Ripe with Talent

“You know what’s dope when you’re at your mom’s house, you’re drunk as shit and you have nothing else to eat?” - drummer Sampson Hellerman of Ripe reporting on his favorite drunk snack - raspberry jam and swiss cheese on toast.



Have you ever loved a live show so much that the phonic afterglow diluted the potency of other music for a few days? Ripe can have that effect.

The seven-piece funk-pop flurry can conjure a dance party extravaganza night after night with seemingly effortless ease. What’s their method? They make damn sure they’re having as much fun on stage as the crowd that ceaselessly jives to their infectious tunes. Ripe’s natural knack for cultivating a good time is due largely in part to the integral bonding synonymous with college life. All Berklee grads, they played together, partied together, and have turned it into their full-time job.

Powerhouse vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn commands the stage like he’s been doing it for decades. He’s the type of frontman who loves his audience, but won’t shy from calling out those who aren’t moving to the music. During our chat before their recent Rochester show, however, he didn’t seem too keen on hiring my collaborator Ben Albert and I as hype dancers (our dream job). Hype dancers offer a gentle nudge in the crowd as Ben pitched, but Robbie politely explained, “We serve as that gentle nudge.” Guitarist Tory Geismar quickly retorted, “Sometimes Robbie isn’t so gentle,” inciting a chuckle of amusement in the room.

While it’s obvious why Robbie is the ringleader on stage, off stage his diplomatic and empathic character blends seamlessly with other bandmates, where the musicians freely share ideas in an entirely open dialogue where it’s nearly impossible to detect a hierarchy. They are a good-natured group of friends who vibe off each other’s complementary personalities. Ripe is the type of band that validates a fan’s loyalty, being equally likable both on and off stage.



Ripe is also the sort of band willing to put your entertainment ahead of their well being. Case in point, during a recent show on their fall tour, Robbie went to jump on a speaker mid-song and bashed his nose into a low hanging part of the ceiling right above the stage. Blood gushed, but he didn’t pass out and didn’t stop the show, singing through the night with a tissue to his face.

This sort of dedication also comes to light when they agree to perform at events that will not likely produce a favorable outcome. Ripe recently played at a college “speed friending” event, similar to speed dating. While they may have had some idea of what to expect, as Sampson eloquently put it, “Oh my God did they not need a fuckin’ live band there!” Sampson summarized adding, “We’re not background music.”

Ripe is ear-catching without a doubt. Even their name is memorable. The one syllable names always are. Given their name, it was surprising to learn they’ve never before been asked about their favorite fruits. The most unexpected response? Frozen grapes. “It’s a great snack, it’s like a popsicle!” guitarist Jon Becker reasoned.

That’s a new one to go home and try. Speaking of new things, Ripe has been working diligently to release an album early next year, for which they are strategically keeping many details under wraps. Until then, you can dance your pants off to their most recent EP Hey Hello or their earlier release Produce the Juice.



As a music fan, few things are more satisfying than discovering a band that makes your heart sing. It’s the band that you want to show all your friends, whose songs get stuck in your head when you’re trying to fall asleep. A dance band that recognizes the value in covering both Beyonce and Stevie Wonder, two of the most danceable artists out there.

Ripe plays on stage like it’s kindergarten recess. Whether Robbie is stealing trumpeter Josh Shpack’s glasses and bouncing around wearing them, or the whole band, including trombonist Calvin Barthel and bassist Nadav Shapira are jumping in unison to the beat. Who knows, Robbie might even feel compelled to shimmy across the stage on his knees. It depends on the show, but you definitely don’t want to miss it.

While Ben and I left the band chat a little heartbroken that careers as Ripe hype dancers may never come to fruition, our hearts were filled with the promise of more music to come from this mind-boggling band. As the momentum continues, pretty soon they may not have to rely on mama’s drunk snacks anymore- but maybe just for nostalgia’s sake.

Victor Wooten Trio Speaks without Words at Anthology

Photos: Brian Ferguson
Thoughts: Ally Dean and Ben Albert


A modern jazz club manifested at Anthology Thursday, December 14, welcoming Victor Wooten Trio with Dennis Chambers (drums) and Bob Franceschini (sax). A red curtain backdrop stippled with strands of soft yellow lights dripping to the floor radiated an understated elegance, setting the mood for the trio’s dichotomous playing style. A melodic infusion of jazz, R&B and funk abstractly bestowed upon eager ears, many belonging to fellow musicians.



The relaxed musicians stood comfortably on stage, emulating a nonchalant but composed demeanor similar to one who might stand in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal while contemplating life’s deep questions. Victor Wooten Trio provided a musical approach that can seem simple upon first listen or to the untrained ear. They offer an underlying complexity that grabs the listener’s attention more fervently with purposeful, controlled sound than a performance riddled with wickedly intricate sequences.

Their performance seemed to unfurl organically, in a free flow of notes with ever-changing rhythms that kept the head bobbers and toe tappers constantly reinventing their own body movements in a frivolous attempt to mirror the music. Wooten, Chambers and Franceschini know when to push and when to pull back, leaving ample space for each musician to unhurriedly showcase their style.



In Wooten’s words from a TEDx talk at Gabriola Island a few years back he offered: “To be a good musician you have to be a good listener. Doesn’t matter how great I am as a bassist. We can put five of the world’s best musicians on this stage but if we’re great separate from each other it’s gonna sound horrible. But if we listen to each other and play together, individually we don’t have to be as great and it’ll sound much better.”

Wooten contrived several noteworthy instances, the least of which was casually slipping from electric to double bass. The latter an instrument he less commonly plays, yet fingertips danced across the fingerboard unabashedly. Fusing classical and modern, he even doubled back to brandish his bow across the electric bass to create provocative sounds. Perhaps one of Wooten’s most intriguing acts unfolded as he utilized his loop pedal to create multiple polyrhythmic melodies, adding each note one at a time. The mounting complexity of this sequence mesmerized listeners because of the precision and patience behind it’s development.



The method of slowly building a progression note by note could be traced back to Wooten’s TED talk where he describes music as a language, and one that he learned at a very early age, when he was also learning the language of speech. Just as children begin by learning one word at a time to build their vocabulary, Wooten still applies that same basic principle on a professional stage decades later to communicate with his audience.

Midway through the evening, Wooten introduced his two comrades before jokingly introducing himself as Stanley Clarke, a prominent jazz bassist. Later on in the set, he treated listeners to a mashup of Clarke originals to the delight of those familiar with his work. The trio inserted other Easter eggs throughout the set, including a Stevie Wonder sample, but even these more recognizable riffs were cleverly disguised, detectable to those listening intently.

What was plainly obvious was Wooten’s almost comically precise ability to manipulate his bass to sound like other instruments. At one point I found my eyes furiously darting across the stage to locate the elusive flute player. Low and behold, it was coming from Wooten’s electric bass. The running joke of the evening was that after talking to him for ten minutes, he could probably make his bass sound like that person’s voice. Perhaps this feat of musical wizardry can serve as his next musical conquest.