VWMusic

Header image courtesy of Chuck Wright

By Andrew Daly
andrew@vinylwriter.com

Recently, I caught up with veteran bassist, Chuck Wright, formally of Quiet Riot. Among other things, we touch on Chuck’s latest record, Sheltering Sky, his formative years with Satyr, working with Bob Kulick, his reasons for moving on from Quiet Riot, and a whole lot more.

If you would like to learn more about Chuck Wright, the link to his official Facebook page is here. Once you’ve checked that out, dig into this interview with Chuck. Cheers.

Andrew:
Your first solo album, Sheltering Sky, is experiencing rave reviews. After so many years in their business, and finally branching out on your own, would you call the response a validating one for you?

Chuck:
Yes, very much so. I was actually just surprised by winning “Best Instrumental” and “Best Video” at the Rock Music Alliance Awards which was presented virtually by Yes, keyboardist, Tony Kaye. Now that’s what I call validating! I was up against Joe Satriani, Jon 5, and other artists I hold in high regard. I had no idea I was even nominated. The awards were for the first song I composed when the pandemic hit. I sat down and started writing music from what I was feeling, looking at the world without people anywhere to be seen in major cities. A very eerie setting. It’s an instrumental called “The Weight Of Silence. I then edited together some footage of me playing the various instruments merged with an apocalyptic vision of cityscapes, as streets lie silent, the unsettling beauty of the lockdown, which often felt like pure science fiction.

I had one central character in a hazmat suit as if he were the last man on earth. I put that up on YouTube and got a message from Tesla drummer Troy Luccetta, who said that he thought, “The song was very cool and that it would sound great with drums on it.” I said, “I never thought about that but I think it would be wonderful, love to hear it.” At the same time, one of my favorite jazz-fusion guitar players here in L.A., Allen Hinds, also reached out and added some guitar soloing that I edited together. I then got in touch with my friend, Derek Sherinian, who you might know from Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo, and his amazing solo work, to add some mellotron and synthesizer to the song. I wanted to reinforce my acoustic guitar so I contacted world-renowned flamenco artist, Ben Woods. I then edited Allen and Troy into my video, mixed with the stark images of an empty train journeying through the empty cities that created the storyline intercut with myself playing acoustic guitar and bass. That’s the video that won the award just days ago.

So far, everyone I’ve spoken to is quite taken aback by the album and its diversity, depth and it’s almost cinematic feel. I never planned on doing a solo record, I just was writing music I wanted to hear. Music that was inspired by things happening around me or in one case, I discovered some tracks I had forgotten about that were recorded with my late friend Pat Torpey from Mr. Big and Lanny Cordola who was in House of Lords with me, whom I’ve also done many album projects with as well as seven film scores. One of the songs we recorded was Bjork‘s 1995 hit “Army Of Me” that we just started jamming on. We never really finished any of these songs. They basically just had drums, rhythm guitars, and bass. Upon hearing them again, I really felt that they needed to be finished, especially to honor my late friend Pat Torpey.

Andrew:
Why has Sheltering Sky allowed you to do what your roles in bands like Quiet Riot, and House of Lords did not?

Chuck:
With my solo album, I was able to oversee every detail of the music and production, but with both Quiet Riot and House of Lords, though I was a songwriter, we had to work with outside producers and you’re also working within a band structure so there is a lot of input from others. Also, being in a band, you have a sound and approach that you have to keep to. Doing my own record, I’ve had no musical restrictions. No holds barred. If I felt that a violin accompaniment would be nice for the song, I’d try it.

Andrew:
The tracks “Giving Up The Ghost,” and “Time Waits For No-one” both allude to a running theme. I can make assumptions, but I’d rather hear from you – the writer – first. How meaningful are these tracks to you, and why?

Chuck:
Also included with those two songs should be “The Other Side. ”They all are very personal to me. “The Other Side” was written after receiving the phone call that Frankie Banali had passed. He was someone I had worked with for twenty-six years of my life in the band Quiet Riot. I knew the call would come eventually, but it still hit me hard and brought the feelings of loss that I had from losing my mother, and seven of my closest friends over the last years. So, I sat down right then, picked up my twelve-string guitar, and wrote “The Other Side” in one sitting, even the chorus, which is sung, “See You On The Other Side.” It’s a song of loss and hope, which a lot of my songs on the album are. I contacted August Young, a vocalist Frankie had been working with recently to finish the verses with me.

“Giving Up The Ghost” is really about finally letting go of someone that was in your life that is holding you back because you’re always dwelling on the past and them.

