Anyone who has seen Ripe can immediately pick up on the band’s vibrant energy. They had a great year, delivering a standout set at Brooklyn Comes Alive and touring with fellow upstarts Lawrence. Their awesome energy is what earned them a role supporting Blues Traveler in 2016, and a spot on tour with G. Love & Special Sauce in the early part of 2017. All along the way, their loyal – and rapidly growing- fan base, has been propelling them to new heights, culminating in a triumphant sellout of the Paradise Rock Club in their hometown of Boston. Ripe simply never fails to put on an exceptional performance, and they back it up with one of the tightest lineups in the business.

The band is moving in a somewhat new direction in 2017, and has been spending a lot of time writing new music, working in the studio and making all sorts of fun plans. The band explore an array of musical styles, and they have a knack for turning accessible pop songs into funkified covers. Fans have been enjoying their cover of “Just Can’t Wait To Be King” from The Lion King, and now the band has moved even further in the pop realm, delivering a funkified rendition of “On My Mind” by the great Ellie Goulding. The band recently captured their fun new cover with a music video, which you can find below.

See below for a quote from lead singer and front man Robbie Wulfsohn on the good-vibes cover:

“We picked the song because we love the song. We’re not really concerned with the style of music as long as it has oh-shit-moments for us, and that song feels like one extended ecstatic release. We wanted the music video to communicate what we feel like are our oh-shit moments, which to us come from the energy we have between each other, and then the energy between us and the crowd at a show. Basically those moments where the feeling of love is so strong you can almost reach out and touch it, where the energy is so electric it feels tangible. We think that feeling is what we have to offer, regardless of what genre of music you come in liking. This is us tapping you on the shoulder and inviting you to join us in the moment.”

It’s awesome to see that kind of positivity and creativity from a young band! We need more motivated young bands like Ripe, and it’s cool to see them break outside what you’d expect from them by covering a mainstream artist like Ellie Goulding.

Ripe will be playing with G. Love through February 4th,  hitting venues such as First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN, the House of Blues in Chicago, IL, The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA, the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., and more. After finishing up with G. Love, the band will reunited with their new friends Lawrence for one more awesome co-headlining show, going down at New York City’s Irving Plaza. Find all of Ripe’s upcoming tour dates below, or find out more information at the band’s website.

Ripe 2017 Tour Schedule

Jan 12 // Milwaukee, WI // Potawatomi Casino
Jan 13 // Minneapolis, MN // First Avenue
Jan 14 // Chicago, IL // House of Blues
Jan 15 // St. Louis, MO // Ready Room – Art of Live Fest
Jan 18 // Indianapolis, IN // The Vogue
Jan 19 // Columbus, OH // A&R Music Bar
Jan 20 // Detroit, MI // MGM Grand
Jan 21 // Cleveland, OH // House of Blues
Jan 22 // Rochester, NY // Anthology
Jan 27 // Boston, MA // Paradise Rock Club
Jan 28 // Philadelphia, PA // Electric Factory
Jan 29 // Washington DC // 9:30 Club
Feb 1 // Morgantown, WV // Mainstage
Feb 2 // Pittsburgh, PA // Mr. Smalls
Feb 3 // Carrboro, NC // Cat’s Cradle
Feb 4 // Charleston, SC // Music Farm
Feb 10 // Tampa, FL // The Rock Boat
Feb 18 // New York, NY // Irving Plaza
Feb 23 // Killington, VT // Pickle Barrel Nightclub

[Photo by Leo Mascaro]