The Ginger Ninjas
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The Ginger Ninjas

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"Happy Fan"

“Joys of sounds through eustachian tubes
Cochlea shaking with pleasure
That was one good show”
- I Dig.


"A Convenient Truth: Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour Advances ‘Ecological Amplification’"

A new approach to energy conservation by bands on the road is being pioneered even as this is written, and it could hardly be more back-to-basics and environmentally friendly. How practical it is for others on the road is a whole other question. But we digress.

On Halloween 2007, the indie rock bands Ginger Ninjas and SHAKE YOUR PEACE! launched The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour in North San Juan, CA. From the Sierra Nevada mountains through southern California, into Baja and eventually Mexico City, the team has played shows, recorded music with local musicians, and advocated a leapfrog-style transition to sustainable transportation.

During shows, two guitars, two vocal microphones and the bass are amplified through the portable audio system, which includes two JBL PRX512M loudspeakers halfway between the drummer and the two singers up front. To power the system itself, four Xtracycle bikes (elongated bicycles for extra carrying capacity) are set up in the air on kickstands, allowing the wheels to spin freely and turn a generator (a small DC motor run in reverse). The generator in turn goes into a capacitor to control the voltage. An indicator on the handlebars tells the "riders" (always volunteers from the audience) whether to pedal harder, cruise, or stop. The four capacitors feed a high-quality inverter, into which an eight-channel mixer and the two PRX512M loudspeakers are plugged, creating a 1,000-watt, portable, human-powered sound system.

The entire system is packed onto the Xtracycles for transportation between shows, a task that requires an optimal combination of power and light weight from the audio components. "When you are a traveling bike band, you also want music on the road," said Kipchoge Spencer, lead singer of the Ginger Ninjas, co-founder of Xtracycle and organizer of The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour. "So I'm carrying one of the PRX512M speakers on the rear deck of my Xtracycle. With an iPod and a lightweight lithium phosphate battery [charged by a 26-watt folding Brunton solar panel], we have a 500-watt 'soul cycle' with amazing thump and brilliant attitude."

Although Spencer did not anticipate audiences to be larger than 300 people, crowd sizes have often reached 500. "The tour has been amazing so far, so much so that we extended it for a few more months," Spencer says. "We've been playing some really great shows, some planned but many just impromptu in the town plazas."

According to Spencer, the power efficiency of the PRX512M loudspeakers has contributed significantly to the success of the tour. "The PRX loudspeakers are the only speakers in the world that I'm aware of that could make this system possible," Spencer added. "Not only are they light, but the built-in amplification is efficient enough to make good use of our limited amount of human power. And they sound amazing. The hyper-efficient digital amplifier puts them in a class by themselves when it comes to ecological amplification. Whether or not you're a self-propelled bicycle road show, you should be using these speakers if you care about saving energy."

When asked about venturing beyond California and Mexico, Kipchoge replies, "I am hoping that we’ll make it to the East Coast before long, but don’t wait for us to get there to get yourself an Xtracycle lifestyle alteration!"

More information on The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour is available at www.pleasantrevolution.net.

- By Travis McGee


"Album Review"

"I like very much the idiosyncratic approach to self expression, and the raw sincerity of it. And the humor. And the commitment to some positivist future, at least implied, though vaguely stated. A beautiful piece of work. " - Horse Creek


"Band Review/Interview Inglese"

Riding to Mexico City

MERETRICES LITTERARY MAGAZINE

By Arturo Garcia

CHAPALA, JALISCO. The rock group Ginger Ninjas is passing through Lake Chapala on a 5,000 mile journey from the Sierras of Northern California to the jungles of Chiapas, visiting our entire country and giving hundreds of shows along the way with their bike powered energy source. Yesterday, Saturday February 16th, this activist/pacifist band gave a free concert at the Fuente de los Pescadores del Malecon (Fishermen's Fountain at the Pier). The Director of the Cultural Office of the Municipality of Chapala, Sergio Unzueta, in coordination with the Office of Culture of the State of Jalisco, introduced the band within the framework of the "Chapala Vivo" festival.
The Gig

