Ginger Root: Encompassing Aggressive Elevator Soul
Article by Heidi Reissenweber
On December 9th, fans wrapped around the block at Metro Chicago with their winter coats and scarves, ecstatic to see Ginger Root. This Southern California American-Indie soul music project consists solely of songwriter and instrumentalist Cameron Lew. On tour, he’s joined by his high school friends Matt Carney (drums) and Dylan Hovis (bass). Ginger Root’s music has been dubbed “aggressive elevator soul,” which started in his Honda Element as a weekly YouTube series called “Toaster Music.”
The lights dimmed, and the background screen lit up with the band’s name in English and Japanese, featuring an 80s VHS tape vibe. Fans cheered as Ginger Root took the stage and the 2021 EP City Slicker intro video played, which zipped into the EP opener “Fly Too.” Behind every Ginger Root album is a creative storyline and original music video. For City Slicker, the year is 1981, and Ginger Root is asked to make a soundtrack for an American adaptation of a fictitious Japanese film. His music has a jazzy, upbeat feel that you just can’t help but tap your foot and bop your head to.
“Juban District” got extra cheers from the crowd as the band played it twice in a record 44 seconds, to which Cameron ended with an “Oh… my manager didn’t like that.” He had an awkward humor that the audience never failed to laugh at. He led into his second EP, Nisemono, in which he sings with a muffled voice, transporting the crowd to a fictitious 1983 when Ginger Root has been asked to write and produce music for up-and-coming Japanese pop idol Kimiko Takeguchi. She makes a last-minute decision before her debut to quit, putting Ginger Root in her place. This newest EP explores imposter syndrome and the feeling of not being yourself. Each song opening features a xylophone-prominent beat that feels ethereal. The instrumentals and muffled voice effects greatly complement each other to turn each song into an 80s nightlife experience.
Ginger Root played a wide range of discography from his 2020 album Rikki to his most recent EP City Slicker. He gave the audience what they wanted and more. From singing with bold vocal growls in “Weather” to doing Elvis impressions in “Mahjong Room,” his vocals captivated the audience and had them dancing to every beat. Ginger Root ended with these fan-favorites and his most popular, at almost 30 million streams, “Loretta.” Knowing how to keep a crowd moving and laughing, Lew and his bandmates did a Q&A to end, being asked questions like “What’s your favorite memory?” to which received an “Oh…good question, it was… uh… oh it’s deleted.” Ginger Root noted that his favorite way to unwind after a show is to stare at the ceiling for 7 minutes and 56 seconds. The memorable night left the crowd in warm, positive moods on a chilly Chicago night.
You can check out Ginger Root on Instagram here and on Spotify below!