Ripe

Interview: Robbie Wulfshon

When I asked Robbie Wulfshon about his opinions on "authneticity" in the music industry he responded that "in general when artists display themselves authentically they teach other people how to do the same, because it can be hard to answer what it means to truly be yourself." He further elaborated that "Having someone outside of yourself figure themselves out enough to put a version of themselves out on display for a performance can help you figure out yourself (and I think you can see this in people who become mega fans of a band, where they are so infatuated with a bands worldview that they make it their own)." A desire for Ripe is becoming a truer, more "authentic" depiction of themselves they have yet to discover. This is incredible advice for any artist, especially those that have already "made it" in the industry.

Ripe, made up of Robbie Wulfsohn on vocals, Tory Geismar and Jon Becker on guitar, Sampson Hellerman on drums, Josh Shpak on trumpet and EWI (Electronic Working Instrument), Calvin Barthel on trombone, and Nadav Shapira on bass, are sourced locally from Boston with an initative to bring neo-soul funk to the world.

Jon Becker even specified in an interview with the Boston Globe that "One day, we want to make people feel like they’re witnessing history when we play. For example, when people go to a Grateful Dead show, they’re entranced. Everyone is completely immersed in every detail of their performance. That’s how we want to make people feel.” These guys are big dreamers if it was not apparent enough. They look to ignite audience spirits in live settings rather than developing a status of fame.

If you take a listen to any of Ripe's songs while watching the live studio recordings you can see how much the band's personalities shine past their skills as performers.