The afternoon air is clean. The pier proudly boasts its new glittering stone pavement. In spite of its polluted green color, the lake seems closer to us. Its waters now bathe the sandy beach which, for those of us who grew up along its shores, used to symbolize the vast enclave of conformity. In the distance, a sailing boat is having a love affair with the waves dancing to the rhythm of the music coming from Fishermen's Fountain. The sun is setting, and when it finally hides a magnificent palette of colors and golden shades opens before our eyes. This afternoon, lake Chapala is more alive than ever. There is a spark of life that bursts from the palm trees and the willows that flank the Fountain . The three North American Flags are waving with the breeze flowing through the material souls of the cello, the drums, the microphones, the speakers and the bicycles that surround us. Peace reigns. The relaxed spectators take their places close to the band members which are now starting to warm up their bicycles and their instruments. And there I am with my two sons, right in front of the stage, waiting to hear what would be one of the best concerts of my life.




The Ginger Ninjas & Cello-Joe from <Shake Your Peace.>

This Rock/Funk/Experimental group calls itself the Ginger Ninjas. No matter that my knowledge of music is rather limited, what truly matters is that nothing can possibly distract me when I listen to Cello Joe play and sing by himself; his music brings joy and inspiration. Cello Joe is a very cool and extremely talented young man, who graduated from the Berkeley University School of Music. His attire is casual, he wears huaraches as sandals and as a headpiece he is using a piñata in the shape of Disney's famous donkey, Eeyore. His message is captivating. In a somewhat funny Spanish, accompanied by the sounds of his instrument, Cello Joe involves us in a totally creational and recreational atmosphere in which the message is "get rid of cars/ride a bicycle/take care of the environment". The crowd is moved when, in favorable terms, he compares Mexico to the United States and launches an appeal to open peoples' awareness so that they do not make the same mistakes as their neighbor from the North, where oil is the centerpiece of the engines of mobility.

Eco: a seductive voice honoring her name.
Eco Lopez is the very soul of the band. Her voice seduces us evoking the softness and the sensuality of the soul; a mixture of Gustafson, O'Riordan and Torroja. Highs and lows, whisperings to the microphone. I quiver in astonishment when listening to the lyrics of "Total Believer", sung in a perfect and harmonious duet with Kipchoge. Kiss me if you like/Kiss me if you like. The words we hear are transformed into a spiral of invocations to the angels and deities of The Song of Solomon. Eco, who is from Uruguay, has been with the band for two years and, riding atop her "Squash" as she calls her Xtracycle Sport Utility Bicycle which is equipped with a sort of rack in the back capable of carrying up to 100 lbs of weight, she travels with the group accompanied by her copilot, "Thing 1", the doll from the Dr. Seuss' series. "He is my inspiration" she says, "Thing 1 goes with me everywhere, he gives me courage when I am riding". "Look at him! Poor guy, he looks so dirty, but he is so happy!"
Kipchoge: An Ideal pushed by a bicycle in support of a "Pleasant Revolution".
Kipchoge is the leader of this Cycling/Rocking/Activist band; his hit "Dick Cheney" distinguishes him as a rocker hungry for change, promoting love and an environmentally conscious eco-friendly lifestyle as his banners. But Kipchoge is more than that. He is an idealist, a peaceful revolutionary who uses music both as his attack weapon and as his defense armor. It is no easy task selling the idea of leaving everything behind in order to travel an entire country by bicycle opening up peoples' minds while trying to survive from concerts. Nonetheless, his idea became an ideal which sprung to life this bicycle tour that is leaving its footprint everywhere it goes. Kipchoge talks very seriously about his endeavor and in a very clear Spanish he tells me: "You should use your b - By Arturo Garcia


"Satisfied Promoter"

