Gingerbee & Friends in Conversation on Summer Tour 2024
Gingerbee, an internet screamo band and pals of Rambler, wrapped up their summer tour with a goofy, intimate show at Santa Cruz’s Subrosa space on August 22nd. The single interior room, walled in by bookshelves jammed with zines and political theory, made the perfect shell for the pearl. Band members Gustavo, Melody, Dani, and guest musician Mattice gave a riotous performance, thick with exchange and laughter. The audience was so content to hold it. We pushed, and we shoved, and we scooped everyone up again.
I met Gingerbee’s Gustavo last winter through a tree census internship. Our friend Owen, also featured, was a crew lead on the project along with Gus. After a few chilly hours of measuring Douglas firs and fastening metal tags to the new babies, we began the routine hike back to the lab. The three of us chatted about our backgrounds and why Madrone trees deal with die-outs these days. And somehow, the conversation shifted to skramz and familiar names in the California scene.
Active Gingerbee members are internationally based, making opportunities to see them perform all the more special. After packing their equipment for the night, Gingerbee and a few good friends joked with us in the Marianne’s parking lot about the conclusion of tour, screamo finance, and predicaments. Not present at the time of the interview was Gingerbee’s saxophonist, James, who has also played sax for Summer 2000.
Band members’ names are underlined for clarity. At the conclusion of the interview, Gingerbee, side projects, and friends’ projects are linked.
Mac: We are outside Marianne’s Santa Cruz with Gingerbee and friends. We’re eating some ice cream right now. We’re gonna get into it. Personally, I’m eating something that’s making me snicker.
Gustavo: I got no ice cream. I’m Gustavo, I’m from Gingerbee. I’m eating nothing.
Mattice: My name is Mattice. I’m an honorary Gingerbee. I’m eating Heath Bar, and Gustavo is nibbling on my Heath Bar ice cream. So they’re lying.
Jasmine: I’m Jasmine. I’m eating salted caramel and Northern Oregon blackberry.
Dani: I’m Dani. I’m from Gingerbee. I’m eating mint oreo.
Xander (aka EclipseXIV): I’m Xander. I’m a friend of the Bees. I have horchata and blackberry swirl.
Isa: Hello, I am Isa, and I am also a friend of the Bees. And I ate *caramel fudge crunch in the desert. Yes.
*French accent
Emma: I’m Emma. I’m and friends. I am having cookie dough and 1020. No, I don’t know what the numbers mean.
Owen: I’m Owen. I’m a Gingerbee- I’m not. That’s a lie. I played the tambourine at the show tonight. I’m eating chocolate ice cream.
Reed: My name is Reed. I’m Gingerbee’s biggest hater. I’m drinking water.
Melody: Hello! My name is Melody. I am in Gingerbee, and I’m eating a double junior cup of fudge brownie and chocolate. Yeaah.
Mac: Guys are we allowed to talk about the Grumpy Cat scenario?
Gustavo: Oh! Jordan! This is actually kind of awesome. Jordan is a dear friend of ours and years ago, he drew his cat named Asuka and put in on Redbubble, and he called it grumpy cat. And then the corporation known as Grumpy Cat is suing him for $100,000. So he cannot come into the United States.
Melody: It’s all true.
Gustavo: Nobody bought the grumpy cat thing on Redbubble, by the way.
Mac: So Gingerbee’s probably never gonna tour as a full group probably?
Gustavo: No, we will. Next year. Jordan from Japan is not really in the band, more a Gingerbee side character.
Melody: He’s our cheerleader.
Gustavo: Our full members are Melody, me, Dani, and James the saxophonist. And we will be touring with an additional pianist, violinist, and bassist. The beautiful seven-piece.
Mac: How was tour?
Gustavo: Tour was awesome. We played some epic swag shows. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. We got COVID. Both of the bands we were touring with (Godfuck and Lobsterfight) had medical emergencies and had to go home early. We had to avoid a hurricane.
I crashed the van twice.
Dani. Photo by @earthenhole. August 1st, New Brunswick.
Melody:
Multiple times.
Gustavo: I’m trying to think. What else went wrong?
Melody: We had a really bad flop show in Massachusetts. There were like ten people. The t-shirts! Remember?
Gustavo: This dude’s fried. We showed up in Providence and we didn’t have our t-shirts. We asked this guy to print t-shirts. Bro shows up, bro charges $300 for 30 t-shirts, which is way too much, and shows up with these cringe-ass-baby-ass t-shirts that really suck. You’re supposed to make a bunch of large t-shirts and very few small t-shirts, maybe some medium, extra large…. Bro shows up with youth mediums and shit.
Jasmine: Even I can’t fit in a youth medium.
Gustavo: We actually ended up selling them all. We made a profit. Fuck that guy.
Mac: I’m going to pass it off to the next Gingerbee member. We’re going in a circle.
Mattice: This is my second show. It was great. I went on vacay for a long time, and I didn’t have access to a bass for a couple of months. Then I came back, and I said, okay, I’m going to learn all the Gingerbee songs a week before the shows!
