Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Metal with a message

By Sarah Poulton

They’re kind of loud, a little crazy and a lot scary, but Gingerspittz can put on a show like no other.

Their full sets are organized like a theatrical production, complete with props, backgrounds and costume changes. Vocalists Drew Lenhart and Bob “fuckyoubob” Hacker bounce around the stage and scream like untamed animals as the rest of the band plays music so loud, your eardrums want to die.

Yes, they are an ear-splitting metal band, but their live shows are composed of an entirely different form of entertainment.

The band, formed in Berlin Center in 2004, said their name derived from a combination of a band member’s brother’s ex-girlfriend named Ginger and a raunchy spoof on the old “Gilligan’s Island” girls: “Ginger spits, but Mary Ann swallows.”

In all actuality, Gingerspittz means something different to each member. Lenhart said it’s just a bunch of guys getting drunk. Bassist Skrap said they’re just a group of guys having a good time. But Hacker summed it up best when he said, “Gingerspittz is just like every other band out there, but there’s a plot, a story and a visual effect to the show that no one else has.”

Gingerspittz does a lot of storytelling in their shows. Many of their songs are based on politics, feeling unnoticed and disgust of what’s going on in the world around them.

“We have a lot of opinions that we try to get people to recognize,” Hacker said. “Not necessarily agree with, but listen to.”

Guitarist Jeremy Lester agreed: “We put it out there and let people think about it. That’s what’s great, we let people take away what they want from the message.”

Not only do their strong-minded lyrics get people’s attention, so does their live show. They strive to put on a better show each time they play, they said. Most of the time when people who aren’t familiar with their shows see them live, they generally get a good reaction, but they’ve offended a few people in their time, Lenhart said.

“It’s fun to get a reaction out of people — good or bad,” he said. “It’s something you don’t get to see out of many local bands. There’s a lot of extraordinary local bands, but not like this.”

He’s right, considering hours of preparation go into their performances. One of the most memorable sights at a Gingerspittz show is the bloody bullet holes in their foreheads.

The sight may have freaked out some people, but the band said it’s all makeup. They use prosthetic bullet holes and glue them to their faces, and the blood splatter is done with sponges.

“You should see our makeup case,” Hacker said.

“Yeah — there was lots of blood at our last show,” Lenhart said.

The band said their live shows are inspired by Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson. They used to wear masks, but quit when they were compared to bands like Slipknot.

“We’re not trying to follow any trends,” Hacker said.

“We’re trying to put on a good show,” Lenhart said. “And if you ask me, we’re pretty entertaining.”

It’s not all just for show. They band claimed the bullet holes have meaning behind them. They dress up like priests for their shows and use mics shaped like guns. Lenhart said the band feels that society as a whole has allowed a priests to have an inappropriate relationship with young boys, and they have to bring that point to light because people are so desensitized to everything today.

“With all the controversy going on with priests and fucking boys, it’s wrong,” Lenhart said. “Really, it’s our fault. We put the bullet holes in their heads and we’re about to put the guns to our mouths.”

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Hacker said: “It has nothing to do with religion. We’re just giving a different perspective to it.”

Gingerspittz wants nothing more than to get their message across. They said they take as many shows as they can because no band will make it big if they think they’re too good to play a show.

“We’ve literally played for bartenders,” Hacker said.

Large or small audience, their performance doesn’t suffer. They said one time at Barleys, they broke the stage. They were closing out their set with their heaviest song, “Step to This.” Lester said it was one of their first songs and they can get carried away while playing it.

“Me and Skrap were stompin’ kinda hard and the stage broke,” Lester said. “It still takes us to an emotional place.”

Last weekend, Gingerspittz played on the same stage with the Whaling Skies and Album. In April-The List, this show was given the “Most Awkward Show of the Year” award. While it may have been awkward for some, it was normal for them.

“We like to play diverse shows,” Lester said, noting that they’ve also played with experimental jam band Birdbrain from Kent, with a shocked, but positive reaction from their fans.

“I like doing these shows, and [Barleys] is a great place to do that,” Lenhart said. “All of our fans were like, ‘what the hell is this?’ It opens up people’s minds.”

Lenhart said their fans are fantastic and they attribute that to their interactive shows. They said they love audience participation, and encourage it from everyone.

“I love standing on the stage and screaming in people’s faces,” Lester said, “but, I love it more when they do it back.”

Your next chance to see Gingerspittz in action is at the International Fighting and Boxing League Fight Night, April 26 at the 5x5 Facility in the Eastwood Mall Complex in Niles. They’ll be playing a very short set, but are hoping to be invited back to play a full set in June.