From Shadows to Spotlight: In Conversation With sym fera
Get ready to have your mind blown by the electro-rock duo sym fera. Comprised of Nick Simmons and Vinnie Ferra, the band and their story is quite interesting. Nick is known for his appearance on the reality TV show “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” while Vinnie is a talented musician, producer, and tour director. Together, they formed sym fera with the main goal of creating their own brand of alternative music. They released their first two EPs anonymously under State of The Art Records, with the label’s owners unaware of the band members’ true identities. The duo finally publicly revealed themselves while releasing “Ghoulish Machine,” their latest EP.
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“Ghoulish Machine” blends indie rock with electronic elements offering six tracks, offering six distinct tracks that together create an ethereal, surreal atmosphere. Highlights are the almost otherworldly “beg (overture)” which evokes a similar style to Nine Inch Nails and “avert your gaze” where the duo displays their versatility as a band. All the songs are amazing and worth experiencing.
In this interview, Nick and Vinnie discuss their recently released EP, “Ghoulish Machine,” and the decision to reveal their identities to the public and how it will affect their future as a band and individuals.
Who are the key members of sym fera, and what do they bring to the group?
We both write songs, chords, and production, and we both sing. But Vinnie’s lead on production, and Nick is lead on vocals. Other than that, it’s a mishmash of whoever has the best idea at the time.
Can you walk us through the journey of sym fera’s formation? How did you first meet and decide to collaborate?
We’ve been jamming in nightclubs around LA since I was in college, and we cut our teeth as regulars on some pretty interesting jam sessions around town. The Bardot Sessions, the Sayers Sessions, Delilah. These were kind of hot spots, so big people would often jump up right before or after us, and we’d have to just roll with it. I called it singer boot camp.
What motivated your decision to go to such great lengths to conceal your identities, including the measures taken during your live performance at the Lodge Room?
I feel like, at first, it wasn’t as important to us as it became, because we got signed fairly soon after sending our demos out, and we so enjoyed that feeling of pure meritocracy (in that the only reason we got signed was because they actually liked the stuff, not because of ‘networking’ or whatever). It was extremely satisfying, it gave us some self-esteem, I think. We expected to make this thing for fun and to put it out for fun and that would be that, we’d do it in our spare time. But then it became real based on some positive reactions we got, and now it’s very real to us.
What influenced your decision to publicly reveal your identities? How did you anticipate your fans would react to this revelation?
I didn’t think it would be a big deal really, and maybe it has or hasn’t been depending on who you ask. We’re not famous or anything, we’re just tangentially associated with people who are, and that’s not uncommon, really, in entertainment on a much bigger scale than us. We didn’t want it to be some big reveal; we just wanted to untie our hands from behind our backs so we could get to work on getting this thing out there properly. We felt like we got what we wanted out of putting the music in a vacuum—it made us believe in it—and now we want to take that attitude and be less shy about it.
Let’s discuss the creative process behind your latest EP, “Ghoulish Machine.” What inspired the concept and sound of the project?
The title comes from a TED Talk I only vaguely remember, and it was just a turn of phrase that stuck with me long after I stopped watching TED Talks. It described a system of corruption as a “ghoulish machine,” and in this album’s context, it kind of just means ‘the world,’ i.e., the collection of bad incentives that moves all the tiny pieces that make up the world toward often destructive ends. ‘A ghoulish machine made of needs, and eager teeth.’ I’m fascinated by the way a system of poorly placed incentives can function exactly like deliberate malevolence, even when there’s no great villain “at the wheel.”
As for the sound, it’s hard to call it on purpose. One of the songs is from years ago; one of them was made a couple of months ago. It’s just a collection of stuff we’ve been wanting to put out that seems to have a lyrical through-line.
Among the six tracks on “Ghoulish Machine,” which one holds a special place in your heart, and why?
‘no/bodies’ for me (Nick), because it was a song Vinnie was writing for himself to release solo at some point, and I begged him for a while to let me use it for this project instead. I loved the production and the chords so much, and he finally allowed me to write lyrics to it and sing it, which felt like a gift. I was a fan of the song before I got to be the singer on it, and I feel like I did my very best to make sure the lyrics and the performance were worthy of it.
Which artists, bands, or other influences shaped the music on “Ghoulish Machine”? How did these inspirations contribute to the EP’s final sound?
We wear our influences right out in the open, that’s for sure. And it’s very difficult to list them all. Chris Cornell and Jeff Buckley for singing always, Jim James, Moses Sumney, Ry X, Radiohead, and Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross for production, Billie Eilish and Finneas for creating a space in the mainstream for what was previously called “alternative,” Tom Waits and Father John Misty for lyrics and storytelling, and so many more. How much space do you have in this article?
What was it like working with Frances Bean Cobain for your official photos? How did her unique vision contribute to the overall aesthetic of the project?
I feel incredibly privileged to have known her for as long as I have because she’s just someone who seems to have an unflappable character in the face of a very strange world. We try to do this as much as we can with everything—the people we work with on videos, photos, mixing, anything, are almost always people who we also respect and admire on a personal level, not just hired guns. So it felt right that she took these photos and that we’re leading with them because we admire her character in addition to her skills.
Are you currently working on new music or other projects? Could you share any details about what’s next for the band?
Depending on when this comes out, we’re releasing a cover of ‘Black Hole Sun’ as a tribute to Cornell, who had a huge impact on Nick personally. If that’s already out, then the next step is some live shows and a new piece of work that we’re working on as a collaboration with an artist we started as fans of, who took an interest in us. It started as a couple of songs, and now we’re probably releasing a longer thing with him because he’s just that great. And another music video that became pretty ambitious by the end—that’s currently being edited.
The common theme here is just how lucky we are with the level of collaborators with which we’ve been able to work. People we were fans of now want to do stuff with us, and that’s the best sign I can think of that we’re on the right path.
Connect with sym fera on Instagram or visit their Website
Photos by Darren Craig
