A Conversation with Ginger Root.
Orange County’s own keyboard-centric band, Ginger Root, released their single, Two Step, earlier this week. We recently got to hang out with Ginger Root’s frontman, Cameron Lew, for a chat. Enjoy our conversation with Cameron and don’t forget to check out his single linked below and it’s also available on Spotify and Bandcamp!
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Talk about Ginger Root. Would you say it’s your solo project?
Yeah, so Ginger Root started while I was in a band called Van Stock, which is currently on a hiatus. I had written a couple of songs that didn’t really fit that band and so I took them and made an EP out of them. What was then an EP turned into an LP and I slapped the name Ginger Root on it. So yeah, I guess Ginger Root, in essence, is a moniker that I write under. But I also perform with other people, it’s a solo project at its core but I have bandmates who help me when I perform live.
Is music your full-time gig?
I’m a full-time student which makes the music thing really hard. Although, I try to do it as much as I can. I go to Chapman University and I’m studying film production. So that’s kind of my day job — I do freelance editing. My backup career would be film, I suppose. Which is funny since a creative endeavor is a backup to another creative endeavor.
What emerged first — Your love for film or music?
When I was 10 my parents bought me a guitar for Christmas and I didn’t even want it. So I guess I started music first and then started getting into recording. I saved up for a computer shortly after and I got a Mac, it came with all those editing apps like iMovie and I started to grow an interest in film. I’d say it kind of all started somewhere around the same time, though.
In high school, I got into the art programs. I did both the music and media program at Huntington Beach High. When I got into college I kind of got burnt out and turned to music since it felt much more fulfilling. Music caught up with film and now it seems as though my interest in music is surpassing film.
Knowing your a film major definitely makes sense to why your music videos are so cool. Talk a little about that your video series, Toaster Music.
Last semester, I had a lot of time in between my classes so I started this weekly series where I would bring music gear and I’d record a cover during my breaks. I’d film it, edit it, and mix it all in my car. I did one and it got great response and so I did another. It was a cool thing to do at the beginning of the semester because I had nothing to do, but come the middle of the semester when things start happening it got tougher. I pushed through it though. I had a full on cover album thing called Toaster Music. Now, my friends all want me to do it again. It’s so much work, I kind of shot myself in the foot starting it and now I just have to run with it.
What gear do you use to record?
I have a home studio where I record all my stuff but as far as Toaster Music goes I use one SM-57 mic, a little zoom recorder, and that’s it. In regards to sound, I have two drums, a synth by Roland, a bass, and a classical guitar.
For live special gigs, I use a Wurlitzer, like an actual one from the late 60’s, and that’s my baby. For regular live shows, I have a Nord that I bring out. I got it off of Craigslist for super cheap from some guy in LA wearing all leather in an abandoned church. I saw it on Craigslist, texted him, and he said that if I went out there that day it was mine. I showed up, he had me sign some paper before giving it to me. I may have signed my life away, but it was super cheap!
My drummer will either use his own kit or mine, and my bass player uses my bass rig. He’s actually a guitar player by trade, so I give him Squire 6. The Squire 6 is actually a 6-string bass, it isn’t a weird base but rather, a guitar tuned an octave lower. He feels more at home with that.
So talk about your work with Caitlin Lucia — how did that partnership come about?
Yeah, so I kind of knew her in high school but she was older than me. We were in some of the same programs but I didn’t actually hang out with her. Then she started to do her own things with music and one thing led to another — at this point we were all out of high school and she needed a bass player. I offered and I’ve been her bass player out here since. I played bass on her EP as well.
Awesome. So you play the guitar, the bass and the drums, right? What other instruments do you play?
I also play keyboard and that’s what I front in Ginger Root.
How hard was it to transition from one instrument to another?
I started off on guitar and then in high school, I picked up the bass. From then on, I started to find every instrument interesting and went on from there. I wanted to learn drums so I spent a couple of months learning drums and same thing with keys. As far as transitioning goes, it’s hard in the sense where you have to get a feel for everything but easy in the sense that it’s all notes and rhythms.
When it comes down to writing your music, how does that work? What factors need to line up for you to get that wave of creativity?
It really depends on the mood or setting I’m in. Primarily, it’s always instrumentals or a chord progression that come first and lyrics almost always come last for me. As far as writing goes, I’ll be playing on the keyboard, drums, or bass and I’ll have the looper pedal rolling… That’s helped me with writing so much. Sometimes I won’t even be trying and something good comes out. While other times when I’m really trying I’ll get very frustrated. So for me, it mostly comes organically.
How do you prep for a show?
I’ve found that Orange County is really into guitar-based music so it’s been really hard to get onto a bill because Ginger Root is keyboard-based music. Sometimes, we’ll come in with the mentality of, ‘let’s go in and see what happens’. In general, I have this weird thing where I get like super nervous for 5–10 minutes. Within that time frame, I get super, super nervous and after I’ll be good.
Words of wisdom?
I’m still starting out, so I don’t know how much advice I can give, but as lame as it sounds, do it because it’s fun, if it’s not fun don’t do it. Be persistent and never be afraid to ask questions because you’ll never know if you don’t ask. Find people you wouldn’t mind going on tour with. Also, support people and be a familiar face. You get what you put in.
Socials?