“I just wanted to drop you all a note of thanks for playing at the Berkeley Critical Mass 10th Anniversary Party that I hosted. You guys were fantastic!! Many many people have looked me up in the last few days and told me how great they thought the music was.” - My Party


"Top 5 Albums of 2003"

For the album "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" - KVMR, Nevada City


"New Album Love"

I got your album and it is sooooooo good! I was listening in my car and i did not want to get out when I arrived home -- I had to keep listening -- My favorites are Vitamen L and also the poem -- how much do i care about peace --- There is a new radio station in truckee that plays cool music and between 11:30 and 1:30 They are going to play both of these songs -- i brought it into them! They loved it! - Marc the Fan


"Satisfied Promoter"

“I just wanted to drop you all a note of thanks for playing at the Berkeley Critical Mass 10th Anniversary Party that I hosted. You guys were fantastic!! Many many people have looked me up in the last few days and told me how great they thought the music was.” - My Party


"Band Review & Interview(Espanol)"

Ginger Ninjas: “Una Revolución Agradable”

Por Arturo García

Revista Literaria Meretrices

17-02-2008

CHAPALA, JAL. La agrupación musical, Ginger Ninjas se encuentra de paso por la Ribera del Lago Chapala en su trayectoria hacia Chiapas, en lo que será una travesía de más de 8,000 Km. a lo largo del país y un centenar de tocadas generadas por el pedaleo de sus bicicletas; desde la Sierra de California hasta la jungla de Chiapas. Ayer, sábado, 16 de febrero, el grupo musical pacifista/activista se presentó en la Fuente de los Pescadores del Malecón, donde dio un concierto abierto al público. Sergio Unzueta, director del departamento de Cultura del Municipio de Chapala, en marco del festival “Chapala Vivo”, tuvo a bien presentar al grupo en coordinación con la dirección de Cultura del Estado.

The Gig

La tarde es limpia. El malecón de Chapala luce su nuevo traje de adoquín plateado. El lago, aunque verdoso por la contaminación, está cerca. Ahora besa la playa que otrora fuera la gran terraza de la conformidad de los que hemos crecido a su lado. A lo lejos, un velero copula con sus aguas al ritmo de la música que viene de la Fuente de Pescadores. El sol cae, se esconde para dar paso a un hermoso paisaje de albores y colores ocres. Esta tarde, Chapala está más vivo que de costumbre. Hay una chispa de vida que descolla entre las palmas y los sauces que flanquean la fuente. Las tres banderas de América del Norte ondean sobre la brisa que un cello, una batería, micrófonos, bocinas y bicicletas reciben en su alma de materia. Hay paz. Hay una concurrencia des-estresada que se sienta alrededor de la banda que ahora empieza a calentar en bicicletas y en los instrumentos. Ahí estoy también yo con mis dos hijos, al frente del escenario, esperando lo que habría de ser uno de los mejores conciertos de mi vida.

Ginger Ninjas y Cello-Joe de <Shake Your Peace.>

Se hacen llamar Ginger Ninjas, un grupo de Rock/Folkfunk/experimental/et al. Yo sé muy poco de música pero esto no importa, lo que importa es que no hay nada que me distraiga al estar escuchando a Cello-Joe tocar y cantar un solo; música para disfrutar y para reflexionar. Cello Joe es un joven muy cool y muy talentoso, egresado de la escuela de música de la Universidad de Berkley, Joey pisa el suelo con huaraches, viste casual y en la cabeza, trae puesto, como gorro, la cabeza de una piñata en forma de Eeyore, el famoso burro de Disney. Su mensaje cautiva. En un español muy simpático, acompañado de los sonidos que genera con su instrumento, nos mete en un ambiente totalmente creativo y recreativo donde el mensaje es “deshacerse de los carros/andar en bicicleta/cuidar el medio ambiente”. La multitud se emociona al comparar de manera favorable a México con Estados Unidos y llamando a la conciencia de la gente; de no caer en los mismos errores del país vecino del norte, donde los engranes de la movilidad giran a base de gasolina.

