Thursday, March 2, 2017

GUITAR GODS: Cody Wright

Cody Wright: Remember that name. Awesome chops, excellent musicality, superb ear...and on his way up!

Currently playing in guitar master Eric Gales' band, Cody has also played with the likes of Michael Manring, Tommy Emmanuel, Victor Wooten, Stu Hamm, and others, and has received the highest praise from fellows like Greg Howe, Felix Pastorius, and a host of magazines, from Bass Player to Modern Drummer to iBass Magazine.

Cody also teaches via Scott Bass Lessons, and has a solo album coming out later this year. You can check him out on-line at Cody Wright.

I had a chance to chat with Cody recently - check it out!

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1) What are your current projects?

I currently play bass with Eric Gales, and do solo concerts and clinics in addition to working as a studio musician and teaching.

2) How does this (do these) differ from your past work?

In the past, I was the bassist with Jonathan Scales Fourchestra for five years. It was my first gig as a bassist.

3) Do you have one project that you are most proud of as a guitarist?

Probably my guitar playing and songwriting on my upcoming album, "A Bass Only a Mother Could Love!"

4) Can you give our readers a run-down of your basic gear (live and/or studio), and do you have a favorite piece of gear?

Sure! My rig looks something like this:

Zon Sonus Special bass
Zon Mosaic Mojo USA bass
Magneto Sonnet electric guitar

Tom Anderson Hollow T
Classic electric guitarTaylor 410 Acoustic guitar

Mesa Boogie Subway D800 head + 2x Subway 115
CabinetsMesa/Boogie Subway DI/Preamp
TC Sub N' Up Octave pedal
Tsunami Cables
Gruv Gear Fret Wraps
Jim Dunlop Guitar Products picks
Jim Dunlop Strings
EBS BassIQ Envelope Filter
EBS UniChorus

EBS DynaVerb
MXR Bass Envelope Filter

My favorite piece of gear is my Zon Sonus Special bass & my Magneto Sonnet Stratocaster!

5) Who would you cite as early influences, and who are you favorite new players?

Early influences include Nuno Bettencourt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale, Tommy Emmanuel, Kevin Eubanks, Bobby Vega, Oteil Burbridge and the mighty Shawn Lane.

Newer influences include Yamandu Costa, Antoine Boyer, Mono Neon, Thundercat, Orlando Thompson, and as always, Eric Gales.

6) Can you give a few tips to aspiring players?

Listen to every instrument and every style of music and don't let your instrument limit you from learning stuff from another instrument!!! Just plays what really speaks to your heart!

7) You also teach. Can you tell us a little about your approach? And do you prefer beginners or advanced students?

I love teaching everybody! I really love students whose hearts are really in it. I love to listen to what my students are already on to stylistically and then meeting them where they're at and going from there. I check in a lot to see if my student is happy with where things are going in the lesson.

8) Man, you've played with Eric Gales, Michael Manning, Victor Wooten...shared stages with Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa, and so many others. Is there a career highlight that stands above the others, so far?

When I was 20, I got a private, impromptu guitar lesson from Tommy Emmanuel on songwriting in the lobby of a hotel. That totally changed my world forever & was a very nice thing for him to do.

Also, a few years back, Béla Fleck showed up to a gig I was doing. Afterwards, he told me that my timing was "beautiful" and that he had never heard anybody really approach the bass with a pick the way I was doing it. That really blew me away completely because I think that Béla is one of the world's greatest soloists on any instrument, with a sense of time and rhythm that pretty much surpasses anyone I have ever heard on any instrument.

9) What are your future plans?

I'm releasing my first studio album this year, and am looking forward to touring with Eric Gales and doing as much solo work as I have time for.


10) Thanx for talking to us, Cody!

Thank you all so much! Y'all ROCK!


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