With winter coming on strong, it’s time to think of that eleven-day, incredible run of music in the sun on the Milwaukee shore of Lake Michigan: Summerfest. If Summerfest hasn’t already chosen a slogan for 2009 or designed their commercial campaign, Andrew Ripp should be their pick.
Ripp’s album, Fifty Miles to Chicago, is appropriate enough for Summerfest in its title encouraging you to make the short drive from Chicago to what is billed as the “World’s Largest Music Festival.”
Yet, more than that, Ripp starts off the album with “Get Your Smile On,” an intoxicating, Jason Mraz-like, shuffle groove jam, jazzed out, souled out, hand-wagging attitude son making a perfect play
on the Summerfest smile logo (which is inspired by the name of festival founder Don Smiley).
I can see the commercials now: pictures flashing of Summerfest crowds, rocking out to 11 days of music, while Ripp’s “Get Your Smile On” provides the marketing soundtrack. That groove jam exemplifies what you experience on the Summerfest grounds—music around every corner, plenty to soak in all day every day, swaying-rocking-grooving-shouting-singing with the crowd.
And after such a marketing campaign, it will, of course, only make sense that Andrew Ripp would be artist-in-residence for Summerfest 2009, a position they’ll create for him. He’ll play on various stages with full band or acoustic solo sets.
As an album, Ripp falls a little bit into the same trap I see for Jason Mraz. The grooved up, jamming, up tempo tracks are great, but especially with Fifty Miles to Chicago starting off with “Get Your Smile On,” it sets up a false expectation. Ripp is an incredibly soulful singer/songwriter, laid back ballads soaring on a Motown-dipped folk pop. Songs like “Tim’s Song” and “It’s All Good” surely grow out of Ripp’s solo, coffeehouse-type days. “The Privileged Life” lurches on a New Orleans piano as it swaggers around a jazz standard stage.
Yet, I’m pushing through the album hoping to get my smile on again. I’m enjoying what Ripp can do with a laid back groove, but I find myself asking, “When are you picking it up again, throwing it all to the wind, and getting us jamming again?”
Track 10. “But You Saved My Life.” Soul on an acoustic guitar. Soul rock on electric guitar syncopated struts. Jam Band acoustic guitar solos and Motown organ thrown in. Here’s what I wanted Ripp to be between tracks 1 and 10.
That said, I still imagine Ripp being right for Summerfest artist-in-residence. On acoustic sets, he’ll lead soulful swaying crowds from his smoky, jazzy stage. When playing with his band on the big stages, he’ll crank it up, bring it up, push it up, and rock it up until everyone truly has their smile on. Just what Summerfest is all about.
