‘SHINBANGUMI’ launches a new chapter
By Jeff McCord
Cameron Lew is self-motivated; he’s never let the fact he doesn’t know how to do something stand in the way of getting it done. When the Huntington Beach-born Asian-American found himself writing songs that didn’t really fit in with his previous band, he left and started his own.
“Ginger Root started while I was in college. I was going to film school – that’s where I think the visual component came in. When I wanted to make music videos for Ginger Root or when I was doing my own social media, I didn’t know anyone that would be willing to help me make things. A broke college student, I didn’t have any way to compensate people. So I took it upon myself. Maybe I can learn how to do this. I want to try to do the merch too, and I want to design the posters and I want to mix and master, whatever it came down to. I just didn’t know anyone that could help me. Why not try to learn for yourself? And now I have the blessing of the curse where I have to do everything with the project. But it’s cool, It’s fun. I love learning new things.”
Though you’d never know it by seeing him in action today – I’m talking with Lew after the band’s energetic Studio 1A performance – being self-taught carried with it a bit of self-doubt. Ginger Root was something new, idiosyncratic, gleaned from his simultaneous love of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vulfpeck and Devo. Were people getting it? Even a big success left him unsure.
“We were putting on a record right before COVID and we know how that went. I stopped touring. I stopped freelance working because the film industry shut down, and I had all this free time. So I made the EP City Slicker and I had this rule to just have fun, whatever you’re into. Be inspired by that. I decided to self-study Japanese. I was always interested in Japanese music. So I put a lot of influence in that. I was studying up throughout COVID, and then one of the songs on City Slicker, “Loretta”, caught the wind of YouTube. And it all happened when I couldn’t hang out or see anyone. So I was like, is this real or not?”
Events confirmed it was.
“Slowly, as the world opened up, we took a tour opening for the Australian band Middle Kids. And, I feel really bad for them, but the craziest thing happened where we were playing – we played the Mohawk actually – and after we’re done playing like 60% of the audience left, they were just here for us. I was like, wow, this thing is real now. We did a follow up EP and that did really well. And then the craziest turn happened when it took off in Japan. They were like, How does this kid from Southern California know how to replicate 80s Japan to a tee? We announced a tour there and all the shows sold out faster than any U.S. shows we ever put on. Going there and meeting people and staying in the country and being able to actually use the language that I’d been studying for a couple of years, that totally changed something in my brain a little bit. And that was the start of SHINBANGUMI, making that and the journey and the feeling from that whole event.”
The new album’s title, SHINBANGUMI (loosely translated, another episode or story), provides a key to Lew’s thinking. The songs bounce and groove with hooks and a deep synth-y vibe, evoking everything from disco to new wave to Beatlesque pop. Everything is played with a smirk and a dash of farce.
The years leading up to SHINBANGUMI have instilled Ginger Root with newfound purpose and confidence. Lew is a gifted multi-instrumentalist. He makes the Ginger Root records entirely on his own. Yet for someone so attuned to detail, he doesn’t set out to perfectly recreate the records with his live trio.
“When I’m in the studio, I definitely can kind of have a one track mind and be fixated on one part. Once the songs are done and we try to arrange it, I am so fortunate to have – I mean, we were only three people. I think at one point in time with Ginger Root, we tried to really make it sound like the record. And then I realized I would want the opposite, for it to sound a little different when we play it live, because I think that makes coming to the show that much more special. We only have so many hands, and that’s okay if that one synth part isn’t there. Like, I’ll just play guitar a little harder and I’ll sing a little louder and it’s kind of fun because we’ll take the bones of it and play it, literally just keys, bass and drums or guitar, bass and drums, and we’ll kind of go from there. Honestly, after recording it by myself, when we bring it to life on stage, that’s when I feel like the music actually exists in the real world. I feel like it’s not real yet until we hit that stage and we hit that first chord.”
Live, Ginger Root brings its visual component in with video screens. While they expand some material, others are more fenced in due to digital enhancements. (“It’s a fight between me and technology sometimes,” he admits.)
They’re having a great time bringing this new material to life. But it’s not without its challenges. Lew lowers his voice as if to keep anyone else from listening, though we’re the only ones in the room.
”If I’m being completely honest,” he says, “concerts are kind of weird now. I don’t think it’s just us. I talked to some other bands and the concert etiquette with people who are younger than I am – and I hope I’m still young – are very interesting. I’ve never had to go like, how is everyone doing tonight? But I feel like I have to do that now, too. Wake up people sometimes. I usually do bits and I talk to people and sometimes I can see it – they’re just kind of zoned out. Not every show. A lot of these shows have been fantastic, but slowly and surely I see some phones pulling out and people are kind of scrolling while I’m playing and it’s a little weird. I’m not going to lie. But for the people who are there and that are totally present, they’re singing every song. I think what’s really cool about Ginger Root, to bring it down on a positive note, is the people who want to really dive in. There’s enough substance for people to really sink their teeth into. But for the people who want to just listen to “All Night” and think it’s a funky song and call it a day, you can do that, too. That’s a really cool opportunity for people to take as much or leave as much as they want with the project.”
