The Red and Black

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: COURTESY THE GINGER ENVELOPE Local quintet The Ginger Envelope will release "Edible Orchids" tonight at The 40 Watt. The show begins at 10 and tickets are $5. [Click to enlarge]

Inspiration can strike at the most unlikely moments - while making soup, for example.

While working at Five Star Day Café one morning, local singer Patrick Carey's mind suddenly fixated upon the phrase, "ginger envelope."

"Those words kept rolling around in my head and they stuck," Carey said. "I don't know what it really means. I think it's more about the phonetics and the way it seems to resonate inside of me [than the meaning]."

Thus originated the name of local folk pop band, The Ginger Envelope.

Formed in 2003 by Carey and long-time friend Matt Stoessel, many members of the five-piece band hail from other local projects - including Dark Meat drummer Jason Robira and Venice is Sinking bassist Steve Miller.

Being the youngest band member at 29 years old, Carey credits the band's mental maturity and mindset as a uniting factor.

"We all have a shared world view to a certain degree," he said. "We all realize that the state of the world is what it is and there's not much time to waste your time on petty insecurities and material goods."

These somewhat dark outlooks helped fuel the material for The Ginger Envelope's first full-length album, "Edible Orchids."

"Usually the darkest of moments inspire the most songs," Carey said. "It maybe clichéd by now, but most people I know who are writers agree that when life is going too well, they're not writing too well."

However, such misery isn't sought out.

"It's not to say that we seek chaos and trouble," Carey said. "But at the same time, I've been through a lot of hard years and it's kind of the only coping mechanism I have to hold onto."

Continued...

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