Everything about Nate Mendel totally explained
Nathan Gregor "Nate" Mendel (born
December 2,
1968 in
Richland, Washington) is the
American bassist in the band
Foo Fighters and formerly of
Sunny Day Real Estate.
Biography
He began his musical career in the
punk band Diddly Squat, then played in the fairly popular punk bands Christ on a Crutch, Brotherhood (Seattle Straight edge), Galleons Lap, and was a member of
Sunny Day Real Estate before joining the
Foo Fighters in 1995 (after Sunny Day Real Estate had disbanded). Although Sunny Day Real Estate reunited for two more albums (
How It Feels to Be Something On and
The Rising Tide), he stayed with the Foo Fighters. He then joined with other Sunny Day Real Estate members
Jeremy Enigk and
William Goldsmith to form
The Fire Theft, who released a self-titled album in 2003.
He scored a role in the
indie movie Our Burden Is Light, in which he also played a minor role as the main female character's best friend's boyfriend and bassist. In the movie, Mendel plays in a band named Bleeder, consisting of himself,
Jessica Ballard, and
Taylor Hawkins.
Nate Mendel joined the
Foo Fighters as the bassist, alongside former
Nirvana drummer
Dave Grohl. The band has since released six studio albums and one live album, Mendel continues to play alongside
Dave Grohl,
Taylor Hawkins and
Chris Shiflett. Mendel and Grohl are the only two original members in the Foo Fighters current line-up, although original guitarist
Pat Smear has rejoined the Foos as a touring guitarist.
Nate has one son, Noah, with his wife.
Nate attended Hanford Jr/Sr. high school in Richland, WA. He was an avid skateboarder as well as BMX racer in the Washington St. Region.
Technique
Nate is known to use a pick almost exclusively, however on the "Long Road to Ruin" video he's seen finger-picking, as well as during "Marigold" on the Skin and Bones live release.
Nate is rarely ever seen singing. However he sang backup with
Chris Shiflett on
Monkey Wrench at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia in
2000 while supporting
There Is Nothing Left To Lose. He and Shiflett sang the outro backing vocals (
"fall in, fall out").
Equipment
Mendel's main set-up consists of
Fender Precision Basses played through Ashdown ABM - and more recently Classic - Series Bass Amplifiers. He also often uses
Lakland Bob Glaub Signature Precision Basses while touring.
He is seen playing the
Lakland Bass in the video for "The Pretender". He used a
Gibson Ripper bass in the "Best of You" video and in the "Long Road to Ruin" video he's seen playing a Red Fender Jazz Bass with a black pickguard.
His pedalboard is very simple and consists of a Fulltone Bassdrive and a Boss TU-2 Tuner.
Connection to AIDS denialist movement
In January 2000, Nate Mendel organized a sold-out benefit concert in
Los Angeles to benefit
Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives, a group which
denies that
HIV is the cause of
AIDS. At the concert, the group's founder,
Christine Maggiore, gave a speech attributing AIDS to drug use, stress, and medications, and implying that people shouldn't be tested for HIV, nor should they take
antiretroviral treatment if
HIV-positive.
Responding to coverage of the Alive & Well benefit in
Mother Jones magazine, Mendel wrote that "...popular ideas about AIDS are based on a hypothesis that doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny." He further condemned
HIV tests for their inaccuracy and HIV medication for its supposed "unproven efficacy and proven toxicity." None of these statements reflect current scientific knowledge.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nate Mendel'.
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