Joining a fan club? Ginger Wildheart is cooking on G-A-S-S, G-A-S-S, G-A-S-S
Written by Rich Hobson
Saturday, 06 September 2014 03:20
“Ginger Wildheart doesn’t do fan-clubs, but if he did they’d probably be the best fan-clubs in the world.” Except he does (of a sort), and unlike the piss water lager that this slogan is nicked from, Ginger may very well actually live up to all the hype.
The term “fan-club” is enough to put the shudders up most ordinary music buying folk, a word synonymous with over-priced bleeding of the ardent as lots of money is charged for inferior products and little reward, as the band sit atop Scrooge McDuck style piles of money, laughing mirthlessly at the proletariat music public; us. Ranging from Pearl Jam’s Ten Club ($20 online, $40 analogue), to the Kiss Army ($50 standard membership) all the way through to Jovi’s Witnesses – not the real name but a missed opportunity nonetheless – and blind fanaticism at $54.99 for an online only pass, or a whopping $159.99 for the full package – each has its bonuses, with Ten Club offering freebies, exclusive material and a fanzine specially made for the band, Kiss Army continuing to keep Gene Simmons in the reptilian smug lifestyle he has become accustomed to, and the Bon Jovi fan-club offering the once in a lifetime chance to… meet Jon Bon Jovi (we all have our indulgences, it’s just that some seem to be much more retarded than others). So the “fan club” thing isn’t anything new, but it does have one defining thing that keeps it from being the common way to show your support of every act that puts piss and vinegar on your chips and that’s simple; it’s all a side show. The fan-clubs are almost never run with direct continual involvement with the band, as such they don’t promise anything for the casual fans, just titbits for the fanatical to suckle at till their teeth bleed, trickling the occasional “recorded at 4am whilst pissed on an underwater tin can, as the cat made audible retching sounds that drowned out the song anyway” demo, or fact (“Gene likes to sleep at night atop the funeral sheets of starving children”) to keep everyone holding their torches high. Well, Ginger never was one to follow the flotsam down the drain.
G-A-S-S, or Ginger Associated Secret Society if you want to be wordy, is the latest hatchling project from Mr. Wildheart, reviving the ill-fated “Singles Club” idea from almost exactly a decade ago without the pissings and potterings of labels to cast dubious light on the success, Ginger’s promise that this one is all on him and is going to be something special as he releases no less than 5 songs a month – 3 new and 2 demos, usually one of an existing song and one as-yet unheard piece in addition to a whole heap of exclusive goodies.
But, the all-important question stands; is it worth the cost? Well starting out at £30 (UK Prices) is the Ginger approved (and recommended) Digital Package, which offers all of the online content as well as access to the (exclusive) web store for just £2.50 a month stretched out over the full year, extra content notwithstanding. £60 nets you a Physical package; an exclusive T-shirt and a tote bag full of G-A-S-S themed goodies (which amounts to £30 worth of merch for the cynics and miserly eyed out there). The full “Contact” package drops in at £90, promising all the previous perks, a meet and greet (which, with Ginger will probably be a little more than “Smile and wave for the camera”) as well as an exclusive print. The latter two packages are very much in the realm of the fans and devotees; however it’s the £30 option that really stands up for the casual Ginger Wildheart lover.
More than a little bit casual as I am (somewhere closer to rabid and/or cash-ravaged, though not quite reverent) the £30 option was the one for me (and indeed, the one that EVERYONE should look into) and here we are, with the first third of the G-A-S-S project now thundered through as plans and preparations are made for the next 8 months of music, online goodies and just general oozing goodness. Signing into the site each month (during too, with regular updates) sees a little advent calendar page open up, a selection of 9 fine artwork windows which promise with a click a jump across to online goodness. Advent is about right for this project, with each month coming like a musical Christmas as new content (and of course, the all-important songs) are uploaded for some very exclusive listening pleasures. What’s behind the windows, you ask? Each month the configuration of the windows is different, however the content remains largely the same; a window of 3 brand new tracks ready for streaming and download (in MP3 or FLAC format) alongside lyrics, a windows for the aforementioned demos (1 unreleased, 1 demo version of an existing song), a window for monthly videos (tour bloopers and the like) as well as an hour long podcast, a window for a twice-monthly updated diary, a window for the web store (with new gear added each month), a window which contains “Ginger’s Secret History of Rock N Roll, a window for “Ginger’s Horror Corner”, a window for fan Q & A and a news summary window. Plenty to get through then!
