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12/6/04
Liquid Ginger Gives Pep To Pop Liquid Ginger gives pep to pop Keala
Murdock Local band Liquid Ginger's second album has all the makings of something that's going to pounce onto the pop scene. While pop music brings sugary images to mind, one only has to hear lead singer Ginger Fawcett belt out a note to realize those bubbly sweet expectations quickly implode. Guitarists Barr Nobles and C.J. Perrine, keyboardist Rick Betz, bassist John Pritchett and drummer Bob Hack, are melodically edgy and smooth as well. For fans, the three-year wait for a new, self-titled CD is over. For those new to the band, it's worth heading over to Ibiza Nightlife on Saturday for the release party. "I don't really like live bands, but I do like them," said Rebecca Anderson, who works at Ibiza. When Anderson says "really don't like live bands," she means it. Period. But the tough music critic/bartender asked to move her work shift from the third floor to Ibiza's first floor Saturday night -- just so she can listen in. And she's going to get an earful. Strictly focusing on the CD, the album demos the band's ability to tackle everything from pure rock, a lil' country and some saucy nightclub blues. The first handful of tracks spur intense rock energy. With a voice Britney Spears wished she had, lyrics more mature than Avril Lavine's driver's license and an attitude that could rival Gwen Stefani, Fawcett creates an urge for listeners to tap into their inner rhythm and sing along. Add Fawcett's vocals to heavy guitar riffs with solid drums beats, and listeners are naturally prone to fits of air guitar, head banging and bouncing around. Be warned. The second track seems ready for top radio play. Images of driving along back roads, hands on the wheel and the music blaring from the speakers appear with the catchy track: "Not Meant for You." The song's title says it all. What a perfect song to listen to after a break-up. One cannot help but think past the band's pep playing, "Poor dumb sucker." So awesome. So wise. Get movin' girl. Consider the lyrics: "I refuse to play your games, but I refuse to let you win. Don't pull me down to your level. But I'm finding that it's not easy to do." Fawcett said the past few years have provided inspiration for lyrics. "With relationships in the band and friends, it's been fun and emotional," she said. "For listeners, I would want them to really listen to the lyrics and I think most people can comprehend it. Most people have been through trials and tribulations." You may call it pop, but the lyrics are right on the mark. After track six, listeners get a variety pack of music. Acoustic guitar, piano and violin accompany country sounds, rock, a ballad and ending soul mix. Yes, soul. She's no Sarah Vaughan, but one can't help but sway. "I played it for the guys and they got a kick out of it," Fawcett said. It stuck as the end-of-the-night song. "It was so much fun," Fawcett said laughing. "We're in Savannah -- we gotta have a blues song." Sidestepping
The Sophomore Slump One rather lamentable aspect of Savannah's original music scene is that the overwhelming majority of groups in this town break up without ever recording - let alone actually releasing - a professional recording. Some of the most creative and determined groups this town has seen over the past two decades too often disintegrate with little more than a shoebox full of low-fi live audio tapes and a few hours of camcorder footage to show for their years of hard work and dreams - making it extremely difficult for onlookers and archivists to adequately assess the scope and evolution of our music community. However, in most cases, having a wealth of solid material is only half the battle. Artists also need to have a wealth of time at their disposal. And, quite frankly, crafting and marketing a truly impressive product usually requires the most basic form of wealth: money. While digital technology, bedroom studios and home CD burners have helped to drastically lower the costs of creating and manufacturing independent albums, they've also lowered the bar of what is considered acceptable product. These days, poorly captured tracks are regularly "pressed" (or, more accurately, burned) onto Best Buy blanks, slapped inside a Kinkos cover and blithely pawned off on the public as full-fledged records. Almost gone are the days when unknown songwriters or bands would squirrel away cash in the hopes of blocking out a few weeks in an established studio, where they'd furrow brows and cross fingers (perhaps