Chad I Ginsburg

Chad I Ginsburg (born April 24, 1972), also credited as CiG, is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and replacement vocalist of West Chester-based band CKY, which he co-founded in 1998. Prior to CKY, Ginsburg performed in the rock band Rudy & Blitz, and in July 2015, released his debut solo album Rock n Roll Alibis.

Chad I Ginsburg
Ginsburg performing with CKY in 2009
Background information
Also known asCiG
Born (1972-04-24) April 24, 1972
New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OriginWest Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • keyboards
  • bass
Years active1993–present
Labels
  • Generation Overdone
  • Distant
Associated acts
Websitecigmusic.com

Early life

Ginsburg began playing guitar at the age of nine years, having previously played the drums.[1] He won his first guitar from a radio station, and later bought an Ibanez guitar based on Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen's model, which he says was eventually broken by a friend and sold.[1] After initially taking lessons from a number of local instructors, Ginsburg later studied with Richie Kotzen.[1] As a guitarist, Ginsburg draws inspiration from former teacher Kotzen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen; he has also indicated an affection for the band Black Sabbath.[1]

Career

1993–1998: Early career and Rudy & Blitz

Prior to joining CKY, Ginsburg played in the band Rudy & Blitz, as well as "several other bands [he] could care less about".[1] The group signed to Ruffhouse Records, a sub-label of Columbia Records, in 1995,[1] but were allegedly neglected by the label in favour of other acts, with Ginsburg claiming in 1996 that "Our record has been held up for a really long time ... [it] fuckin' rules and they won't release it. They owe us a lot of money, and a couple vacations."[2] Ruffhouse co-owner Joe Nicolo somewhat backed up the guitarist's claims, alleging that while Ruffhouse intended to release the record, it was held up by executives at parent label Columbia, who instead wanted to release it through independent label Contract Recordings.[2] The album, Reverb on the Click, was eventually released by Ginsburg's own labels years later.[3]

1998–2011: Mainstream recognition with CKY
Ginsburg on stage with CKY in 2009

Ginsburg first met Deron Miller and Jess Margera when the duo began working on the first CKY album (under the band name Oil) at a local studio at which he was working as an engineer at the time.[4] Completing the band's lineup in 1998, he performed guitar and bass on Volume 1, and was also credited for the album's production, recording, engineering, and mixing.[5] The guitarist subsequently led production on every CKY album.[6][7][8]

During the filming of the music video for the song "Escape from Hellview", Ginsburg took part in a stunt which reportedly almost killed him. In the song, there is a lyric which reads "I'm on the loose with my neck in the noose/But hey, I enjoy the intense", which the band decided to match with a visual of the guitarist hanging from a tree in a noose; however, the knot was not tied securely enough, and Ginsburg claims he "hung there for close to a minute" and "passed out ten seconds in".[9]

After a show in St. Louis, Missouri in 2007, Ginsburg reportedly had an altercation with Miller in the tour bus, after which he claimed the frontman had left the band.[10] Miller responded with claims to the contrary, while Ginsburg proposed that he would continue CKY with Margera.[10]

Also in 2007, Ginsburg mixed the album Chapter Two by Viking Skull, a band featuring CKY member Jess Margera, and also performed additional guitar on "The Hidden Flame".[11] He later produced the follow-up album Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey, released in 2008.[12]

2011–2016: CKY tensions and solo album
Ginsburg briefly performed in Bam Margera's band Fuckface Unstoppable.

In 2011, Ginsburg was reportedly the source of what Metal Insider writer Zach Shaw described as a "high point of tension", as he disagreed with the idea of each band member recording separate solo albums, instead favouring the traditional option of producing another CKY album together.[13] In response, Miller claimed that the guitarist had officially left the band, and that he would be following suit, leaving the continued future of the group in doubt.[13] Ginsburg, along with Margera and bassist Matt "Matty J" Janaitis, later returned as CKY in 2012 with Year Long Disaster frontman Daniel Davies in place of Miller.[14] This lineup (with Matt Deis in place of Janaitis) later reunited in 2015, following another split with Miller.[15]

Bam Margera later enlisted Ginsburg for his musical project Fuckface Unstoppable, although in January 2013 it was announced that the guitarist had officially left the band, claiming that he couldn't "witness or enable the downward spiral of [his] long time friends anymore".[16] Further information regarding the departure later emerged, including a blog kept by the tour manager detailing "drug and alcohol fueled antics" which convinced Ginsburg to leave the group.[17]

