written by Doug Newcomb
The music of Lipriddle is unique, fast and fun, with just the right amount of attitude. And like the Chevy Cobalt, this Kansas City band is winning fans one at a time.
The trio-guitarist/singer Chad Bourquin, bassist Colin Ridge and drummer Bree Plaster- are making the most of KC’s vibrant music scene. Kansas City is a really musician-friendly town and people welcome original music, Plaster said.
There are quite a few bands here that do all different styles of music and venues that are open to bands playing all-original songs," Ridge added. "We’ll share the stage with three or four other bands so that we can capitalize on their crowd an the capitalize on ours.
The band got a chance to measure the support of local music lovers on a larger scale last year when they entered a Cobalt-sponsored battle of the bands contest. The winner took home bragging rights among a field of 16 bands in Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans and St. Louis. Lipriddle lost out on going to the regional competition by a few votes, but the band succeeded in acquiring new fans.
And it was a great experience, added Plaster. “It’s not every day that you have the chance to get your music in front of a bunch of new people”, she said.
Plus, it fit with the band’s strategy of reaching listeners in sometimes unconventional ways. “You can’t just wait to get discovered,” Bourquin said. "We spend a lot of time going outside the box to connect with people.
The literally did just that to promote the recent release of their first CD, Without a Sound, by designing a flyer that was pasted to the outside of take-out boxes used by a local pizza chain.
And Lipriddle’s new CD shows that the band’s sound also doesn’t tend to stay within any musical margins.
The title track, for example, veers from funky reggae-like grooves to jazzy guitar jams and then back again, threaded through with Bourquin’s clever lyrics and sly singing style.
We all come from different musical backgrounds," Ridge said, "and it all comes together in our music.
It’s like the perfect mixture of each part," Bourquin concluded.
Kind of like the Chevy Cobalt.