Eco: Voz seductora que hace fama a su nombre.

Eco López es el alma de la banda. Su voz seduce, evoca la suavidad y el sentido sensual del alma; una mezcal entre Gustafson, O’Riordan y Torroja. Altos, bajos, susurros en el micrófono; su voz hace que me estremezca encerrado en el claustro de mi perplejidad al escuchar entonar la letra de “Total Believer”, haciendo un dueto perfecto y armónico con Kipchoge. Kiss me if you like/Kiss me if you like. La palabra convertida en un mágico espiral de evocaciones a los ángeles o a las deidades de Cantar de Cantares es escuchada. Eco es uruguaya, tiene dos años que se unió a la banda y, montada en “La Calabaza” como ella llama a su bicicleta, una Xtracycle Sport Utility Bike (SUB), la cual tiene una especie de carlinga en la parte de atrás con capacidad para cargar hasta cincuenta kilogramos de peso, Eco viaja en compañía de su copiloto, Cosa 1, el muñeco de la serie del Dr. Seuss. “Él es mi inspiración. Thing 1 va conmigo a todos lados, él es quien me da valor cuando voy montando. Míralo, que sucio está el pobre, ¡pero qué feliz!”

Kipchoge: Un Ideal en Bicicleta Detrás de una “Revolución Placentera”

Kipchoge es el líder de la banda de bicicleteros/rockeros/activistas; su hit “Dick Cheney” lo distingue como un rockero hambriento de cambio, profesa el amor como un estilo de vida, el ambientalismo eco-amigable es una de sus banderas. Pero Kipchoge es más que eso. Él es un idealista. Un revolucionario pacifista; un revolucionario que utiliza la música como arma de ataque y como armadura de defensa. No es tarea fácil vender la idea de dejar todo para irse a viajar por todo un país en bicicleta, concientizando mentes mientras se vive de las tocadas. Sin embargo, la idea se convirtió en ideal y nació entonces el tour ciclista que va dejando huella por cada lugar que pasa. Kipchoge habla con seriedad de su empresa y en un español bien claro me dice, “debes utilizar más tu bicicleta, puedes empezar por hacerlo de tu oficina a tu casa”. Yo piens - Arturo García


"Band Review & Interview(Espanol)"

Ginger Ninjas: “Una Revolución Agradable”

Por Arturo García

Revista Literaria Meretrices

17-02-2008

CHAPALA, JAL. La agrupación musical, Ginger Ninjas se encuentra de paso por la Ribera del Lago Chapala en su trayectoria hacia Chiapas, en lo que será una travesía de más de 8,000 Km. a lo largo del país y un centenar de tocadas generadas por el pedaleo de sus bicicletas; desde la Sierra de California hasta la jungla de Chiapas. Ayer, sábado, 16 de febrero, el grupo musical pacifista/activista se presentó en la Fuente de los Pescadores del Malecón, donde dio un concierto abierto al público. Sergio Unzueta, director del departamento de Cultura del Municipio de Chapala, en marco del festival “Chapala Vivo”, tuvo a bien presentar al grupo en coordinación con la dirección de Cultura del Estado.

The Gig

La tarde es limpia. El malecón de Chapala luce su nuevo traje de adoquín plateado. El lago, aunque verdoso por la contaminación, está cerca. Ahora besa la playa que otrora fuera la gran terraza de la conformidad de los que hemos crecido a su lado. A lo lejos, un velero copula con sus aguas al ritmo de la música que viene de la Fuente de Pescadores. El sol cae, se esconde para dar paso a un hermoso paisaje de albores y colores ocres. Esta tarde, Chapala está más vivo que de costumbre. Hay una chispa de vida que descolla entre las palmas y los sauces que flanquean la fuente. Las tres banderas de América del Norte ondean sobre la brisa que un cello, una batería, micrófonos, bocinas y bicicletas reciben en su alma de materia. Hay paz. Hay una concurrencia des-estresada que se sienta alrededor de la banda que ahora empieza a calentar en bicicletas y en los instrumentos. Ahí estoy también yo con mis dos hijos, al frente del escenario, esperando lo que habría de ser uno de los mejores conciertos de mi vida.

