Rippa

RIPPA is an original three-piece Australian rock band with a unique sound combining the traditions of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd with the raw 90s vibe of Nirvana and Sonic Youth The band’s sound can best be described as Neo Psychedelic with a twist of blues,folk and a squeeze of indie Rock. With well over one hundred original songs, audiences wanting to broaden their musical horizons enjoy RIPPA for the quality of their music and lyrics, but mostly RIPPA appeals to those who just want to dance, get down and have a great time. As singer/songwriter and guitarist David Hilder says: “We appeal to people’s basic need to let their hair down. We don’t want to challenge anybody too much. But for people looking to see something new, we’ve got you covered.” RIPPA draws inspiration from living by the ocean at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Here, they write and record all of their own music. The band has a simple setup – Guitar, Drums and Bass. But for its simplicity, RIPPA has a H-U-G-E sound that fills a room and leaves audiences spellbound. Here’s a little about the band… Davey Hilder. Grew up in the wilds of the remote northern town Sandy Hollow. Here in this beautiful setting he taught himself how to play guitar and writing songs. Growing up he was influenced by his big sisters music, the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix to name a few. He left school at 16 and was playing around Kings Cross in Sydney then left to New York City at 18 to travel and play music around the world to places like Maui, Jamaica, California and the UK. Now back in Australia, Davey continues to write songs in his sleep; has a very decent set of tonsils and hallucinates his way through the most incredible lead guitar you’ll ever see. Always writing songs and recording his ideas on anything from a 4 track to iPhone or in his home studio. Davey is simply the man. When he takes his Strat by the scruff of the neck and picks out a lead, he’s phenomenal. Don’t believe it? Well, he’s reined his chops with ; Blind Melon, Jerry Cantrell and (drummer) Josh Freese from the band A Perfect Circle and a host of other musical luminaries. Davey also wrote one of the best songs on the soundtrack for the movie The Cable Guy starring Jim Carey. Called End of the world, the song provides the musical backdrop to the scene in which the cable guy (Carey) is driving his van out to a big TV antenna – a place where the cable guy chills out and contemplates the universe. Fittingly, contemplating the universe is one of the things Davey does best. You can experience Davey’s cosmic reflections for yourself as he reels out killer song after killer song in RIPPA’s kick-ass live show, at www.soundcloud.com/rippaband or in the band’s upcoming EP to be released soon on iTunes. Grant Naylor, drummer and percussionist extraordinaire, has performed the European festival circuit including Glastonbury, Womad, Edinburgh, North Sea Jazz, and Pepsi Seiget in Budapest. He has toured the electronic music circuit extensively throughout Europe and the UK, headlining festivals with the trance-techno group Tribal Drift. Grant has been involved with African music since he began performing with a host of West African bands and drumming and with dance troupes many moons ago. When Grant’s not pounding his kit with RIPPA, he’s playing percussion for the likes of Afro Nomad, DJ Nikodemus, Tribal Drift , The Beautiful Girls, King Tide, Afro Moses, Sexual Chocolate and a bunch more. Luke Vassallo lives and breathes the bass. More to the point, he lives and breathes playing bass with Davey, Grant and a crew of musical mutants that frequent studio Marlin HQ down on the point at South Bondi. Luke shares a special musical bond with Davey and Grant. His bass is the rock on top of which Davey and Grant weave RIPPA’s psychedelic meets punk meets funk extravaganza.