till they bled) in hopes of not blowing their one shot at possible immortality. It is refreshing to know that despite this rampant "socialization of audio" there are some indie acts who still recognize the value of going all out and doing things the old-fashioned way. Liquid Ginger is one such band, and although their brand-new album was recorded completely in the digital domain, the band sought out a seasoned engineer with an impressive resumé to track, mix and co-produce the album with them. As a result, their eponymous disc comes across as a shining example of dedication to both pop songcraft and modern recording technique. However, it wasn't always set to be that way. After cutting their debut CD Can You Hear Me? at Atlanta's Exocet Studios, the group became enamored with the mobility and relative ease which home-based recording can provide, and set out to make their next album completely on their own. After several months of fits and starts, they abandoned that approach, and headed back to Atlanta. "We had been struggling as a band to decide how we wanted to approach the second record," explains guitarist Barr Nobles. "Eventually, those of us who wanted to go to a tried-and-true studio sort of won out." For most of this past September, the band holed up in a state-of-the-art facility that in the past has been used by such big-name artists as Elton John, Smashing Pumpkins and The Dave Matthews Band. "We worked with Zack Odom up at Tree Studios in Atlanta.," says Nobles. "He's worked on a lot of platinum albums up there. He's done a lot with Ludacris, plus Whitney Houston and Three Doors Down. His credentials are just endless." Odom was relatively unfamiliar with the band's output prior to this, but that seemed to make little difference in the quality of his work, says Nobles. "He knew our background, of course, but I don't think he wanted any preconceived notions about what type of band this was. We gave him the first CD, but I'm not sure he really even listened to it, to tell you the truth. I think he wanted to get a fresh start. Basically Ginger would sit down with one of us on acoustic guitar and we'd just go through the songs for him. That gave him a feel for what we were all about, and he'd offer some input if he thought of something we could do to improve things." The end result is a ten-song album that showcases the band in what could be termed the best possible light. Clocking in at just under thirty-seven minutes, it's an extremely airwave-friendly collection of short, hummable tunes, - only three of which actually break the four-minute mark. Packed with fat, humbucking guitar tones and an acoustic drum sound that borders on the type of ringy wallop favored by neo-soul bands like The Roots, Liquid Ginger is a dramatic sonic improvement over the group's previous effort. Perhaps most noticeable, however, is the difference in frontwoman Ginger Fawcett's vocal tracks. Everything from her mic technique to her pitch has improved, and it's refreshing to hear her nail notes and harmonies that in the past might have come off reedy or mannered. But are the bandmembers themselves as thrilled about the overall results as their loyal fanbase is likely to be? "Yeah, we really are," answers Nobles. He says the group as a whole was never completely pleased with their debut disc . "The reason why this one's self-titled is that the first CD was always just a demo. I don't think we ever meant to put that out for sale. But WRHQ started playing 'Never Be Heather,' people started asking where they could buy it, and we were kind of forced into releasing it. We had run out of cash before we could spend the time we wanted to get everything on it just right. We've sold close to five thousand copies of that CD - which is great - but to us, this feels a lot more like our first real CD." In addition to that sense of pride in a job well done, Nobles also says that the few industry people who have heard the disc think it shows great potential for mainstream radio success - which the band sees as key to their career goals. "We've had great feedback from the folks at Tree. And I don't think they're just stroking us. I mean, they know what's going on. They've got platinum albums hanging on their walls, and they're telling us we've got a hit album here. We've had some honest conversations with them and we told them not to blow smoke up our ass. Tell us how you really feel. There's an A & R guy in Atlanta who's heard it and he just loved it. He's already planning to shop it around to some folks in L.A." Still, despite initial