bERT less-than-three’s aMANDA

Hey, thanks for checking out my page and my tunes. The positive feedback I get from people feels really great and makes me wanna keep doing more, and that's pretty handy since it's how I make a living, so thanks very much for that.
Meanwhile, I've added another page for posting cover tunes that I've done. Check it out, there are some disturbing pictures there as well that I think you'll like. The cover tunes page is www.myspace.com/robertwrightcovertunes , and my covers of a few RUSH tunes are still on this page over here.
For new friends and visitors, a quick disclaimer/warning -- everything I post here was written, arranged, performed, produced, and engineered solely by me... which means it's all my fault. So there that is.
About the songs:
"Traveling Shoes" was commissioned to be a part of Dr. Maya Angelou's 80th birthday celebration, and is one of the most rewarding honors I've ever been a part of. Of all the gifts this song may ever bring me, the greatest has been becoming intimately familiar with this woman's works. She is a giant. Get to know her life and your sun will shine brighter.
"Johnee Jingo" is a song from Todd Rundgren's album, "A Capella", which is an astounding collection of pieces he wrote and recorded using nothing but his voice and body (handclaps, etc.), straight to tape and through samplers. In the spirit of the original, I've done the same thing here, but added some sparkle with technology he didn't have in 1986. I recorded and posted this song for July 4th, not as a protest of the war, but as a protest against the mindset of vigilante types who think this imperialistic trend is a good thing. It's not.
"When Amanda Hits The Stage" was written 3-25-06 for the 'one that got away' 10 years ago (sometimes those memories of the past are much better than the reality of the present, as it turns out, but that's another story).
"Girl I Know" was written as a birthday present to someone very special to me. The nonsense lyrics are all references to her in some form or another. I'm thankful to be so close to her.
Even sooner than expected, my brief reconnection with Amanda pulled another new song out of me, called "All That I Can't Say", written 4-1-06 and mixed less than 48 hours later. It's a perfect example of how a situation can spark an emotion that writers expand and exaggerate ad absurdum until there's enough raw material to distill back down into a song, which is the process I use for writing about 99% of the time. (Yes, that's thunder at the very end -- an almost perfect spring thunderclap, heavy and soft and distant, that chimed in as I strummed the last chord of the acoustic guitar track.)
And lastly, a song called 'slut'. It's as dark as the title suggests, but there is a touch of twisted positivity in it. See my blog for more details about it than you'd care for.
I hope very much that you enjoy my tunes. Thanks again for stopping by!
Oh, and here's a survey I didn't take.
Q : What instruments do you NOT play?
A : I can barely even make a sound on a flute. And I can't stand to listen to myself practice violin, so until there's a way to get good without practicing, I can't play it. Those two are pretty much it; I'm fine on other woodwinds and stringed instruments.
Q: You claim to be a producer; have you done anything I'd know?
A: Maybe, if you listen to country music (which I don't). I've produced a number of acts in various genres but Chris Cagle would be the one I've sold the most records on. I produced all 3 of his albums.
Q: So you have gold records n stuff?
A: Yup. 2 gold, 1 platinum, and a 3rd gold in the works *fingers crossed *.
Q: But country music sucks ass, by and large; what gives?
A: Yes it does. But like it or not, it comes naturally to me, since today's country is mostly 80's pop and rock, and that's what I grew up on.
Q: But it still sucks though.
A: Agreed. One of my good friends here is a studio musician who is on 2/3 of all country music releases, and has been for the last 5 years or so. He's played and recorded with everyone, but still doesn't think so much of it; in his words, "Nashville doesn't count."
Q: Why does it sound like you're mad when you play bass? Who told you that was a good idea?
A: My 3 bass influences are Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee, and the guy who played on Zappa's "Valley Girl" (the utterly inimitable Scott Thunes -- find a dvd of Zappa's "Does Humor Belong In Music?" for delightful footage of Scott's power). When I heard that song after having been into RUSH for a couple of years, I said "That's how bass should sound!" So I hope my note choice is a little bit Jaco, and I hope my tone is a whole lot Geddy and Valley Girl Dude.
Q: Your facial hair looks like a cross between the bass player for Spinal Tap and Lando Calrissian's co-pilot, and now you have a mohawk. Why would anyone want to look like that?
A: I love to make people laugh. Whether it's with me or at me doesn't matter, as long as they get a chuckle. This hair and beard are more or less opposite of my personality, so if it wasn't getting lovely guffaws, I'd change it to something 'normal'. But it's too much fun how it is now. [update] I now shave my head/face completely every month and a half.
Q: You realize it nixes your already-slim hopes of getting laid, right?
A: I wasn't getting any before I did it. [update] This state of affairs has remained unaffected by the shaving of my head.
Q: So what projects are you into at the moment?
A: This is too erratic a situation to describe here, so I leave you with the answer I gave back when I posted this: I just wrapped up the new cd from my band, The Addiction. There was an insurmountable time crunch, but we surmounted it anyway. I'da loved to have another week to mix, but it still came out pretty great. Check it out at www.myspace.com/grooveaddiction .