Eric Ripper follows his instincts on “Look for a Sign.” Photo – Savannah Brown
Eric Ripper prefers to leave the past behind and embrace the road ahead.
The Nashville, Tennessee singer-songwriter explores changing life’s course on “Drive,” the steadfast opener from his latest album, Look for a Sign!
“I’ve just realized that a lot of my life has been from moving around, following a dream, and giving into that motivation,” said Ripper, who hails from Northville, Michigan.
“I was sick of sitting around claiming I was doing something and not following through. In this case, it was moving to Nashville.”
Backed by determined electric guitar, bass, and drums, he sings, “Well, I’m not here for a long time / And I ain’t standing still / Well, I’m just here for a good ride / And this is how I steer.”
“It just means I’m not on this earth for a while, and I need to move around and follow this direction,” he said. “I guess you could say it was the final motivation for my move to Nashville.”
Not only does “Drive” reflect Ripper’s recent motivation, but it also includes a lyric that inspired the album’s title: “It’s hard to choose the route for you / Look for a sign.”
“Drive” was the second-to-last song we worked on. After hearing it over and over, we decided that it had to be the opening track,” said Ripper, who relocated to Nashville in 2023.
“As a fast, upbeat song, it introduces the theme to everything [that’s on the album], and the repeated lyric only made sense as the [album’s] title.”
Valerie Barrymore & Foundation of Funk will livestream a show Saturday at Ypsilanti’s Grove Studios as part of Arts, Beats & Eats’ “The Beats Go On” virtual and drive-in live music series. Photo courtesy of Valerie Barrymore
“This will be the first Foundation of Funk virtual show, and we’ll be doing a few covers and originals. With the virus, we haven’t been able to incorporate any of our new material yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to add some new things soon. The guys are so talented; we just want to have a funky, good time,” Barrymore said.
Thankfully, Barrymore and her bandmates will return to a metro Detroit stage, an online one albeit, after going on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re one of 400 local acts performing virtual shows and drive-in concerts Aug. 27 to Sept. 3 as part of a new Arts, Beats & Eats socially-distanced festival called “The Beats Go On.”
“The Beats Go On” aims to raise $500,000 for artists placed out of work due to the pandemic, which has shuttered live music venues nationwide since March. Viewers will be able to donate individually to different artists and contribute to “The Beats Go On” Musicians Fund, a broader public fundraising campaign to provide donated funds to artists who receive over 50 percent of their income from music.
Despite the ongoing challenges with live music, many artists, including Barrymore, continue to write, record and release new material. In April, Barrymore released her latest single, “I’m Here for You,” a groovy, romantic ode to long-term relationships and lifelong love.
Glistening retro synths, pulsating electronic drums, vibrant acoustic guitars and funky bass surround Barrymore as she soulfully sings, “You came home and you talked to me/Tellin’ me how bad things might be/Askin’ if I’d still love you if things messed up financially/Money’s not what attracted me, no, no/Money cannot control me/You took my heart, and it’s yours, boy/So everything else is noise, boy.”
“‘I’m Here for You’ is a song about my love for my husband (Steve Somers), and regardless, I’ll be there for him. The music for the track was written by a friend of mine, Tobias Smith, and I wrote the lyrics. We actually did 10 or more songs for an album called L.O.V.E., but today they say to release singles and not albums. We recorded a while ago, and it took me a little to start letting them go,” Barrymore said.
Barrymore also collaborated with Smith last year on “Do It for The Kids,” an upbeat, bouncy social justice anthem about putting children first. Shimmering electric guitars, rhythmic percussion, whirring synths and humming bass propel Barrymore as she optimistically sings, “One plus one and now you are three/You are a family, what a blessing/Commit to love and commitment/Let no one in and destroy it/Grow and love/Do it for the kids/You got to do it/Do it for the children.”
“Children are so precious and should be treated as such. You see horrible things happen to the beautiful children, and it just hurts. Children should be loved and protected,” she said.
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