With all of that content, updated each month the next question (from the increasingly persistent cynic, it seems) is, okay so we have quantity; what about quality? The music (as ever) speaks for itself, but what about the other content? Well for a total casual fan, the online content may not interest them as much, but for the rest of us it’s a treasure trove of information and goodies that we’ve likely seen in one form or another in the past, but not with such consistency or dedication to quality.
The diary format was already done (sporadically) for years on the old Wildhearts website, however with the G-A-S-S money being put firmly behind it the diaries are now much more frequent and frankly are a fresh and candid view into the life of one Mr. Ginger Wildheart. Covering everything Ginger does over the months, these diaries are as close to an on-going autobiography as we are likely to get for the foreseeable future and are a strong read for anyone who wonders about life offstage; think the books of Henry Rollins with less angst and more focus.
The questions format was popularly done originally on Formspring for many years, until revamps of the site rendered it useless (as seems to be the way with many User-oriented sites, which ironically isolate the users as they update) leaving a big void where fans were once able to send questions over and receive speedy replies. With G-A-S-S, the format is back, with all the questions collected in little archives each month; something that Formspring never did work out, and works well for the interested.
The podcast is generally one of the more mammoth undertakings of the digital contents, clocking in at various times around the one hour mark, usually featuring Ginger as he summarises the month and the work gone into G-A-S-S, and quite often inviting guests to come chat and offer opinions or ramblings, as is the case with everybody’s favourite lunatic Random Jon Poole. Guests so far have varied from long-time tech and familiar face Dunc, the aforementioned Mr. Poole and even Courtney Love and band, recorded whilst Ginger toured the UK with the Courtney Love band.
Ginger’s Horror Corner spawned from a prospective project that the self-identified Splattermaniac Gore Movie buff had mentioned in the past year, a book of horror movie reviews with a comprehensive “splatter-o-meter” and breakdown of the movie’s juiciest bits. Though the book itself looks to be shelved (for the time being at least), with G-A-S-S fans are treated to two new reviews each month, satiating the tastes of the horror hungry.
In a similar vein is Ginger’s Secret History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, previously published over at Classic Rock, each month the highlights are collected with two reviews being offered up as Ginger covers his favourite bands and albums with the fervency that only music can muster, waxing lyrical on some of his biggest influences.
And then, there’s the biggie; the music. Split in two each month, Ginger releases the 3 track single and 2 track demos, with no guarantees that this month will be anything like the last. At the time of writing this, we sit at 4 months and 20 songs richer than we did in April 2014, quality as assured as ever as Ginger shows off his chops and that he really is the most prolific Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon on the scene. As for the songs…
The last album ‘Albion’ was a behemoth, a 6 man-and-lady leviathan that plundered the depths of creativity and personal feeling to dredge up gold, so the bar was set pretty high in terms of creativity and song-writing, and the first G-A-S-S single in May, ‘Everything’ breaks the bar off, batters your eardrums with it then wills you to take a trip down the next 12 months. True toe-tapping style that is pretty much synonymous with Ginger now, ‘Everything’ is a deliciously melodic rock song that has waves of Cheap Trick, the feeling of pogoing MDMA and the gorgeous, good time nature of youthful infatuation, helped along by a gentle vocal from Mr. Wildheart with the backing of the wonderfully talented Givvi Flynn.
