Ger FitzGerald
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[edit] Early life
Gerald "Ger" FitzGerald (Nov 19 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
[edit] They Do It With Mirrors
In 1992, FitzGerald was hired as a bass player for the musical group *They do it with Mirrors after the band 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.
[edit] Catchers
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 Eurhythmics' studio "The Church" in London. Both singles were subsequently mixed in the Cocteau Twins' studio *September Sound. "Cotton Dress" was named *"Single of the Week" by the prestigous 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 *Chateau de la Rouge Motte in Domfront, France with legendary producer, and Abbey Road alumni, *Mike Hedges, who had previously worked with bands such as The Cure, Siouxie 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. NY, 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.
[edit] Studio Management
In 2000, FitzGerald was hired as General Manager of Stratosphere sound, a fledgling recording studio based in New York City and 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 quickly earned a reputation as one of New York's premier recording studios. During this period, FitzGerald also ran Iha and Schlesinger's boutique label Scratchie Records.
[edit] Artist Management
In late 2000, FitzGerald started working with the New York group Hem who had recorded their debut album Rabbit Songs at Stratosphere sound. After 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 and "E" from The Eels, legendary A&R executive Lenny Waronker, signed Hem to Dreamworks Records in the U.S. The band subsequently signed with EMI for all other territories.
During FitzGerald's relationship with Hem, the band released two albums Rabbit Songs and Eveningland. FitzGerald's relationship with the band came to an end in early 2006 when Hem decided to engage Canadian powerhouse management firm Nettwerk to represent them.
