Ripe, The Dip & Thumpasaurus – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA – April 27, 2018 (A PopEntertainment.c

Updated: Jun 27, 2022

Ripe, The Dip & Thumpasaurus – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA – April 27, 2018

In 2012, seven people came together at Berklee School of Music to form Ripe, a soul group from Boston. With a few EPs released, the band have made a small headway into the groove world since their start. In the past month, they released an album titled Joy in the Wild Unknown, widening Ripe fans to young and old. Their smooth and energetic energy has carried them to a headlining show at one of West Hollywood’s notable and dense venues, the Roxy.

Opening the night was Thumpasaurus, adorned in matching white jumpsuits with “THUMP” in black paint on their backs. The group was loud, and quite the performers in their visual display of lyrics, similar to live music at a house party. Nonetheless, those in the compact floor space of the Roxy enjoyed their humorous tone and supported the eccentric band.

After the thumping was over, The Dip took the stage. Instrumentals of the group melted with the jazzy voice of the lead singer Tom Eddy, as the audience swayed to the beat. The band has seven members – similar to Ripe – and gave the people in the crowd just a preview of what their soul and blues could do.

Finally, the curtains came up for the main performance, Ripe. The seven-piece group filled the stage with two guitar players, one drummer, one trombone player, one trumpet player, and one on bass. They all moved in sync with the guidance of the lead vocalist, Robbie Wulfsohn. Robbie’s dancing… as well as the other members’… echoed into the audience, where fans were jumping and singing along.

Because of the Roxy’s limited space, the thunderous groove ran through the floorboards into the feet of joyous listeners. Despite the diversity of fans, everyone in the crowd joined together to form a unity of soul and sound. Ripe proved to truly be “Boston’s Ambassadors of Funk,” and for the night, LA’s ambassadors of funk as well, as taken from their Twitter page bio @ripe_love.

Before attending the show, I was not expecting such a strong and energetic atmosphere from the popular tracks I had listened to online. However, being in the moment and hearing the songs live was transcendental, due to the depth of instruments and exuberance of being there in person. I strongly recommend going to see Ripe and giving them a chance if you don’t listen to soul but are possibly open to expanding your horizons. Those that do love great upbeat grooves should definitely see a Ripe show on their “Joy in the Wild Unknown” tour.

Mia Jessie