“Time Waits For No One” is another song that originally was an instrumental track with the bass being a lead instrument, stylistically like Stanley Clarke but I had a vocal chorus idea. This song was also inspired by hearing of the loss of a friend and the very first drummer I ever worked with in my high school days. I finished the song vocally with what I call a discovery of mine in Whitney Tai. Someone that I found and brought in for my weekly event, Ultimate Jam Night, at the legendary Whisky A Go Go. I originally thought of her for the song “Army of Me.” She delivered such a great vocal performance and we got along so well that I invited her to finish “Time Waits For No One” with me. I also asked her to sing “Giving Up The Ghost,” which is a song I’ve held onto for a very long time, and finally was able to record it the way I wanted to hear it. There are actually five guitar players on that song. The solo is magnificently played by Jude Gold from Jefferson Starship. I must point out, that besides bass, I also play acoustic guitars, created sound FX, and played some keyboards throughout the album.

Andrew:
“It Never Fails” is a favorite of mine, and Jeff Scott Soto’s performance was nothing short of sublime. Walk me through the track’s inception, and recording.

Chuck:
This is another song from the three that I discovered recordings with Pat Torpey and Lanny Cordola. It’s a really aggressive funk song. My thought was to bring in Jeff because, well, not many people know this but the guy is a badass soul singer. I contacted him and sent him the song. It had had guide vocal ideas already and lyrics. Within three hours, I got his vocal tracks back and I wouldn’t change a thing they’re unbelievably great.

I added clavinet myself, kind of like Led Zeppelin’s “Trampled Under Foot” but I thought it could be executed better, so I contacted my friend Dave Schulz, who plays with Berlin but is also a soul man like Jeff. I wanted a smokin’ aggressive guitar solo, so I contacted my friend Scotti Hill from Skid Row. I wanted to keep the song feeling unique, so I had Dave Moreno from “Which One’s Pink” add some aggressive lap steel like Pink Floyd’s “Careful With That Axe Eugene.” He also does some beautiful work on the very folky “Cradle Of The Sun (Lorelie) and “The Other Side.”

Andrew:
“Farewell Horizon” and “The Weight of Silence” respectively pack a punch as closers. With that said, how did you decide on the running order of the album, Chuck?

Chuck:
Sequencing the album was quite the challenge with it being so diverse. I cover everything from prog to jazz-fusion to funk, folk to in-your-face industrialized rock. I even have a Celtic-style song, so trying to decide how it should start and where certain songs fall was certainly a challenge. I did feel that “The Weight Of Silence” was a great way to start the album setting a mood and also bookending, finishing with the original more stripped-down version. I wanted the album to feel like a concept album or film soundtrack. Someone said it was an audio equivalent to a spiritual awakening.

“Farewell Horizon” is a favorite of mine and has an amazing mix by Jimmy Keegan, who is from the prog world. He also played drums on the track. That’s another song that was written on bass guitar first. I reached out to my friend Toshi Yanagi, who is the Jimmy Kimmel house band guitarist, and one of the most versatile players I know. I sent the track to him and said I think this piece would sound great with a Jeff Beck stylized melodic line and you doing some of your patented shredding.

Andrew:
While a lot of people associate you with heavy metal, in reality, your roots are in prog-rock with Satyr, and I feel that bleeds through on Sheltering Sky. Would you agree?

Chuck:
Indeed, when I was fifteen, my friend was driving us down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and we passed the Whiskey A Go Go, the marquee read YES $5.00. I said, “I heard that band is really good, we should go check them out.” It was then I became a Prog head, I had no idea you could do music like that. I was into Black Sabbath a Deep Purple at the time and then I became a huge King Crimson fan, in fact, I did an assignment for my high school English class on King Crimson‘s “21st Century Schizoid Man.” My teacher was blown away, so much so, that she made the class listen to the entire album, so yes I would say that progressive music has always been in my blood. This being said, it wasn’t a conscious choice to try and harken back to my roots. I just wrote the music I’d want to hear. Some of the prog vibes just rear their heads now and then.

Andrew:
On the subject of Satyr, I know this is going back a bit, but take me through the inception and early years of that band.

Chuck:
The band I headed up called Satyr between 1978 and 1982, definitely had a lot of progressive rock influences. We played a lot of odd-time signatures. Imagine Genesis meets Led Zeppelin and Queen. We had a very sci-fi live show. We were the first band ever to use lasers. We knew a guy up at Pasadena Tech that developed laser technology as an art form, so we were the first to shoot lasers off of mirrors, and we also had a huge screen behind us that he would do designs on. We had two risers that looked like flying saucers. One had the Keith Emerson (ELP) like keyboards set up and the chrome drums on the other. They were made to look like flying saucers. Our lead singer did costume changes like Peter Gabriel from Genesis, and we also handed out a comic-style booklet of lyrics with characters that were from the songs. The keyboardist, Pat Regan, went on to produce Deep Purple, Mr. Big, KISS, and many other notables.

Andrew:
What do you recall about Satyr’s first gig? Was it at The Starwood?

Chuck:
I believe we played in a huge college theater room. We really pushed the laser technology, but sadly that night, they failed. We did play the famed Starwood club, Whisky A Go Go, and Madam Wong’s West every couple of months though.