Jasmine: Fuck it we ball.
Mattice: And I did. That’s why I had a setlist in front of me for both Berkeley and tonight. But it went pretty fucking well, I would say. Berkeley was CRAZYY.
Gustavo: It was awesome. Your bass wasn’t plugged in for two songs.
Mattice: It fucking wasn’t, and I was so mad. I was thinking, wow, I sound so good right now. Nope! Bro, there were some girls in front of me. They were laughing at that. Fuck! I fumbled the bag so bad.
Mac: You fumbled the Berkeley bag bro?
Mattice: Fuck! But upright bass for that show was great, good choice. I think didgeridoo was a good choice for this show. I was shitting bricks before either show, and it all worked out when I was playing. I’ve had a good micro-tour with you guys.
Dani: Tour was good. Comically bad at some points. We got into some predicaments, for sure. But some good ones. Last night at Berkely was really cool. I think overall, the West Coast has been cooler and smoother than the East. As an East Coaster, that was a surprise. I’m converted now. West Coast, Best Coast.
Melody: I’d say tour went pretty well, in my opinion. I agree with what everyone else was saying. Berkeley was great, Denton (Texas) was amazing, Albuquerque, the crowd was insane. The whole West Coast was amazing. A few roadblocks.. COVID was a few roadblocks. We had to cancel three shows, which was very sad. But you know what? We ended up here. Tour is over, it went pretty alright. We got ice cream at the end. We lost a lot of money. We’re in this for the money, it’s a very lucrative scene here.
Gustavo: Making screamo is one of the best ideas you could have in terms of making money.
Gus. Photo by @earthenhole. August 1st, New Brunswick.
Dani:
We basically have a monopoly over the entire coast.
Owen: Screamo is an acronym. It stands for “get money”.
Mac: How did it feel to play tambourine for Gingerbee?
Owen: That shit was fuckin awesome. I was standing up there on the stage, shaking it, and I saw people moshing during Our Skies Smile. The pit was going nuts, and I said to myself, I have to.
Emma : So they fell in the pit with the tambourine. Like six people picked their ass up. They jumped up, one hand with the tambourine in the air and almost hit the ceiling.
Mac: So, do we have any future plans for Gingerbee?
Melody: Hopefully, we want to release our second EP soon. That’s going to have our unreleased song “Honey” on it, which we play every night. After that, potentially an LP. We’re not entirely sure but we want to do another tour next year. Potentially a little stripped back, still in the planning process, but we do plan on making more music, and we do plan on doing more shows. That’s exciting, I think.
James on sax and Melody on drums. Photo by @earthenhole. August 1st, New Brunswick.
Mac: Any closing remarks? I’m going to pass my phone around the circle again.
Gustavo: Screamo’s hella lucrative. We’re only in it for the money. I don’t like any screamo bands besides my own and Godfuck. Those are probably the two good bands. Your Arms are My Cocoon is alright, but they’re just ripping off of us.
Mattice: I would say, if you’re thinking man, I’m cutting it close to the wire, this is a bad idea, just go do it anyways. Say yes to things you want to say no to, and life gets really fun. Play bass, have a good time, and enjoy yourself. Follow your heart and shit, man. If you don’t do that, you’re fucked.
Dani: I second that statement. That’s all.
Melody: Tour has been wonderful. It’s been an amazing, life-changing experience. This is our last show that we played, and despite the hurdles, it’s been wonderful. And I really am going to miss my band members quite a bit. Especially James, our sax player, I already missed because he wasn’t here for our last show. We miss him dearly. He’s the band hater. He’s very funny. Other than that, trans rights, and thank you very much.
Mac: And friends?
Owen: Stream “Petal Dance.”
Xander: Boycott Gingerbee.
Emma: Boycott Gingerbee and stream “Petal Dance.”
Jasmine: Find a way to do it.
Xander: No royalties for you.
Jasmine: Become ungovernable.
Emma: Guys, fun fact, you can just listen to music on Bandcamp, and there’s a lot of super cool shit.
Gustavo and Melody: Pirate our music.
Emma: You heard it from the Bees. Not from the friends.
Xander: Fuck Daniel Eck.
Isa: Baby’s first screamo show! Loved. I got to see really cool people perform.
Xander: I had a lovely time, it was beautiful. This is Xander of Eclipse XIV. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I would like Gingerbee heads to await further notice for some works in the tube, in the path, in the garden growing. Some very terrifying ecological matters shall arise within the next year. Bless.
Mac: Thank you everyone! Meow!
⚧❤꩜
Gingerbee’s music: https://gingerbee.bandcamp.com/
Dani’s project: https://suburbanapathy.bandcamp.com/
Melody’s project: https://melodysdreams.bandcamp.com/
Gustavo’s project: https://prettywhen.bandcamp.com/
James’s projects: https://elderjack.bandcamp.com/ & https://motherbient.bandcamp.com/
EclipseXIV’s music: https://eclipsexiv.bandcamp.com/