Ginger Ninjas y Cello-Joe de <Shake Your Peace.>

Se hacen llamar Ginger Ninjas, un grupo de Rock/Folkfunk/experimental/et al. Yo sé muy poco de música pero esto no importa, lo que importa es que no hay nada que me distraiga al estar escuchando a Cello-Joe tocar y cantar un solo; música para disfrutar y para reflexionar. Cello Joe es un joven muy cool y muy talentoso, egresado de la escuela de música de la Universidad de Berkley, Joey pisa el suelo con huaraches, viste casual y en la cabeza, trae puesto, como gorro, la cabeza de una piñata en forma de Eeyore, el famoso burro de Disney. Su mensaje cautiva. En un español muy simpático, acompañado de los sonidos que genera con su instrumento, nos mete en un ambiente totalmente creativo y recreativo donde el mensaje es “deshacerse de los carros/andar en bicicleta/cuidar el medio ambiente”. La multitud se emociona al comparar de manera favorable a México con Estados Unidos y llamando a la conciencia de la gente; de no caer en los mismos errores del país vecino del norte, donde los engranes de la movilidad giran a base de gasolina.

Eco: Voz seductora que hace fama a su nombre.

Eco López es el alma de la banda. Su voz seduce, evoca la suavidad y el sentido sensual del alma; una mezcal entre Gustafson, O’Riordan y Torroja. Altos, bajos, susurros en el micrófono; su voz hace que me estremezca encerrado en el claustro de mi perplejidad al escuchar entonar la letra de “Total Believer”, haciendo un dueto perfecto y armónico con Kipchoge. Kiss me if you like/Kiss me if you like. La palabra convertida en un mágico espiral de evocaciones a los ángeles o a las deidades de Cantar de Cantares es escuchada. Eco es uruguaya, tiene dos años que se unió a la banda y, montada en “La Calabaza” como ella llama a su bicicleta, una Xtracycle Sport Utility Bike (SUB), la cual tiene una especie de carlinga en la parte de atrás con capacidad para cargar hasta cincuenta kilogramos de peso, Eco viaja en compañía de su copiloto, Cosa 1, el muñeco de la serie del Dr. Seuss. “Él es mi inspiración. Thing 1 va conmigo a todos lados, él es quien me da valor cuando voy montando. Míralo, que sucio está el pobre, ¡pero qué feliz!”

Kipchoge: Un Ideal en Bicicleta Detrás de una “Revolución Placentera”

Kipchoge es el líder de la banda de bicicleteros/rockeros/activistas; su hit “Dick Cheney” lo distingue como un rockero hambriento de cambio, profesa el amor como un estilo de vida, el ambientalismo eco-amigable es una de sus banderas. Pero Kipchoge es más que eso. Él es un idealista. Un revolucionario pacifista; un revolucionario que utiliza la música como arma de ataque y como armadura de defensa. No es tarea fácil vender la idea de dejar todo para irse a viajar por todo un país en bicicleta, concientizando mentes mientras se vive de las tocadas. Sin embargo, la idea se convirtió en ideal y nació entonces el tour ciclista que va dejando huella por cada lugar que pasa. Kipchoge habla con seriedad de su empresa y en un español bien claro me dice, “debes utilizar más tu bicicleta, puedes empezar por hacerlo de tu oficina a tu casa”. Yo piens - Arturo García


"Stanford Magazine Review"

