Photo from Kicka Witte
About three years ago, Ginai recorded a song she wrote called Endless Christmas. Thinking it would make a great title for an album, she produced a six-song EP. Only, instead of selling the CD, she gave it away as gifts and stocking stuffers.
One night, while performing and giving away her EP at Gordon Biersch, she remembers someone in the audience saying, “She’s crazy.”
Strange, yes, for a musician to simply give away her music, but not entirely out of the question for those who may know Ginai and her generous spirit — it only takes a moment to feel like you’ve been lifelong friends.
It did get her thinking, though, about why she wanted to complete a Christmas album in the first place.
“This is something that will stand in testimony of my artistry year after year. What do I want it to say?” she muses. “I wanted it to say that I love family and I love friends.”
This couldn’t be any more obvious with her finished 14-track album, Endless Christmas, released just in time for the holidays.
Fans will hear memorable classics such as Jingle Bells and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sung with local musicians Willie K, Jordan Segundo, Dita Holifield and many others. The collaborations, she says, are the result of friendships with artists in the industry who mean a lot to her.
“There’s so many more out there I didn’t get to include,” she says.
Also on the album are four songs written by Ginai, who appeared on MidWeek‘s March 3, 2006, cover. One in particular, Who Threw Santa Claus Under the Bus, is her response to the secularization of Christmas.
“Who Threw Santa Claus Under the Bus takes a stab at all the different aspects of society, where our Christian selves are being undermined and society itself is being undermined,” she explains.
The song features a narrative with notable Little Richard impersonator Garry Moore playing the role of Papa, and Ginai’s son Aidan providing vocals for Boy. Patrick Von Wiegandt and Shari Lynn also lend their talents as Santa and Teacher, respectively.
It is an eclectic album that showcases Ginai’s vocals in a mix of both classic and contemporary favorites, done in an array of musical stylings.
“Musically speaking, I really wanted to experience as many musical styles and genres as I could,” she says.
Her ability to seamlessly meld genres is a talent she has cultivated in her more than 35 years as a singer and entertainer. And while others may see her many different forays as negative or unfocused, Ginai thinks otherwise.
“To me, if you’re not experiencing everything that you can in this one lifetime, then you’re wasting this one lifetime,” she says.
For more information on Ginai and updates on performances and more, visit ginai.com or find her on Facebook.