positive response to their latest work, Nobles admits there's no way in the world to tell how this record - or this band for that matter - will end up. "In the end, people talk a lot of stuff, but ultimately it comes down to whether we have a radio hit or not. That's what's gonna push us forward. This band is never gonna hit the road in the back of a van and do the $200 a week tour, you know? The reality is we all have obligations. We all have families or we're rooted some way or another, so that's not the career path we could take. We need to get picked up by someone who feels we could make a big impact. So, that's what we're shooting for." And what will Liquid Ginger do if their new album is not picked up for national distribution and promotion? "That's a good question," admits Nobles. "That's like the ten million dollar question in our band... What exactly are we gonna do? I'm not sure how to answer that, but I do know we're going to work this region and push this CD with everything we have. I feel like we have a much better chance this time around than we ever have before." By
John Stoehr Three years ago, drummer Bob Hack got a call from two guitar-playing friends with a job offer. Would he like to make some extra cash as a session musician? The people hed be working with were recording a demo for a future full-length album. An in-demand musician, Hack said sure, why not. What the native Atlantan didnt realize was that the studio work would lead to booking commitments, a major regional hit song, Never Be Heather, and the birth of Savannah pop-rock band Liquid Ginger. It kind of snowballed from there, Hack said. Hack moved to Savannah, where the group finished working on Can You Hear Me? which has recently been re-issued with new packaging. Liquid Ginger has emerged from the bar band scene to headline festivals and larger concert events. You can take the band out of the bar, but not the bar out of the band. Locals hungry for regular live music entertainment have enjoyed the high-powered pop of Liquid Ginger at the Oyster Bar, a restaurant and bar on Wilmington Island, for a couple years now. Fans this year showed their appreciation of the hard-working musicians, honoring them with a local distinction. For what its worth, we were voted Favorite Rock Band (2003) by Connect Savannah, Hack said. The weekly papers readership chooses the winners. We do more covers during our live shows, Hack said, explaining why the bands so popular. But we dont ignore the originals, ever. As if driving the point home, Hack said the band is working on a new CD, scheduled for release in about four months. The band singer Ginger Fawcett (the bands namesake), guitarists Barr Nobles and C.J. Perrine, keyboardist Rick Betz, bassist John Pritchett and Hack is nearly halfway done and plans to re-enter the studio next month to finish the CD. Right now, were trying to build up enough cash to do that, Hack said. Of the 25 songs or so songs we have, we need to see whats going to stick after we throw it against the wall. The
CD is a labor of love. But live shows, Hack said, are for the fans. When
choosing cover songs, the band aims to please across the board. That includes
pop and dance hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and some of whats hot and
new right now. Liquid Ginger also adds a few classic rock and blues tunes
to the cover mix. Individual band members offer an array of musical backgrounds. The result is a variety of cover songs. When it comes to original material, the bands music is also diverse. Its hard to classify, Hack of the bands original material. Our music goes in different directions. But we go for the listener-friendly pop-rock vibe. Some of its dance-able, some of its not. Its crowd-pleasing, but were also pleasing ourselves. Keeping this kind of balance is what makes Liquid Ginger the most appreciated band in town. High energy, Hack said. Thats what keeps them coming back. It keeps everyone excited. We draw great crowds everywhere, Hack continued. We have an extensive e-mail database we use to let everyone know whats going on. While
many bands cant draw flies, we are growing our fan base, which is really
motivating. We love the crowds, Hack said. We love playing in front of people. The greatest thing is to see the positive reaction to what were playing. We get a lot of that. None of us is 18 years old. We've played our share of Taco Bell tours. Were not doing that anymore. Its so gratifying to see people stay for the whole show and really enjoy it and see them singing along. Thats always very, very cool.
