Rob Wright
Encyclopedia
Rob Wright is a Canadian
musician and songwriter best known as the bassist
, lead vocalist and occasional guitar
ist of the progressive
punk rock
band Nomeansno
, as well as the bassist of the pop punk
band The Hanson Brothers
. Wright was born in Montreal, Quebec
, and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia
.
In addition to Nomeansno and The Hanson Brothers, both of which feature his brother John
and guitarist Tom Holliston
, Wright has composed and recorded an occasional solo act called Mr. Wrong where he sings and plays bass while performing in an authoritarian priest outfit. He has also recorded with Ford Pier
, Itch and the instrumental progressive power-trio Removal (as the Mr. Wrong character in the latter.) In the late '70s and early '80s, Wright dabbled in record production, recording and/or producing many noted underground BC punk groups, most notably the Neos.
As a bassist, Wright utilizes a distinct technique to create a sound that relies on frequencies traditionally associated with a guitar. He took the inspiration for his amplification (involving a Marshall
solid state head through a Marshall guitar 4x12 cabinet) from Lemmy Kilmister
of Motorhead, and has cited jazz
bassists such as Jimmy Blanton
and Paul Chambers
as influential players. His hard-picked, fast-fretted playing is highly respected among bassists, and has been praised by Mike Watt
of The Minutemen
, among other musicians.
Wright co-operates the record label Wrong Records. He has one son.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician and songwriter best known as the bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocalist and occasional guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist of the progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Nomeansno
Nomeansno
NoMeansNo is a Canadian progressive punk rock music group originally from Victoria, British Columbia and now located in Vancouver.The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe...
, as well as the bassist of the pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band The Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers are a Canadian punk rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and led by John and Rob Wright and Tom Holliston, all members of the punk rock band Nomeansno....
. Wright was born in Montreal, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
In addition to Nomeansno and The Hanson Brothers, both of which feature his brother John
John Wright (musician)
John Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He replaced the former drummer, Murray Jackson. He is best known as the drummer, keyboardist, occasional vocalist and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo, as well as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the...
and guitarist Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston is a musician, composing and playing in such bands as Showbusiness Giants, NoMeansNo and The Hanson Brothers, as well as releasing three solo records since 2002...
, Wright has composed and recorded an occasional solo act called Mr. Wrong where he sings and plays bass while performing in an authoritarian priest outfit. He has also recorded with Ford Pier
Ford Pier
,Ford Pier is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He resides in Vancouver. In addition to his solo albums, he has been a member of Jr...
, Itch and the instrumental progressive power-trio Removal (as the Mr. Wrong character in the latter.) In the late '70s and early '80s, Wright dabbled in record production, recording and/or producing many noted underground BC punk groups, most notably the Neos.
As a bassist, Wright utilizes a distinct technique to create a sound that relies on frequencies traditionally associated with a guitar. He took the inspiration for his amplification (involving a Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
solid state head through a Marshall guitar 4x12 cabinet) from Lemmy Kilmister
Lemmy Kilmister
Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister is an English heavy metal musician....
of Motorhead, and has cited jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassists such as Jimmy Blanton
Jimmy Blanton
Jimmie Blanton was an influential American jazz double bassist. Blanton is credited with being the originator of pizzicato and bowed bass solos....
and Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
as influential players. His hard-picked, fast-fretted playing is highly respected among bassists, and has been praised by Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
of The Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
, among other musicians.
Wright co-operates the record label Wrong Records. He has one son.
External links
- Official NoMeansNo web page
- The Hanson Brothers at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.com - NoMeansNo and Hanson Brothers discography