So, where to next? ‘That’s A Nasty Habit You’ve Got There’ is so anthemic and laced in Ginger’s natural Geordie accent (along with a sound that is inherently Northern) that it takes the torch from Everything and takes the listener like sprinting on amphetamines with a beer in hand, filled with bounding beats and a roaring chorus that threatens to lift the roof off every venue in the UK. Then it’s up to ‘Bloody Knees’ to close off month 1, thunderous and madcap like The Scaramanga Six riffing on Zappa, vocal duties are now handed over completely to Ms. Flynn as she shows off her resonant pipes, so powerful that if your ear drums went off Scanners style, the only gripe would be that there aren’t more vocals like this in the world. With a keyboard accompaniment by RJP filling out the song like an aural battlefield, ‘Bloody Knees’ is a promise that with G-A-S-S, everything is in the realm of possibility, musically speaking.
Then it’s demo time. May’s demos unfold in a very Wildhearts vein, opening to ‘Ice’, a song written for another artist but (foolishly) passed over, this song is the kind of Wildhearts song that makes ‘Vanilla Radio’ look like a Merzbow soundscape, such is the absolute Ebola-cocktail catchiness of the bastard, best heard at 70mph on a clear motorway, ‘Ice’ is huge in chorus with a vibe so sub-zero it turns back to searing heat and solves global warming.
The second demo is a home-demo for ‘The Jackson Whites’, the opener for The Wildhearts’ last release, the slick rock ‘n’ roll monster ‘Chutzpah!’ A very different beast to the one that appeared on the album, ‘The Jackson Whites’ demo is chunkier and less refined than its definitive, a demo tasty in potential and the rock hard bones of one of The Wildhearts most suckerpunching tracks.
June has much to live up to, and opens to the next single ‘El Mundo (Slow Fatigue)’, the sound of thunder jangling and bouncing, a change in pace from the out and out melodic Rock N Roll of May, ‘El Mundo’ is a song of highs and lows; the jangling guitars clashing with thunderclap drums and gut rumble bass over a harmonious vocal from Ginger, Tammy King and Ash Sheehan who also provides horns for the track, giving it a larger than life Rock ‘n’ Roll circus feel.
‘Hellbound’ is a drop to gentler ground, warm and fuzzy like cuddles with a furry animal of your choice, closest in style to some of the gentler ‘555%’ tracks than to something as overt as The Wildhearts; caresses over gropes, with the occasional cheeky stroke and kiss. Tammy King once again pops up on vocals, in a much more prominent sense on this track, which could easily fit into the same headspace as “Do The lonely Suffer More Or Less”, albeit with a sunnier view. ‘King Rat’ is the closer for June, a heartfelt tribute to Peppi Marchello of the Good Rats, who passed away in 2013. A gentle ballad with elements of piano ballads and acoustic guitars, this track is a sweet little closer that strikes deep from the heart and holds on with melodies and strong performances from Ginger and Chris Catalyst, who guests on guitars, keyboards and vocals.
Next up is brand new demo ‘You Are The Light’, written for an un-named Finnish band the track follows the ‘King Rat’ balladic style albeit with a bit more power, think ‘Mazel Tov Cocktail’ mixed with ‘Strange New Year’ and you’re in the right ballpark, if not in the same stands.
Then it’s diving back into the (recent) back catalogue for Hey! Hello!’s ‘How I Survived The Punk Wars’ demo, stripped back of much of the slickness of the full track, this is a very different species to the track that was finally released; in no small part due to the lack of Victoria’s manic interceptions on the track, but also in the music which is much chunkier and less streamlined.
