The Rips

There is a new band making waves with Tucker Ewing on bass/vocals, Mike Ingram on guitar/vocals and Charlie Buice on drums. The Rips aim to fill a void in the area’s music scene by creating vintage-styled surf rock, and it seems to be working.

“We’re already starting to see some familiar faces,” Ingram says of the band’s gigs. “People are already starting to sing the lyrics to our original songs, which is really exciting.”

A few of those songs will be available on an upcoming EP, which was recorded in Valparaiso and pre-mastered by Ben Friedman. “The first song is just a jam, a little like a big Dick Dale styled surf-rock tune,” says Ingram.

Like many bands in the area, the Rips can trace their beginnings to an open mic night. Ingram and Buice knew what they were looking for and approached Ewing after hearing him at Pandora’s in Grayton Beach. “I saw him just playing some acoustic songs and I thought he was awesome,” says Ingram of that first meeting. “I told him that I had a great drummer, and we were looking for someone like him. We all got together, and he ended up being a monster bass player.”

Add in Ewing’s existing song catalog, which was strong enough to earn him a place in the 30A Songwriters Festival roster this year, and Ingram knew they’d found their guy.

“The cool thing is, Tucker grew up in Colorado and his number one dream was to move to the coast or somewhere on the water and play music,” says Ingram. “He wanted to have that surfy vibe, that island vibe, and it’s so cool because we’re doing it. He had it all surrounding him, and he had this huge smile on his face.”Ingram has toured for a time with Hotel Oscar, sometimes sits in with Cadillac Willy, and has formed side projects like Sand Box and Mellow Possum, but he’s enjoying the new sonic direction. “I’ve been playing funky stuff and kind of rocky stuff, but I actually am a surfer. I even surfed professionally in high school and right out of high school. I’ve been surfing for about 15 years. It’s part of my life and I love music, so collaborating those together—I just love it.”

The Rips are focused on building their original songs, and they already have over 30 completed. But show up to one of their gigs and you’ll also hear covers that range from the Beatles to the Black Keys, and even the Surfaris’ “Wipe Out.”

Ingram says the band’s songwriting philosophy is substance over flash. “Everything we do, we try to keep it very simple and clean—beautiful and melodic. We focus on really good grooves with a really good melody on top of it. We want something that will be stuck in people’s heads. That’s what we focus on. Tucker is pretty much a genius when it comes to that.”

With over 80 gigs already booked for the 2015 season, including WSRE-TV’s StudioAmped and shows as far north as Tennessee, things look pretty swell for the Rips. “We’re just going to keep going, playing good music and learning. We are always going to be learning,” says Ingram.

Discover more at www.TheRipsTunes.com. - The Beachcomber