubuc, Luis 1985 births Living people

The Secret Handshake Luis Alberto Dubuc Jr. (born January 28, 1985) is an American DJ, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and former drummer from Dallas, Texas. He was a member of The Secret Handshake and Of Legends. He is currently the man behind Myster ...

American keyboardists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers