Dutch sleaze rockers Ginger likes gearing up to release debut album

Dutch sleaze rockers Ginger likes gearing up to release debut album

Netherlands based sleaze rockers, Ginger likes, are gearing up to record their debut album later this year with a release sometime in 2016.

Speaking exclusively with Sleaze Roxx, Ginger likes frontman Ypke explained the origins of the band: “It started with me wanting a band that would play the kind of music that I loved — KISS, Motley Crue, Backyard Babies, Poison, Hellacopters, W.A.S.P., etc. I’d already written some songs for the band to be. So I went looking for band members. Must’ve been somewhere in early 2005. Marcel, the drummer, was there from the beginning and Aad replaced our first bass player after a year or so. On lead guitar, we first had Martin, but after a while he started his own band and left Ginger likes… After he left, we had several other great lead guitarists. In the end, we found ourselves playing less live and members skipping more rehearsals. So in 2010, we decided to put the band on the backburner untill we wanted to give it a go again in 2014. So we never really disbanded, but we were inactive for quite a long time. In the meantime, all the members were active with different bands and/or projects.

I got together with Marcel again because I had an idea for a new project. And we started talking about the old days with Ginger. Marcel said it was a shame that the songs we had were never properly recorded. I agreed and that was the spark we needed. We came back together with the line-up we had the last time around, with the goal to record our songs. We realized pretty soon that most of us didn’t want to just quickly record a demo, but wanted a quality product. Not all of us had the same state of mind, so that guitarist left and we went ahead with the guitarist who was there in the beginning — Martin. We started rehearsing again with renewed energy and a critical look at our old songs. Re-arranged songs, added parts and threw away stuff to make sure we deliver the goods!”

With respect to how the name Ginger likes came to be, Ypke stated: “I came up with it. I was looking for something like Alice Cooper/Carmen Electra, that sort of name. So I looked up a list of pornstars ’cause they usually have these names that sound the right kind of sleazy. Ginger Lynn caught my eye. I didn’t want to copy/paste, but I liked the sound of Ginger and added ‘likes…’ with the dots attached. So it’s always the beginning of a sentence such as ‘Ginger likes… you!’ ‘Ginger likes… old fashioned, high energy sleaze rock!’ That sort of stuff [laughs] with a positive vibe.”

Ypke also advised Sleaze Roxx about the upcoming debut album: “We have 10 songs on the list. We want to record it before the end of 2015 and have it out as soon as possible after that. We would love to put it out on vinyl. We’ll have to see if we can do it that within a reasonable budget. The idea is to have out on vinyl and digital download. Personally I think that our songs kick ass! Hopefully you and other sleaze rock lovers will say the same!”

In regard to the sleaze rock scene in the Netherlands and particularly Groningen where Ginger likes originate from, Ypke stated: “There’s not a big sleaze rock scene — not the Sunset Strip infused kind at least. But we do have bands like Peter Pan Speedrock, who deliver a more Motorhead kind of sleaze. Our kind of music in The Netherlands is more known for bands like Sleeze Beez and Vandenberg. But the musical climate in Groningen is very good, there are lots of bands here in different genres of rock. There are plenty of places to go practice with your band and meet other musicians. Groningen is a great city for all this. Sleaze rock/hair metal as a genre may not be popular, but when we play, we get cool responses from the crowd. People respect what we do and are often suprised of how much they actually like this type of music. But then again, who can resist a rocking tune with a massive hook, made sing along [laughs]?”