Spinning Tunes

Kipchoge Spencer was somewhere in Mexico, and so
was I. We had that going for us. But other than know-
ing that Spencer, ’96, and his rock band, the Ginger
Ninjas, were riding bicycles across the state of Jalisco,
I was clueless, and attempts to learn more—text mes-
sages sent, blogs scrutinized, a publicist interrogated
by cell phone—hadn’t produced any concrete leads. I
hired a taxi in Guadalajara. The driver took me four
hours west to the town of Mascota. No Ninjas. I
reached for my phone once again and then had a bet-
ter idea: rolling down the taxi window, I waved to a
passerby. “¿Visto usted los gringos en bicicletas?” I asked.
“Si,” he responded, pointing straight ahead. Two min-
utes later I was shaking hands with Spencer.
The Ginger Ninjas—Spencer, singer/guitarist Eco
Lopez and drummer Brock Wollard—and an entou-
rage of a dozen riders were lounging in Mascota’s
central plaza. A small group of Mexicans strolled by,
some glancing discreetly, some gaping. The Ninjas
had forgone many of the usual trappings of a rock
band on tour, most notably the tour bus. The band
was traveling 5,000 miles, from Northern California
to southern Mexico, entirely by bike. Starting last
November, the group had cycled for three months
down the Sierra and across the Central Valley; atop
the bluffs of the Central Coast and through the
sprawl of Los Angeles; along the beaches of Baja, and
now to mountainous Jalisco, 600 miles south of the
U.S. border. The final destination was the jungle of
Chiapas, near Guatemala.
With concerns about climate change escalating,
it was perhaps inevitable that musicians would get in
on the carbon-mitigation act. The Rolling Stones and
Coldplay purchase offsets; Korn and the Dave Mat-
thews Band tour in biodiesel-fueled buses. It is one
thing, however, to trim emissions and another to elim-
inate them almost entirely, as the Ninjas have done.
Theirs is possibly the world’s first self-supported bicy-
cle tour by a rock band. The tour name is The Pleasant
Revolution, which Spencer calls the ultimate experiment
in “environmentally sustainable rock ’n’ roll.”
As I assembled my bike so that I could ride along
for a few days, the band was having a discussion.
“Who called this meeting, anyway?” Spencer asked.
“I did,” said Wollard, who was wearing a bright
dashiki over Hawaiian shorts. (He had been hired,
via craigslist in San Diego, after a disagree-
ment with the group’s previous percussion-
ists—“they insisting on LSD as their way to
learn the songs, us insisting on practice,”
Spencer explained in an e-mail to friends.)
“Okay, what would you like to talk about?”
“I would like to know, first of all, where
the hell are we going?”
The question was not uncommon. The
itinerary called for heading to Guadalajara,
but, as was often the case, an intriguing detour
had presented itself. In Talpa de Allende, an
isolated mountain pueblo, Catholic pilgrims
from hundreds of miles around were gather-
ing for a festival. It commemorated a 17th-
century, papally recognized miracle involving
a decaying statuette of the Virgin Mary that
had been struck by a bolt of lightning and
made new. Thousands of people would be in
Talpa to eat, drink, pray and celebrate. After
a short discussion, the band members decided that
they should go, too.
Pedestrians gawked as the two-wheeler caravan
left Mascota on a cobbled road. The bikes were bur-
dened with camping gear, clothing and musical equip-
ment. Wollard toted a full drum kit. Joey Chang, a
guest musician with the band, biked with a cello,
which, I found out later, he could play while simulta-
neously rapping and beat-boxing. (His weren’t the
only curious talents—entourage member Toby Rob-
inson was a veteran of international footbag and rock-
paper-scissors competitions.) Bear Dyken, another
rider, pedaled up beside me and pointed down at his
ride. “We have the kitchen, the bedroom, the music
studio and the exercise gym all in one,” he said.
We turned onto a rutted dirt track. As it snaked
upward into piney mountains, the convoy spread
apart, and I rode with Spencer. Since graduating
from Stanford with a degree from the interdisciplin-
ary earth systems program, he has been a man of
many vocations—musician, white-water rafting
guide, television star (he was on MTV’s The Reality
Show, in which he demonstrated environmentally
sustainable living) and entrepreneur. In 1998, he and
another Stanford graduate, Ross Evans, ’97, founded
Xtracycle, which makes kits that extend the rear
wheel of a bike to add cargo bags and a small wooden
platform. The carrying capacity is up to 150 pounds,
and most of the riders on the tour were equipped
with Xtracycles.
Spencer’s home is an off-the-grid retreat in the
mountains north of Nevada City, Calif.; he humor-
ously refers to hims - by James Vlahos


