Former Quiet Riot Bassist Chuck Wright and Ultimate Jam Night founder recently spoke to The Metal Voice about his new solo album 'Sheltering Sky' (Via Cleopatra Records), his Quiet Riot years and time he almost reunited the original David Lee Roth band.
Watch Full interview here
Long time Bassist for multi-platinum rockers Quiet Riot, Chuck Wright has released his debut solo album, “Chuck Wright’s Sheltering Sky”.
The solo album features guest appearances by 40 of Wright’s musical peers including keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater/Billy Idol), guitarist Lanny Cordola (House of Lords), vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen), Troy Luccketta (Tesla) and the late Mr. Big drummer, Pat Torpey.
The album’s 11 tracks also illustrate Wright’s impressive songwriting ability as he either wrote or co-wrote all nine original songs on the album. Also included is an edgy, intense version of Bjork’s “Army of Me” along with a soulful, Celtic-rock take on The Youngbloods classic, “Darkness, Darkness.” Chuck also produced and engineered most of the album.
A few excerpts from the interview
"In regards to how his solo album "Sheltering Sky” came to be Wright told The Metal Voice, "when the pandemic hit I kind of took that that time and that horrible situation to sit down and start composing again. I've composed with Quiet Riot back in the day and on the QR3 of every song on it and the House of Lords I was a majority writer. So I am a composer and I've done film composing. I had that time and I took it and I started just writing whatever came to me you know whatever I felt at the time. I Had No Agenda it was basically just Art For Art's Sake. Just creating music I'd want to hear."
In the interview Chuck Wright also recalls the historic night in which he almost reunited the David Lee Roth original band for the 'Eat 'Em and Smile' 30 year anniversary but was shut down last second due to over capacity at the venue.
"To be the big feather in the cap was to get the 'Eat 'Em and Smile' band (David Lee Roth band original Lineup) back together. The word got out and the club wouldn't listen to me, they kept letting people in, they would not listen to me. I said you guys, the Fire Marshal's gonna close us down. All the guys from 'Eat' Em and Smile', Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Greg Bissonnet and the late Brett Tuggle (keyboards), were all there. David Lee Roth shows up, he's sitting in the Green Room, they're ready to go. They're on stage, curtain's about to open and the Fire Marshal says you can't play. It was just heart-wrenching for me and that's when things started to go south with that particular venue. I mean they took away a great thing from us by just not listening. They were thinking more about let's get more people in or, sell more booze or whatever. There were way too many people, we pleaded. Hey listen if some of you people could just leave. "
"The word got around town. Our night that would do anywhere from 500 to 800 people suddenly had 2000+ people lined up around the building. Last I heard we had about 1000 people in the building and the fire marshal showed up. Shut down the show and said everyone had to leave. " singer Matt Starr stated as reported on Sleaze Roxx Dec 4, 2021
The Fire Marshal on Nov 25, 2015 shut down Lucky Strike during the Ultimate Jam Night before the DLR solo reunion do to over capacity. The cancelled performance would have marked the first time in 30 years that David Lee Roth of Van Halen guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Greg Bissonette, and keyboardist Brett Tuggle, to perform some of the hits from the classic “Eat Em and Smile” album.
'Eat Em and Smile' record which was David Lee Roth's debut solo album released in 1986.
Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky - Throwing Stones (Official Music Video)