Six months in another country will change you, especially if you go with two of your best friends who happen to be your college buddies, roommates, bandmates and basically brothers since you were in kindergarten. It’s no wonder the guys of Ripple Green say their time in England — spent studying at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Surrey, 27 miles southwest of Central London — so tremendously impacted their sound.
Today, Oxford Karma premieres one of the products of that life-changing experience: a video featuring their latest single, “Art Collection.” The video was shot in the 1000-year-old Guildford Castle, the town’s tallest building, which they could see from their rooms at the student housing/rehab center they called home during that time.
“The song is a stripped down version of a philosophical drinking song born out of the partying campground lifestyle we grew up around,” said guitarist and vocalist Joel Parks. “The lyrics dictate the building of a human being, piece by piece like an eerie art project. While we were in England we decided to rework the old song, adding some new sections and chants that we think give the song a more rebellious undertone.”
That rebellious undertone sort of led the way for this video, too.
“The idea for the video came during our first visit to the castle in our adopted home of Guildford,” Parks said. “The day’s sightseeing adventure ended with us being kicked out of the castle for an impromptu foot-stomping and hand-clapping jam that was inspired by the great reverberation of the main hall.”
A couple weeks later, Parks headed back to the castle to ask if they could film a live session there, and the same woman who previously asserted “this [castle] is not a playground” somehow agreed to let them play.
“It took two trips to haul all our gear in there from our place,” said Lucas Gillette, bassist and vocalist. “We didn’t have a car and the castle is on top of a huge mound, so we kept the equipment as minimal as possible. That bass amp weighed so much, but it was totally worth it. We’re really excited to premiere this video, and it’s fun to be able to look back on that time.”
Because of the logistical obstacles, the video features a less complex version of the song — and of the band. Bare isn’t just a way to describe Gillette’s feet in the video; this is raw. It features a one-take audio track captured by one field recorder from inside the castle, only edited for highs and lows. Because they were allowed only 30 minutes in the castle before it closed for the day, the video was shot three times by one camera, just to get various angles.
“This version of the song is much more acoustic than when we play it live — you know, not in a castle,” Parks said.
“The only electrification was an amp on the bass,” said Gillette. “Tremaine [Wade, drummer] had to play super quietly so he didn’t drown the rest of us out.”
As quietly as they tried, they still drew a crowd without knowing it.
“We were in the tallest point of the town,” he said. “Turns out, we played a free show for the city.”
Upon their return to their rooms, they learned their sound had been echoing throughout the town, encouraging people to open windows and go outside to enjoy it.
Watch the video below, and catch Ripple Green midnight Friday at Norman Music Festival‘s Brewhouse stage, where you won’t get kicked out for stomping and clapping.