By Jim Reed Things have been moving awfully fast for Ginger Fawcett. Barely two and-a-half years after answering a classified ad seeking “backup singers”, she’s the lead vocalist in Liquid Ginger, one of the area’s most popular bar bands. Helped along by regular airplay on Jerry Rogers’ WRHQ-FM 105.3, they have sold more than 2,000 copies of their debut full-length CD “Can You Hear Me”, and have recently begun work on their next release. This Saturday evening the band will perform on River Street as part of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, as they have since 1999. But more importantly, “Never Be Heather” (which Fawcett refers to as “the little catchy song that’s gotten the airplay around here”), has just received a big boost. The song -- which sounds like a canny cross between the stress-free acoustic odes of Hootie & The Blowfish and the brisk, kitschy pop of No Doubt -- has been featured on a free sampler financed by Bacardi. “Leading Edge Entertainment (an Atlanta-based firm) heard us and said they loved the song and knew the people who were putting the CD together,” explains Fawcett. “They actually designed the cover for Bacardi.” “It’s a national release to promote a new drink called Bacardi O. They’re giving out a million copies, and ‘Never Be Heather’ made it on there,” she boasts. The disc contains tracks from seventeen bands of varying styles and may factor prominently in the band’s overall marketing strategy. According to Ginger, the band is pleased with the progress they’ve made so far, but they are now more than ready to take “the next step forward”. In truth, Liquid Ginger has accomplished quite a bit in their brief career to date. Initially, guitarists C.J. Perrine and Barr Nobles were looking for a backup singer to help with a studio project they were planning, but after an initial meeting with Fawcett, they reconsidered their approach and ultimately decide to spotlight the female vocalist. In record time, they travelled to Atlanta, and within days had a five-song demo in the can. The overwhelming public response to the tape’s unexpected local airplay convinced the group there was both a receptive market for their music and the potential for great regional success. Soon a live lineup was finalized, and the band began playing shows in both towns. When questioned, Fawcett admits there are a number of obstacles to being in a group divided by hundreds of miles. “It’s very difficult to practice. Because our drummer’s here but our bass player is up there. It’s hard to come up with new originals. We can only write new stuff when we get together, so it’s usually at the after-parties when we create new material. Like at four in the morning. That’s when we get our best stuff!” An untold number of these new compositions will be included on the band’s next release, although the length and format have yet to be decided. “We’re gonna kinda keep it a surprise whether we’re gonna do the next full-length Liquid Ginger CD or maybe just a little five-song EP demo,” Fawcett says coyly. Whereas “Can You Hear Me” was tracked with experienced producer/engineer Bruce Bennett at Atlanta’s Exocet Studios, for their next outing, the band is doing the work themselves. “It’s pretty neat,” explains Ginger with a hint of excitement in her voice. “We’re doing it out of our band room, really. We got the money to buy the equipment ourselves. It’s all digital.” She says she’s proud of their debut, but has higher hopes for the next release. “The first record was my first time in the studio, and I don’t feel like it captured our true essence. We’ve decided to go on our own this time, and it’s sounding great.” Contrasting the diversity of the next release with the fairly consistent mood of the first record, Ginger claims, “We’ve got a lot of funky new beats, and some traditional rock, and one song even has, like, a Latin feel. One is just straight-up blues.” Audiences can expect Liquid Ginger to perform this new material throughout this weekend at two different venues. Thursday and Friday find them kicking off a new season of outdoor Sunset Parties at Tubby’s Tankhouse in Thunderbolt. These weekly events have been known to draw over 1,000 patrons. These will just be warmups however, to Saturday night’s River Street set, which coincidentally marks the one-year anniversary of their current bassist John Pritchett’s first live show with the band. According to Fawcett, the group is hoping the combination of these high-profile showcases and the Bacardi sampler will help attract the attention of a serious management firm -- something they desperately need in order to capitalize on their forward momentum. “We’re looking to make it more full-time. That’s what I want to do. What we’re looking to do really is get a full, national management company. Someone to get us on tour...” Although the band has played around a bit (mostly in Atlanta, Jacksonville and Charleston), they are eager to expand their road trips to include Asheville and Tennessee. Ginger readily acknowledges the hardships faced by unsigned and self-managed groups. “It’s hard to do it on your own, but a good national manager would put us on a real good tour.” She pauses, adding, “It takes time to get where you’re going.” |