(AKA: Simon Le Greed)

A Heavy Metal band originally formed by Robert Wright in 1992.

Formation & Background

$GREED$ was originally formed by Robert Wright in 1992. After leaving the band Malteze in late 1989, Robert wrote a set of 8 songs and began searching for musicians to join the project. During a two-year span, Robert learned to sing while playing guitar. In early 1992, Dave Carruth, the founding member of the band Bitch, joined as lead guitarist. Soon after, Dori Chitayat (our first drummer) became part of the band but left after a year to pursue a more technical style of music. Our first bass player, Jim Parris, also departed due to disinterest in the L.A. club scene. Scott Truelove, our second drummer, joined in early 1993, and the band continued to perform in clubs across Hollywood and L.A. In late 1993, after the breakup of Dead Jester, Jerry Sandeen (guitarist/vocalist) filled in on bass for Simon Le Greed. Despite a strong following and several demo recordings, internal struggles and band turnover led to the band’s eventual disbandment in mid-1996.

Musical Struggles & Breakup

Robert Wright reflects on the band’s biggest challenge: “Greed’s biggest problem over its 4-year run was musician turnover—three bass players and three drummers during that time! Every time a new bass player was brought in, the drummer would quit, and vice versa. This constant turnover made it difficult to maintain momentum and stay in the spotlight.” Despite these challenges, $GREED$ played to enthusiastic crowds and had minor label interest. However, with the rise of alternative and pop-punk music, and Robert’s personal obligations, the band broke up in 1996. In 1999, Robert resurrected his musical career under the name $GREED$, posting metal tracks on MP3.com. To distinguish himself from a rap artist using the same name, Robert added dollar signs to the band’s logo. He continued recording music and, in parallel, worked on his electronic project, Digital Pump.

Better Late Than Never

Released in 2017, *Better Late Than Never* consists of 10 songs written between 1987 and 1994, ranging from Heavy Metal to Thrash Metal. Robert Wright says, “The goal was to create a well-rounded album where no two songs sounded the same. The recording took six months part-time in the studio, with final mastering completed in a few weeks. All songs were written, performed, and engineered by me, except *Anthem* and *Coming Down*, which were co-written by my friend and Spitfire bandmate Marc Cornelius. My children, Sean and Victoria Wright, contributed backup vocals on *Anthem*.”

Recording Details:

    • Guitar: 1979 B.C. Rich Mockingbird with Seymour Duncan Invader pickup
    • Effects: Line 6 Pod Pro Rack, T.C. Electronic M300
    • Bass: 1999 Ibanez SR 400 with T.C. Electronic C300 Compressor
    • Vocals: Octavia 319 Microphone with T.C. Helicon Voice Live Pro Rack
    • Multi-tracking: Acid-Pro
    • Mastering: LANDR

🎶 Stay Updated on $GREED$

Stay updated on new releases and upcoming projects by following $GREED$ on social media:  

This is $GREED$’s album “Better Late Than Never”, that was released in 2017.  It is available at several retailers including Amazon, CD Baby, and Apple iTunes. You can also find it streaming on most Internet radio platforms like Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, YouTube, and Bandcamp.





This is a pretty nice Band review we got in the “Rock City News” back in 1994 from one of our shows at Mancini’s in Chatsworth. We got a few other reviews but this is one of the only ones that I have a copy of.









Simon Le Greed’s First Line up circa 1992. Left to right: Dori Chitayat (Drums), Robert Wright (Vocal/Guitar), Dave Carruth (Lead Guitar), Jim Parris (Bass).
Greed’s Longest Line up circa 1994. Left to right: Jerry Sandeen (Bass/Vocals), Scott Truelove (Drums), Dave Carruth (Lead Guitar), Robert Wright (Vocal/Guitar).



I am currently working on $GREED$’s next 4 song EP but unfortunately, I have run into some health issues. I have had Essential Tremors since I did my “Better Late Than Never” album in 2016 but it has gotten a lot worse since then. It effects my Guitar picking hand targeting mostly but it does affect both hands. Some days are worse than others. I currently have 3 songs written music wise, but I need a 4th song, plus lyrics and vocal melody for all of them. I hate making excuses and I’m not looking for pity, but this has been my major hang up for writing and recording as of late. Please bear with me and hopefully I can get the EP done. Thank You to everyone who has been a fan and supporter over the years. It makes me want to work that much harder.