With month two being very different in pace, it was hard to judge exactly where July would take things; more Summery Rock ‘n’ Roll tunes? More wrenching ballads? Or something completely different? Yeah, it’s the last one. ‘Only Henry Rollins Can Save Us Now’ screams away the gentle tones from June, taking a similar vocal tone to ‘How I Survived The Punk Wars’, especially with the play off between Ginger and latest G-A-S-S guest, Kelli Compulsive of Obsessive Compulsive (who also recently appeared at Rebellion Fest). The track itself is a sister to ‘Punk Wars’ only with more melody, Rock ‘n’ Roll fury and a chorus so kickass it deserves its own movie series. The track itself is like lightning to the ears, a pick up like Punk Wars was when it debuted. With a Punk cheekiness that just can’t be shook, ‘Henry Rollins’ is musical intelligence at its very best.
‘Do You?’ goes sideways from the previous, jumping back onto the same musical wavelength as ‘Everything’, another whiplash waiting to happen with a boundless bounciness that stands completely apart from the subject matter; suicide and loneliness. It’s a testament to Ginger that he is able to create a song that is the polar opposite of its subject matter; filled with light and vibes of positivity. July closes with ‘Petite Mort’, featuring the incredible vocal talents of Yolanda Quartey of Phantom Limb, providing a richer than creosote vocal that turns the track to pure gold, the track is a slow driving ballad in a Country Rock vein, rolling along with guitars courtesy of Nathan Connolly, the track is a steady journey seeped in honey.
July’s demos kick off with a track Ginger wrote for Alice Cooper (which was never used), ‘Friction In My System’ is exactly what you expect; a kick of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Alice Cooper vein, filled with cheese and a nostalgia trip right from the bowels of the ‘80s, Glam Rock at its highest setting of pomp and with more licks than a dogs itchy bollocks.
‘Patience And Gratitude’ is a track that popped up a few years ago, but in no definitive form. Appearing here and available to all, the track has smatterings of ‘Nasty Habit’, charging out in almost Olympian grandeur. Even though the track is a demo it still smatters of stadium sized largeness, lacking some of the crustier edges usually given to Ginger tracks to give them an everyman edge, this one instead revels in its grandeur.
And finally, we arrive at August’s offering, kicking off with the Rock ‘n’ Roll duet ‘Honour’, featuring none other than Courtney Love taking on lead vocal duties. ‘Honour’ is a Rock ‘n’ Roll charge with party atmosphere, a pneumatic hammer beat and the crossover of vocals works so perfectly you can’t help but hate all those who got to see the pair play together both in the UK and currently, in Australia.
‘Down the Dip’ pulls together previous G-A-S-S guests Kelli Compulsive and Yolanda Quartey, once again providing vocal iron for a song which kicks harder than a concrete mule. Played with full gusto, ‘Down The Dip’ is a roarer, begging for live airing with the repeated “Hold it now!” tailored perfectly for massive crowds. ‘If You Find Yourself In London Town’ is August’s closer, debuted live at Ginger’s acoustic performance at Camden Rocks 2014 the track is a gentle ballad and (apparently) written as a letter of advice to a younger Ginger, the track is a gentle close to the booms of its predecessor, however more than makes up for it with witty lyrics and strong musicianship.
Up first for demos in August is ‘Melancholic’, a recent recording from the ‘555%’ era that apparently “nobody likes”. Well, released unto the general public it has found its fans, a ballad with piano accompaniment that given the right fine tuning could have a massive sound. As it sounds on the record, it is very personal and intimate in sound, brittle and gentle with an air of folk pop akin to Laura Marlin.
Picking up the pace is another ‘555%’ era demo, ‘Begin From Within’, the first demo that is massively different in style as well as lyrics to the finished version. Given a slower, more driven beat it has hints of The Who in its large-scale drum beats, think a Ginger penned Quadrophenia track.
So for my £30 what I get is essentially 60 songs of the quality of those outline above spread out over 12 months, with all the digital content you can fling a surfboard at and exclusive merch and competitions, as well as a more candid and intimate look into the world of Ginger Wildheart. You know, this is easily the best £30 you’ll spend on music this year.