"Stanford Magazine Review"

Spinning Tunes

Kipchoge Spencer was somewhere in Mexico, and so
was I. We had that going for us. But other than know-
ing that Spencer, ’96, and his rock band, the Ginger
Ninjas, were riding bicycles across the state of Jalisco,
I was clueless, and attempts to learn more—text mes-
sages sent, blogs scrutinized, a publicist interrogated
by cell phone—hadn’t produced any concrete leads. I
hired a taxi in Guadalajara. The driver took me four
hours west to the town of Mascota. No Ninjas. I
reached for my phone once again and then had a bet-
ter idea: rolling down the taxi window, I waved to a
passerby. “¿Visto usted los gringos en bicicletas?” I asked.
“Si,” he responded, pointing straight ahead. Two min-
utes later I was shaking hands with Spencer.
The Ginger Ninjas—Spencer, singer/guitarist Eco
Lopez and drummer Brock Wollard—and an entou-
rage of a dozen riders were lounging in Mascota’s
central plaza. A small group of Mexicans strolled by,
some glancing discreetly, some gaping. The Ninjas
had forgone many of the usual trappings of a rock
band on tour, most notably the tour bus. The band
was traveling 5,000 miles, from Northern California
to southern Mexico, entirely by bike. Starting last
November, the group had cycled for three months
down the Sierra and across the Central Valley; atop
the bluffs of the Central Coast and through the
sprawl of Los Angeles; along the beaches of Baja, and
now to mountainous Jalisco, 600 miles south of the
U.S. border. The final destination was the jungle of
Chiapas, near Guatemala.
With concerns about climate change escalating,
it was perhaps inevitable that musicians would get in
on the carbon-mitigation act. The Rolling Stones and
Coldplay purchase offsets; Korn and the Dave Mat-
thews Band tour in biodiesel-fueled buses. It is one
thing, however, to trim emissions and another to elim-
inate them almost entirely, as the Ninjas have done.
Theirs is possibly the world’s first self-supported bicy-
cle tour by a rock band. The tour name is The Pleasant
Revolution, which Spencer calls the ultimate experiment
in “environmentally sustainable rock ’n’ roll.”
As I assembled my bike so that I could ride along
for a few days, the band was having a discussion.
“Who called this meeting, anyway?” Spencer asked.
“I did,” said Wollard, who was wearing a bright
dashiki over Hawaiian shorts. (He had been hired,
via craigslist in San Diego, after a disagree-
ment with the group’s previous percussion-
ists—“they insisting on LSD as their way to
learn the songs, us insisting on practice,”
Spencer explained in an e-mail to friends.)
“Okay, what would you like to talk about?”
“I would like to know, first of all, where
the hell are we going?”
The question was not uncommon. The
itinerary called for heading to Guadalajara,
but, as was often the case, an intriguing detour
had presented itself. In Talpa de Allende, an
isolated mountain pueblo, Catholic pilgrims
from hundreds of miles around were gather-
ing for a festival. It commemorated a 17th-
century, papally recognized miracle involving
a decaying statuette of the Virgin Mary that
had been struck by a bolt of lightning and
made new. Thousands of people would be in
Talpa to eat, drink, pray and celebrate. After
a short discussion, the band members decided that
they should go, too.
Pedestrians gawked as the two-wheeler caravan
left Mascota on a cobbled road. The bikes were bur-
dened with camping gear, clothing and musical equip-
ment. Wollard toted a full drum kit. Joey Chang, a
guest musician with the band, biked with a cello,
which, I found out later, he could play while simulta-
neously rapping and beat-boxing. (His weren’t the
only curious talents—entourage member Toby Rob-
inson was a veteran of international footbag and rock-
paper-scissors competitions.) Bear Dyken, another
rider, pedaled up beside me and pointed down at his
ride. “We have the kitchen, the bedroom, the music
studio and the exercise gym all in one,” he said.
We turned onto a rutted dirt track. As it snaked
upward into piney mountains, the convoy spread
apart, and I rode with Spencer. Since graduating
from Stanford with a degree from the interdisciplin-
ary earth systems program, he has been a man of
many vocations—musician, white-water rafting
guide, television star (he was on MTV’s The Reality
Show, in which he demonstrated environmentally
sustainable living) and entrepreneur. In 1998, he and
another Stanford graduate, Ross Evans, ’97, founded
Xtracycle, which makes kits that extend the rear
wheel of a bike to add cargo bags and a small wooden
platform. The carrying capacity is up to 150 pounds,
and most of the riders on the tour were equipped
with Xtracycles.
Spencer’s home is an off-the-grid retreat in the
mountains north of Nevada City, Calif.; he humor-
ously refers to hims - by James Vlahos


