Perhaps the deepest scene in Austin right now is groups mining classic Sixties garage pop, an entire movement erupting here in central Texas that is putting a new twist on the sounds of the Kinks, Zombies, and, of course, Beatles. One of our favorite new bands in the mix is Ripe, the quartet delivering guitar bleeding tunes that bop and bend behind three talented songwriters and nasally vocal swoons. A touch of Brit-pop authenticity is even fed into their songs courtesy of Nic Armstrong, while Chris Branca and Jake Garcia, both of whom also play in the Love tribute band Forever Changes, lay down their own distinctive slant on the sound. The group is preparing a set of singles for release later this year, and you can get a taste below with Ripe’s contribution to the Almost There Turn 4 comp, “Holiday.” Or you can catch them live this Friday, August 22 at Room 710 with Grand Champeen, the Bellfuries, and Teen Sensations.
Profile: Ripe
Year Formed:
Summer 2006
Members/ Instruments played:
Jake Garcia - Guitar/Vocals, Chris Branca - Bass/Vocals, Nic Armstrong - Guitar/Vocals, Nick Yaklin - Drums
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Jake currently plays in the Ugly Beats. Nic Armstrong plays solo gigs and is working on new material. My (Chris) former band was White Heat out of San Antonio and Nick Yaklin played in The Nervous Exits. Both Jake and I play in a Love tribute band called Forever Changes. Nick Yaklin and Jake also play in Big Black Smoke. We definitely stay busy.
Albums:
Almost There Turn 4 Compilation
7″ single(s) out in early fall.
Influences:
Everything From Bach to Howlin’ Wolf. Of course the Beatles are a big one. We’re really all over the map when it comes to influences. Well-crafted pop songs.
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
Thin Lizzy. I love that band, but I still don’t hear it.
Favorite local bands:
Amplified Heat, Hacienda, The Golden Boys, Grand Champeen, Shapes Have Fangs just to name a few. There are so many great bands in Austin right now.
Favorite local venue:
No Favorite. Emo’s, Beerland, The Parish, Club Deville, too many.
Upcoming shows scheduled:
Aug. 22nd @ Room 710 w/ Grand Champeen, Bellfuries, and Teen Sensations
Aug. 28th @ Club Deville w/ The Krayolas
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Mudhoney!
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
I know Jake and Nic really like the new Portishead album. I’m really enjoying M83’s Saturday=Youth.
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
Any headlining band circa 67′-72′. Magical time period.
Austin Sound questions:
Y’all were recently in the studio recording. How did the sessions go and what can we expect?
Still working on it. Doing a bit at a time. Trying to capture the essence and magic of each song. Sometimes it takes a while but when you find it, it can be really beautiful. The instrumentation varies. Some tunes are like large charcoal drawings and some are like glossy oil paintings. Wrapping up
four tunes for a fall release.
Y’all switch off lead vocals during your shows, so we were wondering if you each brought your own songs to the band, or if the songwriting was more collaborative?
Most of it is collaborative. Sometimes a song is already finished when it’s brought to the table. Those are sometimes the best ones. The material that Nic sings leads on live is material from his debut record that we have filtered into our set.
Song Introduction:
Holiday: A song Jake wrote after returning from a European tour with the Ugly Beats. I think he was really inspired and wanted to capture the feeling of being out of your daily routine. Trust into another world doing things you never dreamed you would do. A kind of be here now feel.
Sound Off:
We love to craft catchy tunes. We also try not to limit ourselves to one style or genre. Even though we are heavily inspired from music from the 60′-70’s. The idea behind Ripe was to be able to use all of our influences if we’d like. Kind of how the Beatles made “The White Album”. Then write a catchy sweet tune, and when it’s all said and done maybe you’ll dance to it.
Mp3:
Holiday
Website:
Myspace
