A Giant Dog is raucous ear candy culled from the hook-driven melodies of Slade, the glammy swagger of Marc Bolan, the morbid fantasy of Killer-era Alice Cooper, and the unpredictable wit of Sparks. These songs are by, for, and about the losers, freaks, and outcasts. The lonely. The terminally horny. Boozehounds and party animals.

The Ripe has sprung forth from it’s roots in power-pop, folk, garage, and psychedelia while still being nurtured by contemporary sounds and influences. Born in 2007, the Austin, Texas quartet consists of Jake Garcia on guitar and vocals, Gian Ortiz on bass and vocals, and Nick Yaklin on drums. Cultivated by the energy and hooks of power-pop favorites such as Big Star and The Nerves, and consciously trying to bring to real life the Beatles White Album, these guys also feed upon equal doses of Forever Changes era LOVE and The Kinks at their Village Green best. They are but saplings. But students of rock and roll will want to take a stroll through this forest.

Solid-gold pop ‘n strut music