The band drops ‘Sounds Good’ this weekend, with an album-release show Friday at The Pyramid Scheme. Learn more about the group in this Q&A and check out its new music video.
‘Great Sense of Community’ at Live Shows: Rip Smidgeon (Photo/Simon Scheer)
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It’s been less than two years since Grand Rapids’ Rip Smidgeon released its debut album, but it’s safe to say that this rock- and pop-hued band has come a long way since.
The band of longtime friends releases its third album, “Sounds Good,” this coming weekend, with a release show on Friday (Aug. 21) at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $17 in advance, available here, with Social Cig and Headband Henny also on the bill.
Unleashing what it dubs “supersonic jangle rock,” the band — singer-guitarist-drummer Jack Shackelford, guitarist Ben Ferrell, lead guitarist Matt Huffman and bassist Aedan Favale — promises an energetic, “awesome experience” at the release show.
Local Spins writer Holly Holtzclaw recently caught up with band members for this Q&A about their new music and future plans.
Local Spins: So I first wanted to ask about the origin story of the band, how you guys met, what made you want to start the band together, or any early experiences or exposure to music that was a defining moment for you.
Jack Shackelford: We’ve all been sort of making music forever. We’re all really great friends who came together a couple years ago and just started working on songs very casually.
Aedan Favale: A lot of us have known each other for like 12 years too, by the way.
Shackelford: Yeah, we go way back so it was just kind of natural when the band started putting out records.
Local Spins: Since your last Local Spins feature, you were just about to release your debut album then, and this is your third record. So how have things changed and evolved within the band? Whether that’s the writing process, working together, or playing live together, what’s changed since then?
Shackelford: It feels like everything has changed. A handful of us lived together for the first two albums, but we all live apart now. We don’t use the drum machine, we gained a member in the member in the band, which is Ben Ferrell, and we lost a member.
Matt Huffman: I feel like we also all have kind of progressed a lot as musicians too with stuff like picking up Ben. Ben is a really great guitarist and a really talented musician so it’s been awesome for us to kind of be able to have his help as well and his input. Yeah, it’s been really great for all of us.
‘Cool Projects in the Works’: Rip Smidgeon (Courtesy Photo)
Local Spins: Speaking of writing together, how have the influences for this album specifically come together? Do you try to incorporate each of your own influences and favorites, or how does that all come together into a cohesive project?
Ben Ferrell: I would say everybody just kind of brings in their their favorite things and we make it work. I think we generally are inspired by similar artists like The Beatles, classic rock, Pink Floyd, stuff like that. But regardless, everybody brings their own influences or artists that they may be trying to emulate in each song.
Favale: I think we’re inspired by each other.
Shackelford: I feel like every time someone asks me about influences when we drop a record, while it is accurate to say that those are the influences, every time you make a song, it just kind of comes out. It’s almost like I have nothing to do with it. It just happens.
Local Spins: Is there any anything you’ve been inspired by that’s new as far as songwriting, like life experiences that have served as inspiration for you?
Shackelford: Yeah, I mean, as far as new artists, we all went and saw the Lemon Twigs last year in Grand Rapids, and got to meet them. We were all kind of in awe of those dudes and they definitely are an inspiration for the arrangements on this record. There’s more power pop stuff. Even though it’s not necessarily new, The Stone Roses’ “Mersey Paradise” record was also something that I referenced a lot on this new LP.
Local Spins: How you would describe your band to someone who has maybe never listened to you, or is discovering you for the first time through this story, or maybe even what they can expect from a live show.
Favale: I actually don’t know. Some may say we don’t sound like Def Leppard.
Shackelford: I like to say “supersonic jangle rock.” I’ve coined that. That’s what we are. If you really wanted to dissect it, you could call it a no-holds-barred eclectic bag of studio rock.
Huffman: I would say to people who are interested in coming to some of our shows, I would just expect to have a great time. I mean, all of our shows just have a really great sense of community. Like we kind of have our own people that come to our shows, and just being there, it’s an awesome experience and it’s a lot of fun for everybody. If you want to make a friend, come to a Rip Smidgeon show.
Shackelford: It’s a lot of theatrics in the show too. We’re having a lot of fun with banter and I’ve incorporated little jump moves into the set. And the new album is called “Sounds Good,” by the way.
Local Spins: So what else do you have coming up, future plans, any goals you want to speak into existence?
Shackelford: The record comes out Saturday (Aug. 22) and we’re fortunate enough to be headlining The Pyramid Scheme on Friday (Aug. 21), the night before the release, which is what we’re pushing right now. As far as goals, Ben, what’s your goal, man?
Ferrell: The goal is to just write a bunch of songs. Just keep on writing as many songs as possible and hopefully we can put something together again that you’ll enjoy even more, God willing.
Shackelford: We’ve got some cool projects in the works. Yeah, we already got a plan.
VIDEO: Rip Smidgeon, “Take a Chance”
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