Exploring the Sound: Nyceria

Nyceria is a hard-rock band that combines an explosive sound with emotion and depth. The four-member band includes singer and guitarist Aaron Crowell, his brother Adam on drums, lead guitarist Alex Pennock and bassist Matthew House. The Bakersfield natives have been playing music for a combined 26 years, and recently produced their first music video, Scathe. Patch had the chance to chat with Nyceria and learn about their take on modern rock and their musical goals. Check out what they have to say, below.

Patch: What would you say uniquely defines your sound? Do you have a dominant theme?

Nyceria: We definitely have a dominant theme. Nyceria is a hard-rock band that touches the genres of metal and alternative rock through an unbiased style of song writing. We don’t like to limit ourselves as writers. You can hear our alternative roots in the song Scathe while songs like Filth and Deity have more of a metal vibe. Our uniqueness, we feel, comes from the combination of heavy-styled guitar riffs and very melodic leads. This combination has allowed us to tap into multiple emotions in each and every song, and when that emotion is combined with an equally emotional story, it can be very powerful. That’s what we feel makes us stand out. 

Patch: Speaking of stories, your music video Scathe definitely tells one. It follows a young boy through adulthood and seems to capture the hurt and abuse he’s endured. At one point the kid’s bruised. What’s the story there?

Nyceria: Scathe means to harm or hurt, and that’s what we as people seem to do to ourselves throughout our lifetime. Choices we make often define our course of life, and those choices are not always great. Many of them can weigh a person down and be a burden throughout the individual’s life. That’s the symbolism of the bruise. As we get older, we make more mistakes so naturally the bruise grows. Scathe is about those points in your life that you wish you could change, but many people don’t. They choose to live in their shadows, hence the line, ‘These choices I’ve made are my silent enemies.’ But, there are some of us who choose to go back and rectify those moments we regret. That’s the real story behind the song: Overcoming your inner struggles. The entire bridge to the song, both lyrically and cinematically, is the turning point. The man chooses to face and destroy his inner turmoil by saying, ‘No More. I’ve come to defy my plague. I’ll not let you beat me again.’ And the ending, it’s you again, innocent and pure.

Patch: Who wrote Scathe? It seems personal.

Nyceria: Musically, it was written by the four of us. Lyrically, it was written by Aaron.

Aaron: Scathe isn’t about any specific moment I’ve had in my life. I’ve had times and moments that I wish I could change, things I regret, but I feel like all of us have those kinds of burdens. I wanted to write about a way out—a way for all of us to overcome them.

Patch: You worked on Scathe for five months with cinematographer Ricardo Moreno. What was it like creating the video?

Nyceria: It was stressful to say the least. It took months of planning and searching for the right location, actors and props. The worst part about it was all the wondering. Wondering, ‘How’s it going to turn out’ and ‘God, I hope we don’t look like idiots!’ But never have we had so much fun. We shot that video for 15 hours and came out with a product beyond any of our expectations. The four of us were blown away when we received Ricardo’s final edit. We’re looking into making more professional videos in the near future.  

Patch: Nyceria formed in 2003, parted ways in '05 and reunited in ‘08. What did you learn from that time apart?

Nyceria: We learned that none of us could let it go. And that what we overcame in those years made us stronger than ever before. Nothing could possibly rip us apart after everything we conquered in that gap. And we all realized that we’re in it till the end.

Patch:  How did you come up with Nyceria as a band name?

Nyceria: We were looking for something completely original, something that didn’t exist anywhere on the internet. That way, when someone would search for us, they could find us. We sat for weeks trying to come up with a name and always came up empty. We finally found our name in a medical book’s glossary. We tweaked the spelling and did a search for Nyceria on the web, and when nothing appeared, we knew we had found our name.

Patch: After watching your Nyceria, Korn Speaks Out on Music Now video, it sounds like you consider bands with a softer sound to be the downfall of rock?

Nyceria: That’s not what we believe to be the downfall of rock. We feel it’s the lack of emotion in today’s music that brought rock to its apparent demise. Those bands are soulless Hollywood sell-outs. The lack of emotional depth can be seen in their live performances, and found in their poor excuse for lyrics. They care more about what they’re wearing that weekend than their listeners. When’s the last time you felt something as powerful as Nirvana, KoRn or The Beatles? Are you going to tell me it came from a band called Panic at the Disco? The name even tells you how serious they are. And somehow this pop-rock garbage has flooded our society.

Patch: It sounds like you think Nyceria could change the course of history and give rock a new platform. What gives you so much confidence?

Nyceria: To change the course of anything, something new is needed, something original. Be it politics, religion or music. You need something that gives people something to be excited about. Throughout the history of music the artists who brought about change were those who created their own sound. The ones who did so when it was needed the most. No one can touch Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana or KoRn and there’s no doubt that there is a need for change today. Our confidence comes from the fact that our music offers the world something new and original, and if musical history repeats itself, this is what will change rock’s platform today.

Patch: I read that you guys worked with Grammy-nominated producer Luigie Gonzalez. What was it like?

Nyceria: Meeting and working with Luigie was one of the best things that could have happened to us. We learned a lot about the industry and learned even more about song writing. He made us realize how subtle changes can go a long way in a song. Something as simple as Alex joining in on a chord progression, instead of leading through, has given our songs a different dynamic feel. A lot of people believe a producer changes you and your art, but Luigie did nothing of the sort. He helped us fine tune what we created, and helped us present it in the best way possible.

Patch: Nyceria was voted number one for unsigned talent during a six-month competition against over 10,000 registered bands in ‘09. How did you feel when you heard you were voted number one?

Nyceria: We were shocked. You enter competitions to help get your name out there, but you never expect to have something like that happen for you. It was quite an honor, and very humbling. It made us realize how hard we should be working to continue that ‘status,’ especially if we are to pursue music as a career. And we are.

Patch: Nyceria has performed around 100 times. What are some of your favorite performances?

Matt: I’d have to say The Roxy show we did in 2010. It was really the first time I felt comfortable on stage and really let myself go. I could really feel the music for the first time that night and it made me realize how bad I’d like to do this for the rest of my life.

Adam: By far the greatest show we’ve played was with Brian ‘Head’ Welch. It’s funny because in all honesty the show was a train wreck. Electrical cut outs, faulty stage equipment and a poor monitor mix. But through it all, we were able to pull off a great performance that the crowd loved. It was a major learning experience, and it proved that we were beyond the beginning/intermediate stage in our career.

Alex: The greatest show I feel we’ve ever done was at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. It was one of the largest crowds we had ever played for, about 600. It was a nerve-racking show because it was our bass player’s first show ever. But it didn’t matter, the energy in the room was amazing and we pulled off a great performance.

Aaron: My favorite show to date came in 2005. We played a show in our hometown of Bakersfield at a place called The Dome. It was our first show on a ‘real’ stage, complete with a light show and great house sound. The crowd response at that show, I’ll never forget—It was amazing. That was the show that made me feel different inside as a musician. It seriously changed my life.

Patch:  Do you have a message for your fans?

Nyceria: Those of you who choose to come out and watch shows of any band is appreciated more than any of you could ever know. Fans mean the world to us. Without fans there’s no point in creating music. We can’t do what we do without you, so thank you.