Interview with SymLa-3000
Q: What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
A: Singing voices of vocalists I loved. I felt I had to follow them. And I guess I would be a photographer or an artist painter.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
A: I like taking photographs outside and feeling or imagining stories behind them. These experiences are gradually piled up and alive inside me, I cannot help creating my own songs with them. I feel they let me be a singer/songwriter.
Q: How long has your band been around?
A: From 2020, so it’s been about two years.
Q: Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
A: Mainly 00s hard/heavy rock and metal music with hard- distorted sounds and guitar riffs. Not exactly same, but I try to keep them in SymLa-3000’s sounds as much as possible alongside my voice.
Q: How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
A: The name of “SymLa-3000” is derived from the Japanese word Shinra-Bansyo (森羅万象) which means the nature of the entire universe and also translates to “sympathize.” I hope my songs will be able to sympathize with listeners’ mind.
Q: Tell me about your most memorable shows.
A: So far, I’ve had no shows as SymLa-3000, but I’m getting to be ready little by little with playing the guitar for getting “most memorable” one. If I can tell you the show in which I sang cover songs, it was the one I sang with the bassist of Japanese metal band “Loudness” M.Yamashita in Kyoto, Japan, 2016.
Q: What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
A: Anywhere is nice place for me as long as listeners are there with me! But If I could play in NY, The Iridium. If I could play in LA, The Viper Room. I’ve been dreaming of both.
Q: If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
A: Maybe, Evanescence and Daughtry
Q: What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
A: Take it easy. Playing music is really fun!
Q: If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
A: “Remember, you are meant to be a singer/songwriter.”
Q: Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
A: The Spectrums, from my first album. Not a few painful memories in my heart have been hurting me again and again for a long time. In this song, I swear that I’ll part with them and move on. This is the most difficult thing for me.
Q: Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
A: My favorite to play is “On my way”, I can feel the wind in this song. Getting requested the most is “Monochrome Story”. Thanks a lot.
Q: What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
A: SymLa-3000 is my solo project, support musicians understand well what I want to do, they are so great. And I’m huge fan of some bands, their sounds and singing voices always inspire me.
Q: What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
A: Hope, Courage, Healing
Q: Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
A: Yes, I do. When they suggest something, I consider about it. It might be cooler than my idea.
Q: What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
A: I want to have live shows of my first album “The Spectrums”, but so far I’m sorry for telling you that I’ve no plan. It could be live-streamed online one, or not. Anyway, I bet I should do live shows!