Ben Ripani Music Company – unsurprisingly – has a guy named Ben Ripani in it. With his name on the marquee, it would be easy to assume that he’s the only driving force behind the band. That the Music Company part is really just a description of the group of studio musicians that tour with him because he can only play three instruments at the same time – and not six.
The thing about assumptions is that – more often than not – they’re completely off base. When we ventured to WBEZ studios on Navy Pier for some Ben Ripani Music Company studio time, we found out what makes this interesting collective tick.
In my mind,it’s Ben Ripani Music Company mostly because Ben Ripani, Chris Lambert (guitar), Chris Nakielski (piano), Dave Marshall (bass) and Patrick Benson (percussion) just isn’t really all that catchy and it’s ridiculously long. Primary songwriting duties and the hit solo album “Hope Street” probably have something to do with it too, but that’s not the point. The point is, even though their names might not be on the marquee, they’re an integral part of the sound.
With most of them having formal training in music, BRMC (not to be confused with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) is a tight-knit group of seasoned musicians. Three of them (Chris, Chris and Pat) are still involved in music education, but on the teacher side of the equation. Ben currently splits time with Chicago’s largest brewery (think fowl) and Dave is also a student. Hitting it big is generally near the top of the list for any band (especially one in a studio), but with BRMC you get the distinct impression that having fun and making good music is at the top of the priority list.
I’m reticent to call BRMC a “supergroup” because of the connotation that that has in the modern media. Most of the time it’s a bunch of really talented guys getting together in a side project band just to do something different and cash checks. Not that Ben Ripani would have a problem with it if did end up being negative press because negative press is, apparently, the sign that you know you’ve made it.
The band definitely has supergroup talent, but that’s not why the five guys behind BRMC are in this. Each of them brings something different to the table and that’s really what allows the band to connect on so many levels. With the guys in BRMC, it’s about the song itself and not the individual. Throw in a very talented engineer and a bunch of insulating partitions and free beer (You know it’s going to be a good day when you find out the beer is free but you have to pay for water), and you have a recipe for a weekend you’ll never forget.
In the long list of unforgettable things, this Steinway & Sons piano that Chris is playing is probably somewhere near the top. The piano which, according to unconfirmed reports, is worth in the neighborhood of a hundred grand. How can you be uninspired when you get the opportunity to coax melodies out of an instrument worth more than a Porsche? We would have asked Chris at the time, but as you can see he was a little absorbed in the moment.
Throughout the day, there was an almost singular focus from each of the guys on what they were doing. This chorus doesn’t end just so. That hook isn’t quite perfect. The other backup vocal feels off. There’s no formula for making the perfect album (without Autotune anyway), so BRMC is just going to take the long way around and keep doing it until it feels right.
If that means they have to play shows at each and every one of their favorite venues, so be it. For the record, here’s their list (they couldn’t all seem to agree on one): Schubas, Green Mill, Lincoln Hall, Martyrs, Double Door, Old Town School of Folk Music and Space in Evanston.
Seeing as how they’ve only been a full five piece for a little over a year, it’s no surprise that they have differing taste in venues. What’s even more interesting is the fact that BRMC isn’t an act that would play some of those venues. This group of guys is just as interested in the music people around them are making (and seeing it live) as they are in making their own. Maybe it’s just all the college music classes, but between them there is a music appreciation that verges on lust.
With an expected release sometime in February, the seven track EP from Ben Ripani Music Company is the first album we’ve been legitimately excited to pay for since, well, Napster. With BRMC, you’re not just getting a few tracks, or even a performance. You’re getting an experience… and hopefully some free beer.
Yeah, this is the guy that would do spoken word in a clown suit as long as 100 friends come out and drink because that’s just the type of guy that Ben Ripani is. But BRMC isn’t just about Ben Ripani. It’s not even just about the other guys in the band. It’s about you. At the end of the day, who doesn’t love a drunk clown with bad jokes?
DATE: Saturday, December 11, 2010
WORDS BY: Ben Dahl ( @CobaltInfinity )
PHOTOS BY: Tracy Graham ( @tracygrahamcrkr )
