Ginger Doss - Gaea Lives"
Words and Music by ginger doss
Produced recorded and mixed by ginger doss
Keyboards and Djembe performed by ginger doss
All vocals by ginger doss
Drum loops edited and created by ginger doss
It is your gift to walk the earth
With every step you must remember this
She was born in a storm of sacred fire
With loves direction divine perfection stirred the elements to form
this paradise
Gaea lives
She feels us move across her skin
With every step we take we make an impact which one will it be
we must choose to give respect to the one we owe our lives to
or keep on taking without remaking til there's nothing left
it's in our hands
If Gaea lives
Gaea Lives
Give love to the earth everybody can one hand on your heart the other on the land
If you like to feel uplifted by a performance, if you believe in the power of music to heal, transform, and make a positive difference in the world, if you like to dance and drum and allow the energy of music to take you to a higher place then you and I are on the same page. I strive to do all this and more with my music and for the communities I serve. It's how I can help the people and planet I love.
My desire for a deeper connection to the divine and to live a life in alignment with that purpose has been the constant inspiration for the path I take and the music I make. While I was learning to play and write I listened to and loved all kinds of music. This eclectic background shows up in my song writing. You hear everything from rhythmic tribal drumming and funky rock, to heart felt ballads. I have made meaningful, life changing (for me especially) connections at Women's Music and Earth Spirit Festivals, Unity and UU churches even yoga studios where the music together with a community created an experience filled with light, laughter and dance. These audiences resonate with songs like Four Directions, Thankful and Come Down as they join along in drumming movement and singing. And for my own heart I am thankful beyond measure for the friendships I have made and continue to kindle, the energy we have shared and the light we weave together. The healing goes both ways! I am strengthened an uplifted by what we do together ~ THANK YOU!
At six years old I sat down at my first piano lesson. My teacher asked, "Do you know which key is at the middle of the piano?" I looked down and touched middle C. He looked surprised. "That's right!" he said. I still don't know how I knew that - but I'm pretty sure this isn't the first lifetime I've played the piano.
From then on the piano was always central to my life. I started writing music from the moment I could get my fingers to work well enough to play something, anything. I studied classical piano from the age of 6 to 16. Then I entered the High School for Performing Arts in Houston, studied jazz and recieved a degree in instrumental music. I began playing in bands in high school and played in lots of different projects including the all female rock band Velvet Hammer and later Dreamtybe. Now I am venturing out solo. Five years ago I left many of my worldly possessions behind to live the life of a gypsy musician. Now I have no permanent home base. My life is a life of trust, and all my needs are met.
Deeply spiritual and introverted, I have always used song writing as a vehicle to express the parts of my experience that were difficult to talk about. "Why talk when you can sing?" (from the song "Sister", Hand and Hammer) And since I started writing songs about the same time I was learning words, I discovered in music an outlet for expressing in ways that could reach deeper and say more than any spoken language. The songwriting process never stops surprising me, teaching me and challenging me. My connection to the divine is nurtured and strengthened through that process. When I sit down to write, my hands just go - moving on the keys, guided by the emotion of the moment and the desires my heart longs to express. Words come, like sounds that mean nothing at first. Then, as I sing the melody that begins to form over the piano, I open a gateway into the deepest part of me and the words flow. Songs expand their meaning over and over again and continue to teach me. It's a little weird how revealing and prophetic they can be years down the road. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't be such LOUD teachers, like pulling a rune, like seeing the signs, like knowing when you know from the heart with nothing else to go on. But I love it so completely... it is not within my ability to stop.
When I was a kid I used to run around with a tape recorder and record comedy skits. I would do all the voices of the characters and had a blast creating effects and making it sound as real as possible. I would spend hours doing it and would always come up with new ideas. When my folks bought me a 2nd tape recorder I started using two at the same time; one to generate sound effects that I recorded earlier and the other to do the main action. I also recorded the songs I was writing as a kid. I still have a lot of those tapes. My point is that I have always had a love of recording. Now my gear and knowledge are far more advanced but my passion remains the same. Having my own studio is a great way to explore and expand every aspect of my writing. I love being able to create arrangements for my songs with the hundreds of realistic samples and looping programs I have at my disposal. I never had a problem hearing what different instruments would play in a particular song. Now what I hear in my head can manifest before my ears as I sit alone (when I do my best writing) and I can choose from so many different instruments right when the inspiration hits (don't have to find a trumpet player at 3am - how lucky is that?). With these tools I can completely surrender to the instinct that has guided me since I was a child; test it and fine tune it with my ears, then save it to hard disk. As my good friend SJ Tucker says - Its good to live in the future.
I am very proud to be an indie musician. I love the creative control and purity of producing my own music and managing my own career. Although the task is daunting sometimes and I could definitely benefit from the help of others. I am glad I got the ball rolling without outside interference first. This way my music developed naturally without being molded into something that didn't come from my heart. My plan of releasing three self produced and engineered albums in first three years of my solo career has been realized. The first, titled "This Cocoon", was released March 27th 2009. It is a more personal reflection of my song writing. I have to say I love this album. When I listen to it I really enjoy it - anyone who knows me knows what a stretch that is. I have a super critical ear now that my engineering skills have developed, especially when it comes to my own work. It’s a tribute to my life and emotions during my transition into a solo career - a very intense time. Each song still speaks so clearly to me. I love that most of the songs here are in 3/4 time, and yet they are so different from one another. I love that I got to rock out on guitar on three of the songs (my second love). Then throw in a couple of heart wrenching ballads, and even an upbeat jazzy love song (who knew I could go there?) Each song is a very different entity, And I am finding that to be something I do naturally. Listening to them now is very revealing to me.
The next album is a collection of songs that have taken on new life as I have been performing them around the country acoustically, bringing them back to the roots of how they were written - just me and the piano. Add to that the sound of the djembe (the African drum that has become more and more apart of my musical expression) and the power of the tribe that shared so many amazingly magical nights of music and sparkling energy over so many miles and you have the next album titled "Hand and Hammer" It was released in May 2010. This work reflects the spirit of my life on the road with my duo GBmojo. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to duo partner in GBmojo Bekah Kelso and all the people who allowed us into their lives while we adventured across the country. Those years of touring lifted me to place of strength and trust I have never known. I will thankfully never be the same.
From Love to Love is my latest release, out May of 2012. I am so happy with it. It reflects my heavier rock and rhythmic side. I gave myself full liberty here. I played most of the instruments myself using keyboard samples. It was an amazing journey; from the creation of the fan funding "quest" and the stories that evolved from that (still posted on my blog) to the cathartic release of emotions resulting from grief over a relationship, to the joyous and light filled connection to spirit evolving within me and bursting to come out. I used a wide variety of instrumentation and melodic textures and rhythms. I also explored and expanded my approach vocally. It was very hard work and I loved every minute of it. I also had contributions from some of my closest friends and musical allies; Tabber Millard and Chris Williams on drums, Sj Tucker and Lynda Millard on vocals, and Ben Fenton on Guitar.
There is no part of my music that is not touched by my spirituality. My connection to spirit is not limited to any one path and neither is my music. I recognize the light and power of the universe as unconditional love and you either resist or allow it. One of the most powerful places for me is where music and spirit meet - and sharing it is one of my greatest joys!
GINGER DOSS
TUATHA DEA PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH NIGHTSONG RECORDING STUDIOS
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