5.5 Questions With Ginger On The Rocks

Mar 19, 2015 by Randy Combs

Devon UK based alternative acoustic trio, Ginger on the Rocks, create a “distinctive cocktail mixing powerful vocals, killer guitar and hypnotic djembe drum beats.”

Their just released debut, These Walls Have Teeth, mixes their unique musical approach in order to leave their listeners “a little shaken and stirred.”

A 5.5 first, all the band members, Sophie ‘Ginger’ O’Connell, Ben Stone, Amber Wren,  participated in our Q & A.

What’s the first song you ever remember hearing?

Sophie – Oh god that was so long ago… I remember the first ever tape I got (I know tape so retro), was Sonique’ song Sky. I used to dance around to it, jump up and down on my bed listening to it and sing at the top of my lungs.

Stone – Other than the high probability that it was Happy Birthday I don’t actually remember this… I reckon it must have been Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum, it was on my mums only mix tape we had in the car and we’d listen to that mix tape every time we went anywhere.

Tell us about the first time you heard yourself on radio.

Sophie – The first time was when I was a town councillor back in 2008 and I was doing an interview to promote a youth nightclub experience for under 16’s called Grove Zero. It was a 6 week pilot project that ended up running for 2 years. I was so nervous, as it was a completely new thing to me. At the end of the day though it was to promote a good cause

Amber – As a band our first time on radio was just Thursday night on RadioExe with On the Air with Claire.

Stone – I stuttered lots and was second guessing every answer to even the simplest of questions this was with melodic death metallers Cryostorm many years ago. I cringe when I think about it! Although I did choose an awesome song which was, ‘Who is your Daddy and What Does He Do‘ by Austrian Death Machine.

What’s your favorite non-instrumental sound?

Sophie – Might have to come back to you with that one.. This is going to sound uber sickly… My boyfriend and I have a kind of secret call sign in that sometimes we meow to each other see where the other is, or simply do it as a kind of code ‘Hi welcome home’ kind of thing… its our universal language. LOL

Amber – My toddler chuckling is the best sound in the world 🙂

Sophie – Awww 😀

Stone – Wow, bubble wrap popped into my mind first (oh god)! Oooo actually been listening/watching a lot of asmr videos on youtube recently. If you know what they are then thats fine… if you don’t you’d think I’m crazy. Heather Feathers ‘Sksksksksk’ is my favourite though, damn I could go for some ‘Sksksksksksk’ right now!

What is something you still want to learn in life?

Sophie- I would like to learn how to program and make a computer game.

Amber – I’d love to try my hand at producing music

Stone – Far too many things, learn to drive? Learn to skydive? Learn to play slide guitar and laptapping? This list could be awfully long.

If your life was a novel, what would be the title and how would your story end?

Sophie – A living contradiction?

Amber – That’s a real toughy! Maybe ‘Learning to Appreciate the Little Things’, I’m not sure how it ends, I’m only halfway through!

Stone – A novel??? WTF? The Misadventures of a Daydreaming Grease Slinger. It would end with bacon…. nah maybe not a bacon ending. Lemme think….it would end in a 4th wall break with me actually finishing writing the book, before going and doing something monumentally stupid or something utterly banal depending on the previous flavours of the pages.

What’s your favorite kind of sandwich and what would you wash it down with?

Sophie – Oh man… a BBQ Pulled Pork Bap. Oh and I’m kinda weird I like water. I had a Peanut Butter Jelly milkshake with one the other week and it was really hard work. It was just really thick and the nuts got stuck in the straw.. took me a couple of hours to chug down! So yeah I’ll keep it simple me thinks!

Amber – Peanut Butter Jelly Time!! (Toasted) washed down with … cider! Sophie – *starts singing Peanut Butter Jelly Time and dancing completely out of time*

Amber – It’s all about the Peanut Butter for Ginger on the Rocks!

Sophie – Hell yes! Especially love the Peanut Butter Cups Ice cream by Ben and Jerry’s. Oh and Nutella and Peanut Butter on Toast… you all must try it

Stone – Also bacon….with beer. Nah bacon sandwiches need tea what am I thinking? Oh and hp fruity, real butter, white medium cut bread lightly toasted smoked rind on crispy bacon too that’s a much easier question than the book one…. I’ve got a Marks and Spencers bacon advert in my brain right now.

What one song never ever leaves your music player’s playlist?

Sophie – I LOVE Cry No More by Vaults. I saw them at a London Grammar gig in Plymouth and I thought they were incredible. I think they’ll be huge this year. Oh and I also love ‘Heads Will Roll’ by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Amber – I couldn’t survive without hearing KoRn regularly! But f I had to pick one song it would have to be Red Hot Chili Peppers – On Mercury = awesome!!

Stone – Trusty Chords by Hot Water Music. Wherever I am, no matter how grumpy I’m feeling, this song’l cheer me up. Also Minus the Bears- Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse, this also makes me happy and Ghost Trail by Cult of Luna, Sleep by Godspeed You Black Emperors,  Art of Life by X-Japan and Spring Speaks Truth by Skagos, these 4 are my sleeping songs… But mainly Trusty Chords by HWM.

Thank you Sophie, Amber, and Ben!

Out now, you can download These Walls Have Teeth free from Soundcloud, ReverbNation, and Facebook.

https://soundcloud.com/gingerontherock/thesewallshaveteeth

http://www.reverbnation.com/gingerontherocks

https://www.facebook.com/GingerontheRocks

https://twitter.com/Gingerontherock