Interview mit Nick Schendzielos von Job For A Cowboy

JOB FOR A COWBOY was founded in 2003 and therefore celebrated its twentieth anniversary last year. The release of a new album would have been the crowning glory of this anniversary, but instead „Moon Healer“ is only coming out the following year. Was there a delay in recording the album or are you not keen on celebrating anniversaries?
Haha! Yes, we have collective arithmophobia, but it’s a very specific condition where we only like very even blocks of years. For example, 10 is our very favorite number. So when the label asked us to finish the record and put it out when it would have been 9 years, we just couldn’t do it without causing major dissonance amongst our collective consciousness.

Only two years passed between the release of „Demonocracy“ and „Sun Eater“, ten years between „Sun Eater“ and „Moon Healer“. What happened in those ten years that caused JOB FOR A COWBOY to fade into the background?
We’ve definitely never consciously decided to stop as a band, life just sort of evolved in a very exponential manner for some of us – Jonny had a child, Tony decided to become a doctor, etc. There was progress being made very slowly over the last 8 something years, Tony is always cooking up new stuff on his guitar in Ireland. So in around 2018 going into 2019, we had finally reached the point where there were 8 or 9 songs fully formed and started going through the process of re-filtering them like they were vodka or something. Every year we kept thinking „Okay this is the year, it’s gonna happen“, Al and Tony even went down to Jason Suecof’s in Florida to get a strong push of organizing the songs and making adjustments, but it just always seemed to turn into „Shit this isn’t gonna get done“.

But once we hit the 2020’s we decided this needs to get finished, and this needs to come out. Still had to push back really hard against the resistance coming from the universe- it’s incredibly strong when you’re trying to birth something new creatively! The lockdowns definitely delayed things quite a bit for us, but we persevered like Hatebreed and we finally finished it, and it’s for sure being released into the wild is something that feels very surreal but fulfilling for us.

How long does it take you on average to compose a song? The instrumentation is at such a high level of craftsmanship that it’s hard to believe that you can write such long tracks as „Grinding Wheels of Ophanim“ or „The Forever Rot“ in just one afternoon.
Yeah these are definitely very long compositional periods compared to your average powerviolence song I would say. You might have a flow of riffs and ideas come out where large sections could form, but the refinement process just takes time. It’s again, like making a fine scotch or whiskey, you can’t rush things when there’s this level of complexity and conceptualization going on.

What musical differences do you see between „Sun Eater“ and „Moon Healer“? What would you say to people who say that „Moon Healer“ is not a musical progression from the last album?
I think Moon Healer is like if you were smoking Sun Eater in a pipe, but added in a bunch of mescaline, PCP, Iboga, and Robotussin. I think it’s clear that folks who think there isn’t a musical progression should take a deeper listen into the album. Who we are as players compared to Sun Eater is not even close, we wouldn’t have had the capacity to play the stuff we’re playing on this record back then.

Are the two albums connected in terms of content or does „Moon Healer“ have its own story? Please explain this to our readers.
Yes, they are companion albums. Moon Healer is the continuation of the insane journey the protagonist from Sun Eater is going on. It’s about seeking enlightenment through the use of sacred substances used by indigenous folks for 10’s of thousands of years, but perhaps not being able to find your way back to grounded reality.

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What’s next on the agenda for JOB FOR COWBOY once „Moon Healer“ is out? Will you be touring? Is there anything ready to announce yet?
I think we can’t announce anything yet, but I would expect at least a world tour as vast and geographically diverse as the one we did for Sun Eater.

What about your second band Cephalic Carnage? Is there a development towards a new album after „Misled by Certainty“ is already 14 years old?
Oof! You called me out! Hahaha. I did think it was funny people that don’t know I’m in that band that are bringing up how long 10 years is between release are unaware it’s been 14 since Cephalic’s last record. I can tell you we have much like JFAC been slowly working on material over the last 14 years, but the primary goal of Cephalic Carnage was the legalization of weed, and since we accomplished that goal in much of the US, we aren’t as motivated. Ha. Just kidding. We’ll probably have a record out next year!

In addition to JOB FOR A COWBOY and Cephalic Carnage, you are also active in Havok. Progressive/technical death metal and thrash metal are two very different genres. What do you love about one genre and what about the other?
I love the contrast to be honest. Such vastly different structures and tempos, and overall vibes of playing provide a nice diversity of music. It keeps things interesting, keeps you on your toes, and helps you stay busy as you have to do a lot to make it by as a musician these days.

Your bass playing is characterized by complexity, but also a lot of grooves. What has helped you the most to refine your technique? Who are your role models?
Thank you very much for the compliments! I appreciate it. I think having a wide variety of role models on the bass such as Victor Wooten, Ryan Martinie, Marcus Miller, Justin Chancellor, and Michael Manring can really help keep your mind tuned to the fact that there is always something more to learn. There is always something you could get better at, or a style or technique or phrasing that you could implement into your style to keep things sounding fresh. I would say primarily though, that I am in love with the instrument. I love having a bass in my hands whenever possible, and it’s been that way since I formally picked up being a bassist back in 2001. When you love something, you can do it forever.

Thank you very much for your time and answers. Finally, a brainstorming session: What do you spontaneously think of for the following terms?

Presidential election 2024:  Proud to provide the world with grade A entertainment.
Spotify or CD shelf: CD shelf for when the apocalypse hits, Tidal for now. (Spotify needs to step up)
Activity where you relax: Motorcyeling !
Gym or Playstation: I like to play gym games on my playstation.
personal travel destination 2024: The Moon

Publiziert am 3. März 2024 von Sarah Punke