Discography

Horse Creek 1999
Don't Call Me Kip 2001
Vitamin L 2002
Where the Rubber Meets the Road 2004
Codetalker 2004
Dick Cheney (single) 2004
The Pleasant Revolution EP 2007
Golden Bubble 2010

Photos

Bio

In 2007, the Ginger Ninjas became the first band in the history of rock and roll to tour by bicycle, unsupported by automobile. On a 5000 mile odyssey from their home in Northern California to the pyramids of Southern Mexico, they promoted transportation cycling while also exploring the frontiers of pedal-generated electricity, using their own bikes to power a hyper-efficient sound system. The audience took turns getting on stage to pedal the bikes to make the sound, taking crowd participation to a new level. Originally conceived as a one-time adventure/statement/experiment, the band became addicted to low impact touring, and now has its sights set on a world tour.

"Before the Mexico tour, I honestly didn't know if what we were setting out to do was even physically possible," says front man Kipchoge Spencer. "A couple of months in, we realized that it wasn't just possible, but there was something easy about the rhythm of it (despite the grueling uphills with 200 pound bikes), and the next logical thought was, 'let's tour the world this way.'"

The Ginger Ninjas' mobile human-power stage is the first of its kind in history. Coupling super efficient digital amplifiers, lightweight components, and generators attached to working bicycles (as opposed to purpose-built stationary bikes), the system allows a band to play off-grid anywhere, wall outlet or no, and to also carry the system to a gig on the same bicycles (Xtracyclesport utility bicycles, a company started by Spencer). This enables a new kind of completely self-sufficient bicycle touring, sans automobile support. On the band's most recent tour, the system and touring style enabled them to avoid generating close to 60,000 pounds of CO2, or 95% of what a similar sized band creates in a similar tour.

They call their style "mind shaking love groove folk funk roots rock explosive international pedal powered mountain music for a pleasant revolution."

An award-winning feature film of the first tour—"The Ginger Ninjas Ride Mexico"— is currently touring the festival circuit.

Shows, tours, press:

Opened for:
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Michelle Shocked
Leftover Salmon

TV Coverage:
-Band’s bicycle lifestyle was featured in 6 episodes of an MTV show

Past Performances at:
Wirikuta (Mexico)
Tsziget (Hungary)
Vive Latino (Mexico)
Rock for People (Czech Republic)
Gaia Festival
Trinity Tribal Stomp
Fusion Festival (Germany)
Harmony Festival
Annual Bicycle Music Festival
Oregon Country Fair
Whole Earth Festival
Headliner at Girdwood Forest Festival
Dancing Dragons
Interbike
Outdoor Retailer
Greenfest
Natural Products Expo
Headliner of Clif Bar 2-Mile Challenge Tour 2007;
6 dates on New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat;

Coverage by every major Mexican newspaper and TV network (see samples in press section)

Tours in: California, Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Guatemala, Europe, Canada