John Wright (musician)

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This article is about the progressive rock multi-instrumentalist. For the jazz pianist, see John Wright (pianist).

John Wright
John Wright in Naples, Italy (2012)
John Wright in Naples, Italy (2012)
Background information
Born (1962-10-24) October 24, 1962 (age 58)
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresPunk, progressive rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer
InstrumentsVocals, drums, keyboards
Years active1979–present
LabelsAlternative Tentacles, Wrong Records, Southern Records
Associated actsNoMeansNo, The Hanson Brothers, DOA, The Showbusiness Giants, The Infamous Scientists, Compressorhead

John Wright (sometimes known as Mr. Right) (born 1962) is a Canadian musician and songwriter.

Biography[]

Wright 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 pop-punk group The Hanson Brothers.[1] Both groups also feature Wright's older brother Rob and guitarist Tom Holliston.[2] He has also performed in noted Canadian punk groups DOA, the Showbusiness Giants, and the Infamous Scientists. He is currently the songwriter and "musical director" for Compressorhead, a collaboration with Berlin-based artist Frank Barnes consisting of a "band" of robots that play real instruments.[3]

Wright's distinct style of drumming utilizes traditional grip, an uncommon method for hard rock drummers, and fuses jazz, rock and punk techniques. His playing has been cited as an influence by several noted drummers, including Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters,[4][5] Tre Cool of Green Day,[6] and Tim Solyan of Victims Family and Plaid Retina.[citation needed] Nomeansno further emphasized the drumming in the live environment by positioning the drum kit not near the back of the stage as is more common, but rather near the front of the stage so that the audience may see a side view of the drummer. Wright confirmed that this arragenemnt was intentional:

There's no doubt that it's more exciting for audience to see what the drummer's doing and you feel more connected to the rhythm section that way. I mean that was standard set up in the old days – rock n' roll was the oddball that put the drummer in the back.[7]

An avid homebrewer of beer, he has filmed and released an instructional video detailing his recommended brewing process. This video is currently available on DVD packaged with the live Hanson Brothers record It's A Living. Wright co-owns a craft beer pub in Powell River, British Columbia.[8]

Wright is the father of two sons.

References[]

  1. ^ "Interviews: John Wright (Nomeansno)". PunkNews.org. September 20, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "Nomeansno to Be Inducted into Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame". Exclaim!. June 10, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  3. ^ "Episode 227: "John Wright & Frank Barnes of Compressorhead". Kreative Kontrol podcast with Vish Khanna. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  4. ^ "Returning to His Roots with Probot". Modern Drummer. 2004. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  5. ^ 9/18/07 Grohl-hosted show on BBC Radio 1
  6. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZQaFpSvoGs%3C%2Fref
  7. ^ Nielson, Jeff (November 2010). "I Am Wrong: An interview with NoMeansNo's John Wright". The Big Takeover. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  8. ^ https://www.whatsbrewing.ca/2019/01/new-craft-pub-comes-to-powell-river/

External links[]

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