Mark Ripp (in solo mode): a guy, a guitar and a song/
Mark Ripp & The Confessors:
Mark Ripp: a guy, a louder guitar and a song/
Johnny "Boom Boom" Toffoli: drums and moral compass/
Bob "Buzz" Hamlyn": high wizard of the whammy bar Stratocaster electric guitar
Influences
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Thomas Merton, My Wife and Kids, "The Denial Of Death" by Ernest Becker, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Chuck Berry, Dave the heroin addict from high school who did a killer version of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why", Nick Lowe, Midnight Cowboy, Scarborough, Tony Hanik, Father Dan Donavan, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, The Catcher In The Rye, Autumn, Roy Orbison, The Internal Combustion Engine, my frequent lack of common sense, Tim Horton's, John Hiatt, The Del-Lords, & Steve Earle
Sounds Like
John Hiatt, Ricky Nelson, Crazy Horse and middle age
My start was in the coffee houses of Toronto some thirty years ago. I came of age in the singer songwriter heyday of the seventies. Dylan, Neil Young, John Prine etc. Getting a song across with your voice and an acoustic guitar was what felt most authentic to me, and today I still divide my time between playing solo and with my friends. Somewhere in those early days I decided to opt for volume and formed a series of top forty/original bands that led to a core of guys that would eventually become The Bel-Vistas. In the mid-eighties pre Vistas time frame we were known as "Invent The Game" and then just "The Game". At that time we had a big sound (lots of keys/synths) and bigger hair! Time ran out on the skinny ties however and when that group folded Bob Hamlyn, John Toffoli, & I recruited Mike Baxter and kaboom! BEL-VISTAS We were together ten years and put out three records. It was a brotherhood. The "Make it or break it" kind of band you romanticize about. Good friends pursuing a common dream. Our credits include record & distribution deals with indie labels Eureka & Blue Rose, publishing with Sony, video play on Much Music & CMT(Canada & Europe), cross Canada tours, opening spots for Canuck icons The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, & Tom Cochrane, as well as radio play in Canada, the US, & Europe. After ten years and many miles we packed it up and called it a day.
My post Vistas life has been full. I became a father and stay at home dad. In 1997 I put out the first disc under my own name titled "Wherever I Go". A couple of years later I got together with ex Vistas drummer John Toffoli and began working on some songs. Sometime after we called mutual friend David Stokaluk to play bass (and later guitar). Mark Ripp & The Confessors were born. The bass gap was handled first by "King Kong" Girio and then by the able bodied singer/songwriter Laurence Roscoe.
"Minor Miracle" was our first release. Positive reviews came from CBC Radio & Ottawa’s Weekly Express. Gigs followed in and around Toronto (including two NXNE festivals). In 2003 with heavy hearts we said goodbye to brother Dave Stokaluk who left to pursue a wonderful solo project.
Enter former Bel-Vistivian and titan of tremolo Bob Hamlyn!
Suddenly "The Three Bumblinos" were together again. So now what?
I decided to dive into the DIY world of digital recording and produce a completely in house record. I’ve read a lot of manuals, clicked many clicks and though slow going at times we keep chipping away! With a good tail wind the next album should be done in 2008.
Before I finish up, I should mention some influences. Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Merton, Midnight Cowboy & Six Feet Under come to mind.
So there ya go, glad that bio crap is over, what’s important is the songs and connecting with people. Hope you enjoy the material. Take care.
M.R.
How is the new CD coming along? I can't wait to hear some new material....just looking back and reading your profile; wasn't it "The Game and the eventually "Invent the Game"? I agree with Dave, some of your older material such as "the victim" is classic, any thoughts or ideas of putting them on to CD? You rock Buddy, good friend, great music with a heart of gold!
Hey Mark! Really nice to hear from you, and I'm glad to see that you finally gave in to myspace. It's really not that bad! I read a newspaper article with you in it a few months back - looks like you are on the road to conquering the music industry! If you need any backing vocals any time, count me in!!!! Kirsten
I had a buddy of mine play me a cassette tape of 'The Game' a long time ago. I always love the sound. The songs, 'The Victim', 'Couples in Trouble', and 'Make Me Laugh' we played so many times over the years I can still hear them well in my head. It was good talent and good music. I always wondered what happened to that material and why we never heard more.
