MV: Ginger Root – “Ohio”
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Helmet rig fans, this one’s for you.
Earlier this year Ginger Root (fronted by musician Cameron Lew) released his third album Mahjong Room–an album inspired by the chillwave sounds of Toro y Moi and the funk-rock of Vulfpeck. Lew himself defines his music as “aggressive elevator soul”, a term that not only perfectly describes the kind of music that Lew makes, but also one that’s unique enough to stay on your mind. A film editor by day and music performer by night, Lew brings all of his talents together for the music video for “Ohio”, the last track off of Mahjong Room. The song itself is about Lew wanting to move “far away from home after college” and leaving Southern California entirely. It’s a wistful, relaxing song about a notion that’s crossed all of our minds at a certain point in time (especially those of us trying to leave Los Angeles), and it closes out the album with an air of mystery–what’s Lew going to be up to next?
Premiering the video on the GRAMMY website yesterday (yes, the very same organization that gives out those awards), “Ohio” is a testament to both Lew’s music and his innovative filmmaking skills. The 70s-inspired video is draped in yellows and reds and features Lew playing all of the instruments on the song while a camera slowly rotates around him 360°, bringing to mind that famous 360° revolving shot in Brian de Palma’s 1976 film Carrie. At the very end of the video the device that was used to shoot the video is revealed too. A camera is placed on a helmet rig that Lew wears, making for a cooler version of those colorful propeller beanies that were popular back in the day.
It just goes to show that you don’t need an extremely high budget to make a quality video–all you really need is a little bit of inspiration… and a cool helmet rig.
Artist pages: Facebook | Spotify
Li-Wei Chu is the chief editor of From the Intercom. When he’s not editing drafts and searching for new artists to cover for the website, he loves watching cult films, cooking, and listening to his ever-growing collection of vinyl records. You can follow him on LetterBoxd and make fun of his taste in movies here!