Originally from Oceanside, New York, Nick Bedo has always been passionate about music. In 2014, he formed a psychedelic band called Ruckzuck along with his brother Matt Bedo, their drummer, and his partner Faith Kelly, who is in charge of vocals, synth, and keyboard. Nick, who is the band’s guitarist, has resided in Pennsylvania for five years and has been rocking with the group towards stardom.
Jack Of All Trades
Besides music, Nick has dabbled in other creative endeavors such as filmmaking, photography, painting, and fashion. Nonetheless, music has always been his first love.
“Well, I have my hands in everything I like to do. Not only music but photography, painting, fashion, and cooking. I like to make pizza from scratch. Still, music is the biggest one. I like to not only perform music, but I also like the art of recording music and having a vision in my head and fulfilling it. From conception in the brain to actually having something you can hold in your hand.”
Before settling into the music industry, he was a freelance audio engineer for film sets, and he did a variety of projects such as short films, commercials, reality TV shows, and independent feature-length films. He would call his services Audio Bedo Sound Services, and as long as the project was within a three-hour drive, he would be there with his suitcase full of microphones and his multi-track recorder. And in his time being a freelance audio engineer, he would travel to many places and meet different people.
Creative Roots
For Nick, what introduced him into the world of music was the moment he was given the whole discography of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin by his friends back in high school. Even though he didn’t know how to play instruments back then, he always thought how cool it was to play the guitar on stage.
Nick was born creative as he was involved in filmmaking in his early days in high school. Nick would later on utilize his skills in filmmaking in conceptualizing music videos for the band. After graduating college with a filmmaking degree, he ditched the script and went on to pursue music. That’s when the band Ruckzuck came to be, in his house’s living room filled with musical notes and teenage dreams of making it big in the music industry.
The band’s name was heavily influenced by the German experimental band Kraftwerk, and the German word which means “in a jiffy” or as Bedo phrases it as “moving forward”. The German band is also widely regarded as the godfathers of electronic pop music as the band became a part of the instant emergence of krautrock in the early 70s. The subgenre consisted of elements of psychedelic rock, electronic, and unconventional music. This kickstarted the rock’n roll trio’s discography.
“It was very interesting music to us, very hypnotic, minimal, but expansive at the same time.”
When asked about what kind of music they make, the guitarist says that they’re a mix of rock and roll, classic rock, and psychedelia. It’s also quite experimental. Ruckzuck’s music is heavily influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath.
The band currently has five self-released and recorded albums. Their recent album, Mycelium Intervention, was released last November 5, 2021, on all major streaming platforms.
The Rock and Roll Journey
Just like any band who’s just starting in the music industry, Nick and his band had their fair share of trials and tribulations. Nick reflected that his biggest challengewould have to be the feeling of hopelessness in the middle of a long project, a common struggle for many artists. He also noted the importance of being very intentional and putting in the effort to maintain good relationships between all the band members.
As their band consisted of Nick’s brother and his partner, he would describe the experience of forming a band to be something more personal:
“This was a family affair. So, you know, one of the difficult parts of it is trying not to be a jerk to the people you’re closest with and trying to maintain why you are here doing music in the first place, you know, and keeping it fun and not getting too careerist. Not getting too caught up in trying to make money. You get caught up in the art of it and the fun of it.”
Nick says that the key to keeping the band together is having good open communication with one another and that every member of the band has an equal say. Communication, compassion, and sympathy go a long way in maintaining a good bond within the band. Lastly is prioritizing the group first, and not being pressured to do things just because that’s what the people would want.
Being on stage is a big party for Nick:
“I guess the most enjoyable part is just being on stage, actually presenting the music because it’s just a big party. And when you are seeing people who are listening and receptive to your music, they send that energy back out to you and you’re able to play even better. It’s just a very powerful feeling, but the right kind of power. It’s power through community and art.”
Nick’s motivation to keep going is the life of adventure, that he is living an interesting and fulfilling life, and that’s because he’s doing the thing he loves—music.
Ruckzuck’s plans for the future consist of expanding their audience and their geographical reach. They plan to play as many shows as they can; from Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Long Island, to New Jersey.
Check out their band’s Instagram at @ruckzuckband and you can also check out Nick’s personal Instagram at @djaudiobedo. You can also tune into their music on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Bandcamp, Youtube, and for physical copies of their music, they also have CDs and vinyl records. Their albums are for sale online on their site.