Mark Ripp
My start was in the coffee houses of Toronto some thirty years ago. I came of age in the singer songwriter heyday of the seventies. Dylan, Neil Young, John Prine etc. Getting a song across with your voice and an acoustic guitar was what felt most authentic to me, and today I still divide my time between playing solo and with my friends. Somewhere in those early days I decided to opt for volume and formed a series of top forty/original bands that led to a core of guys that would eventually become The Bel-Vistas. In the mid-eighties pre Vistas time frame we were known as "Invent The Game" and then just "The Game". At that time we had a big sound (lots of keys/synths) and bigger hair! Time ran out on the skinny ties however and when that group folded Bob Hamlyn, John Toffoli, & I recruited Mike Baxter and kaboom! BEL-VISTAS We were together ten years and put out three records. It was a brotherhood. The "Make it or break it" kind of band you romanticize about. Good friends pursuing a common dream. Our credits include record & distribution deals with indie labels Eureka & Blue Rose, publishing with Sony, video play on Much Music & CMT(Canada & Europe), cross Canada tours, opening spots for Canuck icons The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, & Tom Cochrane, as well as radio play in Canada, the US, & Europe. After ten years and many miles we packed it up and called it a day.
My post Vistas life has been full. I became a father and stay at home dad. In 1997 I put out the first disc under my own name titled "Wherever I Go". A couple of years later I got together with ex Vistas drummer John Toffoli and began working on some songs. Sometime after we called mutual friend David Stokaluk to play bass (and later guitar). Mark Ripp & The Confessors were born. The bass gap was handled first by "King Kong" Girio and then by the able bodied singer/songwriter Laurence Roscoe.
"Minor Miracle" was our first release. Positive reviews came from CBC Radio & Ottawa's Weekly Express. Gigs followed in and around Toronto (including two NXNE festivals). In 2003 with heavy hearts we said goodbye to brother Dave Stokaluk who left to pursue a wonderful solo project.
Enter former Bel-Vistivian and “Titan Of Tremelo” Bob Hamlyn. Suddenly three old friends were together again. “So what do we do now?”
I decided to dive into the DIY world of digital recording and produce a completely in house record. I've read a lot of manuals, clicked many clicks and though slow going at times we keep chipping away! With a good tail wind the next album should be done in 2008.
Before I finish up, I should mention some influences. Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Merton, Midnight Cowboy & Six Feet Under come to mind.
So there ya go, glad that bio stuff is over, what's important is the songs and connecting with people.
Take care
MR