New School: Nick Schendzielos
Armed with some serious chops and quirky sense of humor, Nick Schendzielos is a bass force to be reckoned with. Nick currently holds down the low end for the grindcore outfits Cephalic Carnage and Job for a Cowboy, where he implements advanced bass techniques into the fold.
We had to find out more about this “New School” bassist, so we reached out to him to get the scoop.
What makes you new school?
I think mainly the specific techniques that I employ in the style of music I play would qualify as “new school”. I mean, like anything in life really, that term is definitely subjective, but using double-thumb, tapping, slapping, chords and fingerstyle all in one grindcore or death metal album is slightly out of the norm.
I also remember one time that the school I went to as a fifth grader was only [around] 12 years old. For a school, that is pretty new. So that too, would associate me with “new school”.
How did you discover your new school style?
I grew up listening to Les Claypool, Flea, and then found Victor Wooten and Michael Manring and dudes like that. Learning all these players’ different techniques and styles of licks, and then incorporating them into my own voice sort of naturally formed an amalgam that is my playing style that is of the school of new.
Do you have any Youtube videos that shows off your thing?
Yes!
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What kind of gear do you use?
I play a 5-string custom shop Warwick Streamer Stage II, a Warwick Thumb NT 5 and a Warwick Fortress MM 5. For amplification I have an Aguilar Db750 and an AG500 with an Aguilar Db810.
Other gear includes an Aguilar TLC Compressor and an Octamizer, Monster cables, D’Addario ProSteel strings for Job for a Cowboy and SIT Rockbrights for Cephalic Carnage.
What kind of gigs do you get with your new school style?
I play with Cephalic Carnage, Job for a Cowboy and then I get hit up for session bass. Mostly Death Metal stuff, but hopefully I can break into other genres as well.
Any traditional playing gigs?
Yeah, I’ll fill in for a funk band every now and again. Its fun to get to play tradish sometimes.
Do you have albums where we can hear your new school style?
Most certainly!
- Cephalic Carnage: Xenosapien and Misled by Certainty
- Job for a Cowboy: Gloom and a new, full length coming in April
- AinMatter: Neuroplasticity
- There’s also a track on my Facebook page called “I-76 to I-70 West” that’s pretty cool.
Where can we find you on the web?
What’s next for you?
[I have] a sweet year of touring lined up… JFAC’s new record drops in early April, so we’re out with Dying Fetus for a bit with that, then Cannibal Corpse in the U.K. for a week or so, then out on the Metal Alliance tour with DevilDriver and the Faceless (Evan Brewer, yeah!) and Fetus and whatnot.
Should have some cool stuff with Cephalic this year as well. I’m gonna be busting out more videos to so keep watching for those!
What else do you want to share?
I’d like to share my shower with whoever needs to use it. But just be respectful and don’t use all the hot water or leave a nasty hairball or worse… you know what I mean?
I’d also like to share my thanks to you for this article, and to anybody who’s reading it or watches my videos or comes to shows or just looks at me weird at a gas station. Thanks!