In June 2015, after many months teasing the news, Ginsburg announced that he would be releasing his debut solo album, Rock n Roll Alibis, on July 7, 2015.[18][19] The album was written, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Ginsburg, and released by his own label, Generation Overdone Records.[20] He later went on tour to promote the album, enlisting the services of bassist Ronnie Elvis James and drummer Dennis Morehouse to complete the touring lineup of CiG.[21] Ginsburg has since revealed that the next album will feature a full band lineup.[22]

2016–present: Fronting the reformed CKY

In May 2016, it was confirmed that Ginsburg would be continuing CKY with Margera and Deis, with the guitarist also replacing original frontman Miller on lead vocals.[23] The new three-piece lineup performed for the first time at the Random Hero Festival (in honour of deceased CKY Crew member Ryan Dunn) in Cleveland, Ohio in June, and later recorded a new studio album in July at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California in July.[23] The band released its fifth album The Phoenix in June 2017.[24]

Equipment

Speaking in an interview with Guitar.com in 2002, Ginsburg noted that his equipment consisted of Ibanez guitars, a Mesa Boogie head, a Prophecy preamp, a Cry Baby rack and "random floor stomp pedals".[1] Interviewer John Ferrante described his guitar tone as "very distinct", claiming that it "sounds like [he uses] a harmonizer".[1] The liner notes of Rock n Roll Alibis state that Ginsburg uses ESP and PRS guitars, Orange amplifiers, Dunlop and Creepy Fingers pedals, and d'Addario strings.[25]

Discography
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References
  1. Ferrante, John. "10 Questions with Chad Ginsburg of CKY". Guitar.com. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  2. Detweiler, Margit (July 4, 1996). "Grrrrr..." Philadelphia City Paper. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  3. "Reverb on the Click by Rudy & Blitz". iTunes. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  4. Prato, Greg. "CKY Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  5. Volume 1 (Media notes). Camp Kill Yourself. Distant Recordings/Teil Martin International. 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild (Media notes). Camp Kill Yourself. Island Records. 2002.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. An Answer Can Be Found (Media notes). Camp Kill Yourself. Island Records. 2005.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Carver City (Media notes). Camp Kill Yourself. Roadrunner Records. 2009.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. Widerhorn, Jon (September 10, 2002). "'Jackass' Band CKY Hang Guitarist, Denounce Hives, Strokes". MTV. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  10. "Drama insues [sic] inside of CKY, band fight breaks out". Metal Injection. October 22, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  11. "Viking Skull: New Album Title Announced". Blabbermouth.net. May 22, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  12. "Viking Skull: Two New Songs Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. October 11, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  13. Shaw, Zach (August 2, 2011). "Shall We Wish CKY R.I.P. Now Or Later?". Metal Insider. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  14. Shaw, Zach (March 19, 2012). "CKY Replaces Deron Miller With Year Long Disaster's Daniel Davies". Metal Insider. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  15. wookubus (April 17, 2015). "CKY Confirm The Return Of Daniel Davies For 'Amnesia Rockfest'". Theprp.com. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  16. wookubus (February 1, 2013). "CKY's Chad I Ginsburg Exits Fuckface Unstoppable, Says He "Can't Witness Or Enable The Downward Spiral Of My Long Time Friends Any More"". Theprp.com. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  17. wookubus (February 13, 2013). "Drug-Fueled Details Emerge Regarding CKY Guitarist Chad I Ginsburg's Exit From Fuckface Unstoppable". Theprp.com. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  18. "Chad I Ginsburg (CKY) To Launch New Solo Project CiG, Shares His 'Interrogation'". Theprp.com. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  19. Rowe, Riley (June 5, 2015). "CKY Guitarist To Release Solo Album 'Rock N Roll Alibis'". AlternativeNation.net. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  20. "CiG/Rock n Roll Alibis". Bandcamp. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  21. Ginsburg, Chad I (August 1, 2015). "Ladies and gentlemen meet my band! ..." Instagram. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  22. Gomez, Adrian (August 28, 2015). "'Straight-up rock': Chad Ginsburg releases a solo effort and plays at Launchpad". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  23. "Cky To Enter The Studio For New Album In July". Theprp.com. May 27, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  24. Trapp, Philip (May 1, 2017). "CKY release first new song in 8 years, "Days Of Self Destruction"—listen". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  25. Rock n Roll Alibis (Media notes). CiG. Generation Overdone Records. 2015.CS1 maint: others (link)
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