Ripe

Ripe fuse jam-band expansiveness with R&B-driven grooves, generating high-energy yet accessible material equally at home on dancefloors or in living rooms. From the moment they unveiled their first single, “Eyes Like a Hawk,” in 2013, the ensemble has refused to trade melodic clarity for funk or the reverse, instead writing material that pairs sharp hooks and reflective lyrics with robust, organic rhythms—an approach they further developed on the 2018 album Joy in the Wild Unknown. Steady single releases and constant touring culminated in 2023’s Bright Blues, where the band integrated refined pop production values into their signature aesthetic without disruption.

The project began in Boston among Berklee College of Music students. Lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn, guitarists Jon Becker and Tory Geismar, bassist Nadav Shapira, drummer Sampson Hellerman, trombonist Calvin Barthel, and trumpeter Josh Shpak first crossed paths at student gatherings; those informal jam sessions prompted the musicians to form a band in 2011. Originally called Produce the Juice, they shortened the name to Ripe before issuing “Eyes Like a Hawk” in April 2013, then reused Produce the Juice for a five-song EP that followed one month later. Persistent performances throughout New England and the East Coast generated growing awareness, allowing the group to gather enough songs and momentum for their debut full-length, Joy in the Wild Unknown, in 2018. They opened shows for G. Love & Special Sauce and performed at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, and Sweetwater 420 Fest.

Despite an unrelenting calendar, Ripe eventually streamlined their permanent roster to the core quartet of Wulfsohn, Becker, Hellerman, and Barthel, supplementing with rotating horn players and percussionists for specific recordings and tours. After handling their own output for years, the band signed with Glassnote Music to release their second album, Bright Blues, in 2023. Intent on steering their sound toward a more pop-oriented direction, Ripe enlisted producer Paul Butler (St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Nick Waterhouse, and the Seratones) along with songwriters and producers Noah Conrad and Ryan Linvill—fellow former Berklee students whose subsequent credits include work with BTS, Niall Horan, and Olivia Rodrigo.