Andrew:
Satyr was an important, if not underexposed part of rock history. If I recall, you guys actually were a bigger draw than Van Halen in those early days, right? Ultimately, despite its songsmith and stage presence, Satyr didn’t make it. What led to the fracture?

Chuck:
Yes, we packed it out when we performed but in that era, “new wave” was the big thing. I remember my manager saying, “If you cut your hair and wear skinny ties, you’d have a better shot at getting signed to a record label.” So, nothing ever happened on a bigger scale for us.

Andrew:
Were any songs you wrote with Satyr recycled for Quiet Riot, Giuffria, or House of Lords over the years?

Chuck:
No, not at all. That music was all dead and buried, but I actually just had some video footage of us from those days transferred to digital. I’ll eventually put all of that on YouTube.

Andrew:
Switching gears now. Not long ago, we came up on the two-year anniversary of Bob Kulick‘s passing. I know you were a good friend of Bob’s, so how did you first meet Bob?

Chuck:
Bob is very missed. I spoke with him about recording together again just days before he suddenly passed. We’d been good friends for decades but since he moved to Las Vegas, I hadn’t seen him that often. I first met Bob in 1984. Ricky Philips (Styx, Bad English) and Mugs Caine, started a weekly softball game with mainly musicians. Pat Torpey, Gilby Clarke, Dave Amato, and many others participated. Bob eventually joined us and we became friends that way. That man loved to play.

Andrew:
In memory, I’m hoping you might walk me through the formation of Murderers Row.

Chuck:
Before Murderers Row, I did the Blackthorne album Afterlife with Bob, and many tribute records that he had produced. That was a kickass album. I honestly don’t recall much about the Murderers’ Row sessions. Of course, my good friend and former Giuffria bandmate, David Glen Eisley was part of that project.

Andrew:
In my estimation, Murderers’ Row debut is one of the decade’s best and heaviest. Still, the record didn’t hit. Ultimately, what led to the band’s demise?

Chuck:
The album was awesome, but the fact is, Murderers Row wasn’t truly a band. It was a project album. We never played live. As I recall, the only place we got together was in the studio to record the album. I do know Bob and Dave Eisley continued working together right up to his passing.

Andrew:
I wanted to briefly touch on your choice to leave Quiet Riot, which reopened the door for Rudy Sarzo’s return. Ultimately, what led to that decision?

Chuck:
In the twenty-six years total since 1981 that I’ve worked with Quiet Riot, I’ve been in and out of the band a number of times, so it was no surprise to me that Rudy wanted to come back. It’s happened before. For me, the timing was perfect as I’d been on the road constantly since we started back in 2011. We were flying out and playing multiple cities most weekends. Honestly, I needed a break and wanted this time to concentrate on this first-ever solo album, so it’s all good for me. I just stepped aside once again. I do miss, who I call my little brother, Alex Grossi. We had been through a lot together over the years.

Andrew:
Rudy is on record as saying he sees himself as “an original member.” What are your overarching thoughts on that given your stature with the band and its history?

Chuck:
I would say we both hold that stature for the Metal Health era band as we both appear on the album. Him more so as it’s his face on the back cover, and he did the first tours behind that album. When people say “original,” they need to realize that there are two different bands. There’s the Randy Rhodes era Quiet Riot, and there’s the Metal Health era Quiet Riot and after. The only reason the band was called Quiet Riot again was because the record company gave us two horrible choices of names to choose from, which were “Standing Hampton” and “Wild Oscar,” so it was decided that we would just use Quiet Riot.

Andrew:
Last one, Chuck. You’re a man of many hats and talents. What’s next for you in all lanes?

Chuck:
Most of my energy right now is getting the word out on this album. My hope is that people will discover it, share it and that this will be my legacy. Not something I recorded decades ago. This album speaks to what I’m about musically.

Aside from that, I continue to oversee and run the event at the Whisky A Go Go, Ultimate Jam Night, where I’ve been coordinating between forty-five to as many as one hundred professional musicians in a themed show since 2015. It was weekly, but now, we just do it every other week. It was just too much weekly for me. It’s a great place for musicians to socialize, maybe start new bands, and be seen. It’s just great for the music community overall. We actually just did a benefit for the Ukraine refugees raising money for the World Central Kitchen which is feeding Ukrainian refugees. I take great pride in this event, and I’ve made many friends there, hence so many making up some of the forty-one talented guests that appear on the album.

I’ve been considering starting a video production company with the genius I’ve been working with on my last two videos. He also mixed and co-produced a few songs on the album. His name is Tim Janssens.

There are other live musical things going on and new recordings in the works that I’m a part of, and people will know about that in the near future, but right now I want the attention on this album that I spent all those dark days during the pandemic creating.

Interested in learning more about Chuck Wright? Hit the link below:

Be sure to check out the full catalog of VWMusic Interviews, by Andrew Daly, here: www.vwmusicrocks.com/interviews