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The Ginger Envelope: A Study In Zen

by Meghan Jones
11/14/2007

A talk with Patrick Carey of Athens’ own The Ginger Envelope would make a listener believe that they are one of those urban band legends for which everything really does come easily. With things like a drummer and a distributor more or less falling into the guys’ laps at the perfect time, the band seems more like a study into the art of “letting it be” more than the usual payoff of long, hard touring. But Carey definitely seems to have paid his dues a bit differently.

“I think patience has been rewarding in certain ways,” he said. “I’ve never been one to push myself and my craft on other people.” Lucky for listeners, everything eventually fell into place.

When Patrick Carey and Matt Stoessel met in a high school art class in 1996, the two had no idea they would be celebrating their band The Ginger Envelope’s Edible Orchids CD release with a big party at the 40 Watt on November 15, 2007. In fact, they did not even know they would form a band until a few years later, after Carey had dropped out of high school and Stoessel had traveled a bit; the two had lived together out in the country for awhile and a drummer "just presented himself."

Carey and Stoessel were friends with the UrboSleeks, a band from the Cajun-college town of Lafayette, La., and the pair sometimes opened shows for them once they moved to Athens. The UrboSleeks’ drummer, Jason Rabira, worked with Carey at Speakeasy, and occasionally he would play drums with Carey and Stoessel.

“After one particular show,” Carey reminisced, “he drunkenly came up and told me he was going to be our drummer. And I said okay. And a week later we were recording stuff. The chemistry’s been there forever since, and we’ll ride it ‘til it dies out... which hopefully it won’t.” He then added, “Kind of the best way to work was for it all to gravitate together; I wouldn’t have gone looking for it otherwise.”

As for history, the band released a five song, self-titled EP in 2004; four songs on Edible Orchids were on that as well. The band had actually intended to sell the EP to fund the rest of their recording, but wound up giving them all away.

“It’d be great to make a living or whatever,” Carey said of the band’s free music policy, “but in these times it doesn’t really operate that way anymore. I derive much more pleasure from people enjoying the music than from paying for it.”

So, somewhat understandably, financial hardship kept the band without a full-length album for a few more years. When they did get into the studio, they recorded the songs in two big chunks with about a year between sessions. However, only ‘very scrutinizing listeners’ would be able to discern any differences between the songs recorded in the first session and those recorded on the second trip back; Carey actually has trouble remembering which are which himself. By the end of production, he said everything sounded pretty seamless.

In yet another Buddhist moment, the title of the album came to the band through a sort of cosmic osmosis as well.

“We were on a trip somewhere playing some shows,” Carey began, “and I’d actually bought some edible flowers and was eating them and asked my band mates if that name seemed suitable, and they agreed. I didn’t really over think it at all, just kind of let it name itself.”

With the elusive and entrancing beauty orchids are known for, they are the perfect namesake for The Ginger Envelope’s alt-country, “I love it so much but can’t put my finger on it,” sound. Their songs tend to be soft, beautiful and unlike anything else you’ve ever heard.

Even though it had taken a few years to get their full-length album ready for the public, Carey did not spend too much time shopping it around because the band was already back in the studio recording their next album.

“I was anxious to record the next batch of music while it was still fresh,” Carey said.

The band has the luxury of letting someone else do some of the selling for them, since Edible Orchids is being sold on One Percent Press, an independent, DIY comic and record distributor.

“They got in touch with us and really wanted to put out the album,” Carey said of the label. “It just happened really easily, and kind of all at the right time.”

Hopefully the guys will manage to make some money for themselves off of this album (as opposed to giving them all away,) since they are trying to get more mobile before the release of album number two, and a few things would definitely come in handy.

“It’s not so much that we don’t like touring as much as we don’t have a van; my transportation [is] my boots,” Carey said. Nonetheless, they have been up to New York and down to New Orleans, as well as doing some regional things in the Carolinas when they got the chance.

Provided that the band does attain some sort of tour vehicle, no one should expect ‘driving back and forth across the country repetitively and stopping in every small town along the way.’

“Three-fifths of the band have live-in lovers, and we all have jobs with nothing to fall back on,” Carey said. “That doesn’t really fit into anyone’s agenda right now as much as short jaunts to nicer cities. We don’t want to go up for a one-off thing, but we want to make it worth our while.”

The Ginger Envelope would definitely like to get overseas eventually, with Holland and Belgium at the top of their wish list. Stateside, they have lots of friends in the Midwest and Chicago, as well as in New York, that have been trying to get them up there.

Despite any sort of notoriety The Ginger Envelope has received, especially as of late – Carey was headed off to do his fourth interview in two days after Athens Exchange met with him – he remains soft-spoken, sweet and genuinely taken aback by the band’s success.

“Really, I’m just grateful and honored that people enjoy and derive good feelings from [our music]; it makes me feel very fortunate. Reminds me that what I’m here to do isn’t always a lost cause,” Carey said modestly.
The Ginger Envelope CD release party is this Thursday, November 15, right in the middle of fall, Carey’s favorite season. And the music does indeed evoke images of burnt autumn leaves, smoke wafts from chimneys and those sideways sunny early fall mornings.

“Once the heat rises and lifts off everybody it’s time to reflect and move forward and a lot of that record has those feelings wrapped up in it,” Carey concluded.

The show is at the 40 Watt, and cover is eight bucks at the door. But you’ll get a lot of bang for a few bucks - everyone gets a free copy of the record on the way in, so it is technically five dollars for the show and three for the CD. Venice Is Sinking is opening, and the show will be two sets: the first will be the whole record, and the second will be newer stuff. They might even throw in a few covers or something.

“We’re just more excited for the celebration of it all,” Carey said. “It’s exciting for us to have a party with all of our friends there.”

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