RPR are those TANGLEFOOT Guys
They're back with
Acoustic music that ROCKS!
Next Tour to be announced
"This superb band gave not just of their friendship, but blew us away totally. They are not 'very good', just stunning and brilliant." Chris Simpson - Magna Carta
Band website: rprmusic.com
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Steve Ritchie, Rob Ritchie, Al Parrish, Beaker Granger.
"This was my first RPR show, and I marvelled at the talent and versatility on stage. Steve and Al exchanged their instruments like golfers exchange golf clubs, and so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to see Beaker step out from the drum set, pick up a guitar and take to the mic. Steve jumped behind the drums in his place and supported Beaker’s powerful I’ll Be Home." - rrampt.com
"I love the new sounds, I love the stories, the music was awesome and to see you all performing together down here again was spectacular. You are such gracious performers and my family and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment." -- Big Island Festival, Albert Lea MN
Steve, Al and Rob,Tanglefoot's dynamic rhythm and harmony guys, together with percussionist/singer/guitarist Beaker Granger are on the road again. Their first UK tour in May 2013 (without Beaker) was a wake-up call for Tanglefoot fans. Three people with enough on-stage energy for five and a huge variety of great songs. Their next tour in 2016 had the complete lineup, and the tour was fabulous. The four-piece configuration affords the four veteran performers the opportunity to stretch their wings, indulging in musical whims inside and outside the frame of their former band identity, creating a memorable experience of arresting music, stories, laughter and reminiscence. And whether it's an original song of Al's, or Steve's recollection of a Robert Plant version of an old Dylan tune, or Rob's incisive musical humour, all the trademark harmony, the chemistry, the enthusiasm, the impact of Tanglefoot ... is all there. So are some of the songs, but with lots of new songs and an expanded vision that you'll love. It's light and shade, irreverent and poignant, gentle as a whisper and rampantly energetic. All four of them have fabulous voices, so the harmonies are huge and stirring. They swap instruments at the drop of a hat, Steve and Beaker trading guitar and drums, or Steve and Al swapping bass and lead guitar.
"When you are passionate about what you do, people are going to respond. RPR has a passion for telling stories – pay attention and you’ll get some great ones in their songs. But to get the stories about the songs; to get the jokes, the energy, the wit, you have to go see them live. So the moral of the story, I guess, is to go see more live music. Go see RPR the next chance you get." - rrampt.com
"Longview" is muscular and assertive, at times highly intense, sometimes reflective, often joyous. Above all, it's a celebration of our ability to connect with each other, and with the world around us. The band says it's "an album in the old-fashioned sense. It's meant to be really listened to, all the way through, in order, the way we all used to love to listen to music".
"They sing raucously and passionately with big stirring harmonies....at times with roaring vigour at others with sparse intensity, creating many moods...songs full of humour, pathos and love." - The Beat Magazine.
"Whoever says folk musicians don't know how to rock out have clearly never seen RPR in concert. Oh what a night!" -- Doug Cleverly, Harbour Nights Concert Series, Owen Sound
They rocked the folk/roots music scene as the rhythm section of TANGLEFOOT, one of Canada's hardest working bands with a bold vocal sound and a relentless tour schedule across Canada, the US & Britain matched only by their rampaging onstage energy.
Ritchie Parrish Ritchie (or try RPR for short) is all that and more. Restrained and thoughtful or full-on rocking, this is a band of contrasts, subtleties and great good humour. They are happy to flaunt their roots (and some of their iconic songs) with vibrant vocal harmonies, foot-stomping and hair-swirling exuberance, or strip back to beautifully understated instrumentation and a single, haunting vocal line.
All three of them write songs, but in Rob Ritchie the band has found its signature songwriter and superlative wordsmith.
Playing festivals and concerts in Canada and the USA, the band is gathering momentum throughout North America. While in the UK on their last tour they recorded a new album at Park Head Studio, 'Transatlantic,' now out in Canada and getting great reviews. Though no longer full-time the band's professionalism shines through.
If you been missing TANGLEFOOT, you'll love Ritchie Parrish Ritchie (and Granger). If you've never heard of TANGLEFOOT (where have you been?) you'll love RPR anyway. Stylish songs, stunning arrangements, great musicianship - and those massive vocal harmonies - all delivered with good humour and a sense of fun.
Ritchie Parrish Ritchie is a powerhouse group, moving forward from the Tanglefoot days without leaving the high energy and the spirit behind. It's old songs, new songs, borrowed songs... some you will no doubt remember, and some will be new.
"Thanks not only for your amazing music but for making it feel like seeing old friends again (and making a couple of new ones)" --comment at 2016 UK Tour final concert
"When the band got called back out to a standing ovation, Parrish analogized it to someone working a minimum-wage job and being told that they did such great work, that now they’ve got to work a little more. The crowd laughed and settled in to hear them do just that. But we all knew Parrish was joking because it’s clear how much fun these guys were having. It’s definitely work, but work they seem to love. They closed out with Hard Road and McCurdy’s Boy." - rrampt.com
"The world got brighter for fans of the long-running but now disbanded Tanglefoot when Steve Ritchie, Al Parrish, and Rob Ritchie joined up once again in a new configuration – Ritchie-Parrish-Ritchie – expanding their musical horizons beyond Canadiana and adding a shot of plugged-in to their sound. They also added a percussionist, Beaker Granger. As longtime Foot-Heads, we were thrilled to present Ritchie-Parrish-Richie to kick off the 20th year of our Sleepy Hollow Folk series. RPR is not a "Tanglefoot-lite." Despite a sprinkling of very entertaining anecdotes from life on road, RPR expands the breadth of its songwriting beyond Tanglefoot's trademark Canadian history. The new repertoire ranges all over the board, the creative original lyrics brought to life with electric energy or leaner, quieter arrangements to complement them. It was a treat to experience these exciting performers close-up in an intimate setting." - Beth Auerbach and Norm Stewart, Sleepy Hollow Folk Concerts, Falls Church, VA
"Their performance Saturday was a joyous occasion. The group had paired back to three core members [after Tanglefoot] - pirates, in my mind, who always brought such outlandish energy to the stage. They play their instruments at times with roaring vigour at others with sparse intensity, creating many moods: Rob Ritchie on keys; Steve, his brother, guitars and bass including some great licks on electric guitar: "Dylan was nearly killed for doing this"; Al Parish guitar and electric bass guitar."- Bob Cunningham - The Beat Magazine (And since then Beaker Granger has become a permanent full-time member.)