Eugene Ripper regales you with a tale of the Battle Of The Punks And Pushers on his gritty new single — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The trailblazing fast-folk pioneer and Canadian punk veteran delivers us a raucous bang of dirty guitars and stomping boots on latest digital single, which coincides with his upcoming international tour. Battle Of The Punks And Pushers is more than just a song; it’s a musical journey through the urban jungle. All thanks to a stalk offering of magical words, handed to us in Ripper’s style of dirty delivery:
“I climb so high
I climb so high
I climb so high
There’s only one way I’m coming down.”
Musically, the track is a stylistic mashup that showcases Ripper’s versatility. Fusing fuzzy strokes of folk, blues, garage, punk and rock, the track is supercharged with a stomping beat, looping harmonica and bouncing percussion, all surrounding Ripper’s signature acoustic guitar, edgy vocals and rugged delivery.
Surprisingly, the inspiration for this song came from the writings of American journalist Gay Talese’s musings about late 20th-century urban life in New York City, Ripper says. “I’ve always been a fan of Talese’s non-fiction work and particularly his detailed observations concerning daily life in a massive metropolis like New York City. So, of course, his story about the building of The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the early ’60s captured my imagination: The enormity of the challenge, the sheer volume of material, the courage of the workers, and the dangers and the risks they endured — to get the job done… to make a living. Once I got into it, it was the idea of the humanity inside the machine that intrigued me the most.”
Ripper has been getting the job done for decades. He cut his rock ’n’ roll teeth in the first-wave Canadian surf-punk rockabilly outfit Stark Naked & The Fleshtones, before embarking on a solo career that has spanned decades, characterized by his unique synthesis of sounds and styles. This mixing bowl of tonal expressions allowed Ripper to forge his own path to dirty musical heaven. He has consistently pushed boundaries, wrapping it all up in a post-modern stance and a punk ethos that have earned him a dedicated fan base.
Listen to Battle Of The Punks And Pushers above, hear more from Eugene Ripper and check out his tour dates below, and let it rip on his website, Facebook and Instagram.
Eugene Ripper Tour Dates
Sept. 23 | Toronto, ON – Imperial
Sept. 29 | Calgary, AB – Palomino
Sept. 30 | Edmonton, AB – Black Dog (afternoon)
Sept. 30 | Edmonton, AB – Blakbar (evening)
Oct. 13 | Montreal, QC – Bar Fly
Oct. 14 | Knowlton, QC – Thirsty Boot
Oct. 21 | Mahone Bay, NS – Betty’s
Oct. 26 | Halifax, NS – Gus’ Pub
Oct. 28 | Edinburgh, UK – Voodoo Rooms
Oct. 31 | Burghausen, DE – Mathida
Nov. 01 | Salzburg, AT – Whisky Museum
Nov. 03 | Lyon, FR – Kraspek Myzik
Nov. 04 | Freiburg, DE – Rock Club Eimer
Nov. 08 | Nuremberg, DE – KV
Nov. 09 | Munich, DE – Kooks
Nov. 10 | Leipzig, DE- Frau Graus
Nov. 11 | Karschule, DE- Scruffy’s
Nov. 12 | Berlin, DE- KollectivBar
Nov. 14 | Glasgow, UK – Bloc
Nov. 15 & 16 | Inverness, UK – Market Bar
Nov. 18 | York, UK – 45 Cafe
Nov. 19 | Hull, UK – Adelphi
Nov. 23 | Leeds, UK – The Grove
Nov. 24 | Darwen, UK – Number 35 LIVE
Nov. 25 | Warmington, UK – The Cheshire
Nov. 30 | Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret
