A short, portly Japanese salaryman appeared on the screen that towered behind the stage. Sitting against a blinding blue background, he proudly announced that tonight’s primetime performance was cancelled, and will be replaced with a reading of the complete history of Juban TV, one of Japan’s historic (and fictional) television stations. As he began to drone on, the band took the stage and the cheers of the audience drowned out the businessman's ramblings. The footage abruptly cut to a live feed from an on-stage VHS camera, signaling Ginger Root's arrival—and with him came all the charm and nostalgia that have become his trademark.
Originally hailing from southern California, Cameron Lew has been crafting and refining the Ginger Root project since 2017. Lew first began making indie bedroom tunes, but he slowly found his own style after years of experimentation. His current music is a blend of Japanese city pop with 70s boogie, which he succinctly refers to as “agressive elevator soul.” The project is very self-driven; He not only writes, records, and mixes all the music himself, but also crafts the artwork and directs his own music videos, seamlessly blending his creative vision across every aspect of his work.
Ginger Root’s unmatched visual and audio aesthetics are what set him apart from other acts. All of his albums follow a storyline, and they are often paired with music videos filmed with retro equipment to capture the vibe of Japanese media and culture from the 70s and 80s. The music video for his first viral hit “Loretta” exploded on YouTube in 2021, largely thanks to the video’s unique setting of a vintage Japanese TV performance, with multiple Ginger Roots playing every instrument.
The storyline for his latest album SHINBANGUMI features Ginger Root getting fired from his record label due to creative differences (he refused to capitalize off of his past success by creating a “Loretta 2”). Eager to continue creating, Ginger Root kickstarts his own media company “Ginger Root Productions.” The narrative starts with Lew posing two questions to us—Will he make it? And what will he make?
The overall narrative effortlessly bled into the on-stage performance throughout the night. Throughout the whole show, Lew’s longtime collaborator and cameraman David Gutel was on stage recording the band members with an old school VHS camera. He would swoop across the stage, showcasing Lew, bassist Dylan Hovis, and drummer Matt Carney through a wide array of glamour shots. This footage was being fed to the massive screen behind them, as well as smaller TVs that were littered throughout the stage. The fuzzy handheld nature of the footage created a very nostalgic effect, immersing the audience in Ginger Root’s vintage, hand-crafted world.
The setlist was well balanced, featuring hits off the new album like “No Problems,” “Better Than Monday,” and “Only You,” all filled with groovy basslines and soaring synths. Many old favorites from past projects made a return as well, such as “Juban District,” “City Slicker,” and “Karaoke.” Lew even threw in a funky cover of the Beatles’ “Day Tripper” towards the end, claiming that “I just had to get that out of my system.” Surprisingly, the band debuted “Loretta 2,” which was just the original track with some steel drums added in. They started “Loretta 3,” a metal version, but ended the bit there. Lew closed out his encore with fan favorite track “Weather,” with the audience shouting the chorus back at him.
This was not my first time seeing Lew and his band. He toured two years ago to promote his EP Nisemono, playing at The Sinclair in Cambridge. I was profoundly impressed by the performance, as many of his signature techniques were on display, though Lew appeared to still be finding his footing as a performer. Now, in a much larger venue, it's evident that Lew has fully embraced his stage presence and perfected his persona.
If the album SHINBANGUMI represents the culmination of Ginger Root’s technical skill as a songwriter and producer, his live performance elevates him as a true showman—confident in his vision and eager to share it with the world.
