Ginger Root on Tour
Aptly named after a euphoria-inducing herb with several health benefits, Ginger Root is the musical project of Cameron Lew, film-editor-turned-musician.
Appropriately dubbed "aggressive elevator soul," Ginger Root's music draws on a tradition of soulful '70s soft rock while incorporating elements of Lew's contemporaries -- Japanese Breakfast and Toro y Moi -- artists he admires.
Ginger Root's feel-good, tongue-in-cheek video for the single "Loretta," in which Lew plays every instrument in the band, portrays his own backup singers, helms a string section and performs a sax solo, has been viewed more than 9 million times on YouTube, and counting.
While in college, Lew started the weekly YouTube video series "Toaster Music," named after the 2004 Honda Element in which he performed earnest covers of the Bee Gees and other soft-rock legends. It garnered him thousands of fans and a funny thing happened along the way. Lew realized that his love of music surpassed his interest in film editing, which he had been majoring in, and he decided to pursue music full time. Since then, he's released the well-received albums Mahjong Room (2018), Rikki (2020) and City Slicker in 2021, performed at SXSW and has opened for several notable artists, including Khruangbin and Omar Apollo.
Put on your finest polyester and catch Ginger Root's headlining North American tour in fall 2022.
Ginger Root Live in Concert
Born Cameron Lew and raised in Huntington Beach, California, Ginger Root began his foray into music when his parents bought him a guitar at age 10. They thought it would be nothing more than a hobby to pass the time. Little did they know that a decade later, Lew would make a career of it, connecting with fans all over the world.
Lew took a detour and studied film in college, but found himself burnt out so he turned to music as a form of escapism. It was then that he recorded a series of music videos in his car called "Toaster Music," in which he covered songs by everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Britney Spears.
He also played backyard shows, in friends' living rooms and at parties and found his fanbase steadily growing -- often wearing DIY Ginger Root gear at his shows.
Realizing he was onto something, he kept at it, incorporating elements of soul, pop and yes, elevator music, into something that wouldn't have sounded out of place on '70s AM radio. Lew plays all of the instruments on his albums and self-produces them as well, showcasing his innate ability for creating appealing arrangements that cause listeners to sway their hips and snap their fingers. Lew still puts his film school skills to good use, producing and editing his own videos and incorporating his unique visual aesthetic into his musical offerings.
