Carl Begai

(Chapter 1)

By Carl Begai

Chapter 2 — Tanya

The induction of bassist Tanya Nicklaus to Scarlet Sins’ ranks was an important step forward, offering Bishop and NuVynska some real stability beyond their own commitment. It was a case of dumb luck working in the band’s favour – and not for the first time – as Nicklaus had added bass guitar to her repertoire mere months before Scarlet Sins went in search of a new four-stringer.

“Yeah, I was a guitar player for about 10 years,” says Nicklaus. “I was in between bands when I picked up the bass. I just decided to buy one and try to put some demos together at home on a four track. I wanted to write and I didn’t want to have the pressure of being in a band, having to come up with something right away. So basically I decided to figure out a new instrument so I could play both parts for the demos. It’s funny because Cris and I were friends and we’d get together for coffee sometimes. At one point I just asked her what was up with Scarlet Sins and she told me they were having problems with their bass player. It was like, ‘Holy fuck, you know what? I can play bass!’ (laughs). Obviously I needed to work on my chops because I’d picked it up only a couple months before, but I knew a lot of the theory from having played guitar for so many years. It was a natural transition for me.”
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