w/ The Collection | 8:00 PM | The Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St. | All ages | $18 advance, $20 day of show
It’s been a cold, cold winter here in St. Louis, and we could all definitely use a night of white-hot funk to dance those chills away. Luckily, Ripe is happy to oblige. The Boston-based band (once a seven-piece, now a quintet augmented with a touring trumpeter) blends the sounds of ‘70s funk and soul with a little ‘80s blue-eyed soul and a little rock n’ roll strut to form a sound that’s sure to get toes tapping and hips swaying.
It all starts with the funky groove laid down by drummer Sampson Hellerman and bassist Nadav Shapira, topped by the chug-chugga guitars of Jon Becker and Calvin Barthel’s blaring, joyous trombone to add that Earth, Wind & Fire kick. Frizzy-haired frontman Robbie Wulfsohn caps it all off with a voice as if Eddie Money could sing as sweetly as Darryl Hall—silky smooth, with just the right amount of grit. The band clearly worships at the altar of ‘70s Stevie Wonder (that’s a very good thing), but with a retro-modern sound that could sit comfortably alongside Allen Stone or St. Paul & The Broken Bones. Ripe has grooves for days and instrumental chops to spare, and with nearly a decade of performing under their belts, it’s probably a safe bet that they can recreate their lush sound live.
A recent run-in with COVID necessitated the band to shuffle some tour dates around, resulting in the band’s upcoming visit to St. Louis getting promoted to the opening show of the tour. Let’s hope the Old Rock House’s ample dancefloor proves ample enough. | Jason Green
Ripe on tour:
FEB 17 THU THE OLD ROCK HOUSE @ 7:00pm St Louis, MO
FEB 18 FRI Castle Theatre @ 7:00pm Bloomington, IL
FEB 19 SAT The Miramar Theatre @ 8:00pm Milwaukee, WI
FEB 20 SUN The Athenaeum Theatre @ 7:00pm Columbus, OH
FEB 21 MON Jefferson Theater @ 7:00pm Charlottesville, VA
FEB 23 WED Madison Theater @ 7:00pm Covington, KY
FEB 24 THU Headliners Music Hall @ 7:00pm Louisville, KY
FEB 25 FRI Majestic Theatre @ 7:00pm Madison, WI
FEB 26 SAT Intersection @ 7:00pm Grand Rapids, MI
FEB 28 MON Proud Larry’s @ 7:00pm Oxford, MS
MAR 1 TUE Saturn @ 7:00pm Birmingham, AL
MAR 2 WED Georgia Theatre @ 7:00pm Athens, GA
MAR 3 THU Elevation 27 @ 8:00pm Virginia Beach, VA
MAY 12 THU Resonate Suwannee 2022 @ 7:00pm Live Oak Trailer Park, FL
MAY 28 SAT Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom @ 7:30pm Hampton Beach, NH
MAY 29 SUN Boston Calling Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Allston, MA
JUN 2 THU Mountain Music Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm East Oak Hill, WV
JUN 11 SAT Garfield Park @ 12:00am Indianapolis, IN
JUN 11 SAT Wonder Road Fest 2022 @ 7:00pm Indianapolis, IN
JUN 24 FRI Green River Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Greenfield, MA
JUN 30 THU The Peach Music Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Scranton, PA
