Austin: Ripe at Historic Scoot Inn
Ripe brings its horn-driven funk and pop energy to the Historic Scoot Inn on Saturday, November 28, as part of their Play the Game tour. Doors are at 7 PM, with tickets starting around $25 for a band known as much for its live show as its records.
Ripe formed in Boston while its members were students at Berklee College of Music, building a seven-piece lineup anchored by frontman Robbie Wulfsohn’s falsetto-leaning vocals and a full horn section that gives the band’s songs a live, full-band punch rarely found in modern pop. The group built its following the old-fashioned way, touring relentlessly through clubs and festivals and steadily growing from a regional Boston act into a nationally touring headliner, all while keeping the loose, party-forward energy that’s defined their live shows from the start. Their catalog leans on big, danceable hooks dressed up with real musicianship from a band that came up playing jazz and funk fundamentals long before pop ever entered the picture.
The Scoot Inn’s open-air patio and relaxed East Austin crowd suit a band built for dancing as much as listening, and the venue’s history as a neighborhood gathering spot fits Ripe’s communal, party-starting live reputation well. Expect a packed, sweaty night even with the cooler late-November weather, and plenty of horn-section solos to go around for anyone standing near the stage.
Ripe has built a reputation as one of the hardest-touring bands in the modern funk-pop revival, regularly selling out rooms well beyond their hometown and building a devoted, festival-crossing fanbase along the way. Anyone extending the night afterward can head to Hotel Vegas, a short walk from the Scoot Inn.
Doors are at 7 PM for this show. The venue is mostly outdoors, so dress warmly for a late-November night in Austin and plan to arrive early.