Show Preview: The Ridges, Qiet
Casa Cantina
Friday, March 28, 2014
By Abbie Doyle, Copy Editor
Having just returned from a showcase at SXSW, Athens’ favorite The Ridges are back in Athens and ready to play. Cellos, a banjo and guitar, an upright bass and a few new instruments combine to create a sound that separates The Ridges from other local bands. Come out to Casa Cantina Friday night for a free show to hear just how talented this band is.
Since the band is comprised of OU students, The Ridges have learned to cope with members graduating and leaving Athens. “We have a solid core of people in this band that are not going anywhere,” said cellist Talor Smith. “For the most part it’s a duo, me and Victor [Rasgaitis], but basically everyone at this point is pretty much permanent. In the past we used to have more of a rotating cast but yeah, now we’re forming a more solid, powerful group of people because they’re able to perform their jobs awesomely.”
This fluctuating ring of members has altered The Ridges’ sound over the years, but the band is confident in the direction the music has gone. “Every person that’s in the band has their own thing they bring to the table; we want everyone to write their own parts, for the most part. We like that idea because it’s not one solid voice; we have many different voices coming together and it makes something really unique,” said Smith.
“I guess over time we have changed because the people coming in and out have changed and then solidified into more of a group, so I think that we have a much more aged sound than we did before. It actually has more character to it and seems like it’s just older,” continued Smith. “It just works out.”
One new member of The Ridges is Kristen “Kickstand” Schmitt, and she couldn’t be happier. “I love it so much. I am just really excited about everything involving it...all the time. I’m so excited for them and I’m so excited to be a part of it,” said Schmitt. “I feel like I joined at a really good time, because I feel like everyone’s all about moving forward... It’s exciting to be a part of something where everyone feels that way.”
Schmitt isn’t the only new addition to the band. A few new instruments were heard at The Ridges performance last weekend in Cincinnati.
Smith recently taught herself to fiddle with a violin, and cellist Connor Hunt has been learning the accordion and incorporating it into songs. “I really liked to play piano in high school, so it’s kind of nice to have an outlet for that. The accordion is a lot of fun because it combines the keys of the piano with the bowing motion of the cello, so you can really change the musical quality and the emotion of what you’re playing just by compressing the instrument.”
The fiddle and accordion may not be the only treats in store for the audience this Friday. “Not only did I play the fiddle,” said Smith about their last show, “our bass player, Chris Hanley,” (“Chris Manley,” interjected Hunt) “whips out this trumpet in the middle of ‘War Bonds.’ It was really fucking cool, because Drew [Paulson] put his banjo to the side, took the double bass and fucking played Chris’ part and then Chris is up in the air with this trumpet...”
“They were actually levitating,” said Hunt.
Sound incredible yet? Find out for yourself this Friday night; the show is free at Casa and starting at 10 p.m.
