eugeneRIPPER

“One of Canada’s most respected yet underexposed songwriters” TORONTO STAR.
" Ripper puts spikes back in folk music." VANCOUVER PROVINCE.
" Few can turn a couple of chords into something majestic, and Eugene Ripper has the gift." OTTAWA CITIZEN.
" Roots rock rebel summons up visions of film noir and spaghetti western and Johnny Cash " HALIFAX HERALD.
Eugene Ripper EPK (Bio Flick) 2006
Latest work..."Fast Folk Underground 2.0"
Mixed by Laurence Currie and mastered by Joao Carvalho - it's the final companion piece to "Crackle" (2006) and "The Ballad of Black" (2004).
Some back story...My roots can be traced back to my first band: Stark Naked and Fleshtones - surf punk pranksters who tore up the Toronto club and concert scene in the earlier 80's. I went solo in 1985 to and pursued a more roots rock based sound.
A series of singles and videos and gained some recognition via 102.1 The Edge Casby Award nominations as best indie artist (1987, 1988) and Q 107 Toronto Music Award nominations as best folk musician (1987, 1988). I also got under the lights with my full band (The North) on the main stage of the 2nd annual EdgeFest at Molson Park and into the mix with my songwriting skills to the Mariposa Folk Festival. In the early 90's, I relocated to Vancouver BC and released my first full length album "Fast Folk Underground" recorded and released a EP with a punk/reggae/ska project called Deadhead Cool and continued to work on my songwriting
Around this time, I also left a small footstep on the international scene with the release of "Fast Folk Underground" in Germany in 1993. Later that year, I returned to The Mariposa Festival in Toronto and was tapped to join "The Great Canadian Party" at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, sharing the stage with The Tragically Hip and The Violent Femmes. Then came New York City (1994-96). Hunkered down in the big apple, I wrote and recorded my second album "Faster Than You Think" with musical friends including drummer Billy Ficca (Television).
While living in NYC, I was an active member of the East Village Anti Folk Scene - a regular at the Sidewalk Café on 6th Street at Ave A. Another highlight of this era took place in 1995 when I joined caravan of the cream New York Anti Folk scene who traveled to perform at the Mariposa Folk Festival.
In 1996, I returned to Vancouver and continued to develop my songwriting portfolio and released the "Faster Than You Think" project. In 1998, I moved to Halifax Nova Scotia and produced some the some of the most varied material of my career including a remastered version of the Stark Naked cult hit " I was a Teenage Stockbroker", a garage rock album project" El Musico" and an internet only single "Folk Song 2000/Apollo Meltdown" co produced by Charles Austin (Superfrienz, Buck 65).
In the summer of 2001 I returned to Vancouver and got down to business and recorded a mini album "Hi Lonesome" with Vincent Leslie Jones producing. In 2002, I began to write/collect material for my 4th major project "The Ballad of Black." Released in 2004, I supported with a coast to coast national tour. In 2005, I relocated to Toronto mixed and released "Crackle" and got to work on Fast Folk Underground 2.0 which, with it's release, brings things up to date for now.