Ger FitzGerald

Gerald "Ger" FitzGerald (19 November 1970 - ) was born in Limerick, Ireland, son of Dermot FitzGerald and Valerie FitzGerald. FitzGerald was educated at Villiers Secondary School, Limerick and subsequently at the University of Limerick

Catchers / They Do It With Mirrors

In 1992, FitzGerald was hired as a bass player by the band They Do It with Mirrors after the band had signed with London based Setanta Records. Following the demise of They Do It with Mirrors, FitzGerald studied audio engineering at the SAE Institute in London.

In 1993, FitzGerald was hired to play bass for another Setanta Records band Catchers. Catchers recorded their first two singles "Cotton Dress" and "Shifting" at Eurythmics' studio "The Church" in London. Both singles were subsequently mixed in the Cocteau Twins' studio [http://www.cocteautwins.org/ss.html/ September Sound] . "Cotton Dress" was named [http://www.thecatchers.co.uk/mute_1.htm/ "Single of the Week"] by the prestigious British Music magazine Melody Maker. European shows with bands such as Oasis, Pulp, and Edwyn Collins followed. Catchers recorded their debut album entitled "Mute" at [http://manics.rawkstar.net/articles/mikehedges.php/ Chateau de la Rouge Motte] in Domfront, France with legendary producer, and Abbey Road alumni, [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:rq6ftr5ekl2x~T4/ Mike Hedges] , who had previously worked with bands such as The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The La's, The Beautiful South, and the Manic Street Preachers.

Catchers were ultimately signed to Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Discovery Records in the U.S. by legendary A&R executive Jac Holzman. Having relocated to Brooklyn, New York, Catchers played in support of bands such as the Innocence Mission, Ivy, The Candy Butchers, Throwing Muses and others, but homesickness prompted the rest of the band to move back to Northern Ireland after only six months in the U.S.

Studio, label, and artist management

In 2000, FitzGerald was hired as General Manager of Stratosphere sound, a fledgling Manhattan recording studio founded by James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy) and Andy Chase (Ivy, Brookville). At a time when many New York studios were going out of business, Stratosphere sound managed to grow and soon earned a reputation as one of New York's premier recording studios.

During this period, FitzGerald also ran Scratchie Records, Iha and Schlesinger's boutique record label, overseeing releases by artists such as The Frogs and Dan Bryk.

In late 2000, FitzGerald started working with the New York group Hem who had recorded their debut album Rabbit Songs at Stratosphere sound. Quickly adopting the role of band manager, FitzGerald secured a publishing deal for Hem with the Universal Music Group. A feature on Hem's debut album "Rabbit Songs" on the NPR show "All Things Considered" subsequently propelled the band's career to new heights.

Following a flood of critical acclaim for "Rabbit Songs" from music critics such as KCRW's Nic Harcourt, The Eels' frontman "E" gave a copy of the album to legendary A&R executive Lenny Waronker, who subsequently signed Hem to Dreamworks Records in the U.S. Shortly thereafter Hem signed with EMI for all other territories.

During FitzGerald's tenure as Hem's manager, the band released two albums, "Rabbit Songs" and "Eveningland". FitzGerald's management of Hem came to an end in early 2006, when the band engaged Canadian powerhouse management firm Nettwerk to represent them.

External links

* [http://www.thecatchers.co.uk/ Catchers official site]
* [http://www.stratospheresound.com/ Stratosphere Sound official site]
* [http://www.hemmusic.com/ Hem official site]