Alex Wright (musician)
Alex Wright | |
|---|---|
 Alex Wright in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 28 August 1980 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Post-rock, Ambient, Shoegaze |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, keyboards, bass guitar |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | www |
Alex Wright (born 28 August 1980) is a Canadian musician, composer, and the creator of DIALED211, a well-regarded guitar tutorial channel with a strong following. He has released solo work under various monikers since 2014 and was a touring member for Raised by Swans.[1][2] Wright is credited for performing guitar parts on seven songs from the critically acclaimed album, No Ghostless Place.[3][4] In 2010, Wright appeared as himself in Atom Egoyan's film Chloe, for Raised by Swans' live performance at The Rivoli in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[5][6]
Career
[edit]Raised by Swans (2007 - 2012)
[edit]In 2007, Wright joined Raised by Swans as a live guitarist.[7] During the recording of Raised By Swans' second album, No Ghostless Place, between 2007 and 2009, Wright performed additional guitar parts on seven of its thirteen songs,[8] but did not contribute creatively to the parts he performed, nor to the composition or arrangements of the songs themselves.[9]
In 2010, Raised By Swans appeared with Wright as the live version of itself in Atom Egoyan's film Chloe, in a scene with Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moore at The Rivoli in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[5] Later in 2010, Wright travelled with Raised by Swans on a cross-Canada tour, and performed twenty-three shows in support of the release of 'No Ghostless Place'.[2]
In addition to the cross-Canada tour, Wright performed with Raised by Swans at numerous shows and festivals between 2007 and 2012 including LOLA fest (2007), CMW (2011),[10] Jack Richardson Awards (2011)[11] two album release parties and a special show that was hosted by CHRW-FM where Raised by Swans was presented with an award for winning 'Best Local Album of the Year' in 2011, for No Ghostless Place.[4]
Wright's last documented performance with Raised by Swans was on 18 August 2012 at Aeolian Hall, in London, Ontario.[12]
The Wax Girl (2012 - present)
[edit]Wright began writing and recording songs in January 2012 as a creative outlet.[13] During this time, the moniker "The Wax Girl" entered his mind by rearranging the letters of his own name. On the conception of "The Wax Girl", Wright said: "It really just started out with demos that I was making on my own. I was writing shoegaze, ambient, post-rock type demos for my own personal enjoyment and as a creative outlet. The more music I was creating, I started realizing that it was something that I wanted to pursue. I came up with the name The Wax Girl just as a name for these songs that I was writing. It was a way of categorizing these songs on my computer. That's how it got started. The name itself (The Wax Girl), is an anagram for my name."[14]
After taking a year to study Audio Engineering and Music Production in college between September 2012 and August 2013, Wright started recording new material in September 2013 and a record began to take shape.[13][14]
In August 2014, he released a debut 5-song EP, entitled Anosmic. With regards to the title, Wright said "I lost my sense of smell when I was 17. I decided to go with that name because it's something personal to me."[14] Anosmic appeared on several Canadian campus charts, and reached as high as #1 on the CJAM 99.1 MHz chart for the week ending September 9, 2014.[15] Echoes and Dust declared "this magnificent Canadian band has crafted something extraordinary"[16] while Ride the Tempo said "Anosmic is a 5-track EP of gorgeous post-rock ambiance."[17]
In February 2015, Wright released a full length follow-up entitled Between Screens. Ride the Tempo compared Between Screens to Anosmic, calling it "an even stronger set of music, and also more purposeful"[18] while Weird Canada proclaimed that Between Screens is "perfect for laying back and letting the current take you where it will."[19] Echoes and Dust premiered an animated video by Wright, for the single Nuclear Winter calling it a "glorious piece of work"[20] while giving praise to Between Screens by saying "everything about this album makes the hair on my arms rise and creates goosebumps all over."[21]
Credits
[edit]| Year | Album | Artist Name | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Between Screens | The Wax Girl | Written, recorded and produced by Wright |
| B-side Screens | |||
| 2014 | Anosmic EP | ||
| 2010 | No Ghostless Place | Raised by Swans | Additional electric guitar performed by Wright |
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nuclear Winter | Animated and directed by Wright |
| 2010 | Chloe | Wright appeared as himself, with Raised by Swans |
References
[edit]- ^ M., Jessica "Raised by Swans @ The Garrison" Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine, Much (blog.muchmusic.com), 9 March 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ a b Gordon, Holly "Raised by Swans with First Aid Kit, Pink Moth and The Sorrys", The Coast, 6 May 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ Reaney, James "London hit parade", The London Free Press, 20 December 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ a b Reaney, James "Raised by Swans win CHRW local album of the year prize", The London Free Press, 28 January 2011. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ a b Reaney, James "Swans' way: Raised by Swans (look closely) in Chloe"[usurped], The London Free Press, 28 April 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ Ernst, Thom "Atom Egoyan | TALKING TOO…" Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, Toro, 29 March 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ Reaney, James "No Ghostless Place a Hopeful Place", The London Free Press, 14 January 2010. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ Raised By Swans (2013-02-15). "albums". raisedbyswans.com. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
- ^ Raised By Swans (2015-03-15). "about". raisedbyswans.com. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
- ^ Gorman, Dan "CMW Night #3: Raised By Swans, CATL, Paper Lions and more. |", Twowaymonologues, 12 March 2011. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Reaney, James "And the Jack goes to . . . | The London Free Press", The London Free Press, 11 April 2011. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Raised by Swans | Aeolian Hall", Aeolian Hall. Retrieved on 12 April 2015.
- ^ a b "The Wax Girl // Bio", www.landofthewaxgirl.com. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "#MusicHangout with The Wax Girl", Way Too Indie, 8 August 2014. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ "CJAM 99.1 MHz - Windsor ON : Top 30 : Sep 9, 2014 : !earshot : charts", !Earshot, 9 September 2014. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Foofer "The Wax Girl - Anosmic | Echoes and Dust", Echoes and Dust, 13 August 2014. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Brennan, Mark Anthony "[(LISTEN) THE WAX GIRL - ANOSMIC (EP)", Ride the Tempo, 1 September 2014. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Brennan, Mark Anthony "(Album Review) The Wax Girl - Between Screens", Ride the Tempo, 12 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Brennan, Mark Anthony "New Canadiana :: The Wax Girl - Between Screens", Weird Canada, 2 April 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Salter, Dan "Exclusive: The Wax Girl - Nuclear Winter Video | Echoes And Dust", Echoes and Dust, 10 February 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
- ^ Foofer "The Wax Girl - Between Screens | Echoes And Dust", Echoes and Dust, 12 February 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.