Formerly known as “The Bachelor,” Bob Guiney isn’t kissing women anymore

By ERIN LAWLEY

Before he was the funny guy on the ABC’s “The Bachelorette” or kissing all the women on… Before he was the funny guy on the ABC’s “The Bachelorette” or kissing all the women on “The Bachelor,” Bob Guiney was in a band called Fat Amy. After two independent album releases, a slew of Midwest tours and several record-label rejections, Fat Amy went on hiatus. But now Bob’s back, he’s got a nationally released album, and he’s coming to the Rex Theatre.

In the wake of the Bob craziness sparked by the ABC shows, Wind-up Records signed Guiney to its label after rejecting his band five years earlier. In November, Guiney’s album, 3 Sides, which features songs written and co-written by Guiney, was in your local record store. On April 1, he and his four-member band — including two original Fat Amy members, and Joel Ferguson of The Verve Pipe on guitar — will hit Pittsburgh with songs off the 10-song release as part of their national tour. The lead single off the album, “Girlfriend,” is representative of their Badlees-esque sound, and features lyrics like “Bring me my girlfriend/And a bottle of wine/Bring me her future/Just make sure it’s mine.”

To preview Guiney’s sound for yourself, check out his Web site at www.bobguiney.com. It boasts music clips, the music video for “Girlfriend,” and video interviews with Guiney and his band. In one interview, Guiney states, “Music has always been my first love. I certainly did not do a television show to try and amount to anything with music.”

In 2003, Guiney also published his first book, “What a Difference a Year Makes: How Life’s Unexpected Setbacks Can Lead to Unexpected Joy.” He says that writing this book really jumpstarted his songwriting for 3 Sides.