Today we’d like to introduce you to The Ricters. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The band formed at the beginning of 2018 with Adam Sheppard on guitar and lead vocals, Andrew Nilson on drums, and Brendon Sheppard on bass. We recorded a 3 song demo in our studio space in the spring of 2018. After releasing the demo we went to Firebrand studio and began recording our first album, “Zygote” with Robert Moenigmann.
On September 14th, 2018 we played our first show at the heavy anchor and continued gigging around the town wherever and whenever we could. The last show we played together with Brendon was supposed to be at The Firebird but arrived that day to find the venue was shutting down indefinitely. Brendon ended up leaving the band shortly after that and we began searching for another bassist.
We met Jeramy Hagely through Craiglist and it was love at first sight. We asked him to come audition and play two of our songs and he showed up and knew them all! We picked up right where we left off and had our first show with him in December at the Dugan Haus.
Due to a cancellation from one of the other bands we were asked to join the Road To Pointfest contest. In February of 2020, we advanced onto the next round of the series. Things were going well, we had shows booked up until May, and then… COVID.
We spent the rest of the year trying to be as productive and optimistic as possible. Experimenting with live streams, recording, writing new material, etc. We dropped our debut album Zygote in April of 2020. Venues began to open up again and our first show back was at Red Flag in October of 2020.
We kept playing wherever we could and at the beginning of 2021 we started recording a new batch of songs with Tom Pini. The road to PointFest series started back up again in July and then we advanced to the finals and ended up winning along with another band known as “Native State”.
On September 19th, 2021, we showed up at the Hollywood casino amphitheater to finally perform at Pointfest. Minutes before our set there were several technical difficulties that eventually led to us being cut from the line-up. We were devastated. 105.7 The Point promised that we would be a part of next year’s Pointfest lineup. They also had us come into the studio for an on-air interview/acoustic performance.
Shortly after that, we were asked if we would be interested in opening up for Highly suspect at the pageant and we said yes. It was sick. Since then, we have released our first music video and single, “Runnin”. and have continued to play shows around the city.
Currently, we are continuing to mix/produce with Tom Pini. We are on course to release our newest single “Otherside” at the end of April. We also are working with multiple videographers in preparation to film more music videos, as well as booking new shows as they are available.
You can expect to see us at our next headlining show at Off-Broadway in South City on April 16th. You can also expect to see us this summer at the upcoming Pointfest on May 21st.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been about as smooth as the roads downtown.
From auditioning new members to closing venues. The pandemic and surge of Covid-19 tested our patience/motivation to move forward. Competing/winning through the Road to Pointfest to be cut twenty minutes before our set.
See our bio for specifics through our timeline! Every time we find ourselves facing one of these obstacles though, something great comes after it, so we’re pretty grateful for all the hurdles at this point.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Songwriting and performing.
A lot of the music we make tends to be pretty personal. The message is centered around chasing your dreams and overcoming the self-doubt and obstacles that come along with that pursuit. Others tend to be pretty introspective. It feels like sharing diary entries sometimes. Venting frustrations and worries so that they don’t grow roots inside of us and stop us from doing what we really love.
I think we’re most proud of Jeramy’s funk-o-pop collection. The music is cool too though.
I think what sets us apart from other bands is our unique sound and our passion for the craft. We try to follow the motto of “less is more” and take pride in the full sound that our 3 piece produces. We are always working on improving our recording quality, but I think we really shine best in a live setting.
We try to keep it as authentic as possible and make it more about the energy and the feeling of the music. We look at every show as another chance to get as close as we can to recreating that feeling we had when we first wrote the song.
I never know what to call our type of music. Everyone has a different description for it and we take pride in that. We’re not really trying to make one type of music or devote ourselves to one genre. It’s all about what moves us at the time and being free to just make whatever we feel like making when we feel like making it.
Just a couple of guys playing in the sandbox and being way too proud of our own sandcastles.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Books: The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Podcasts: The Eddie Trunk Podcast and Ten percent happier with Dan Harris
Apps: Garageband – so helpful for sketching out ideas for songs on the go.
Pricing:
- Koozies – $5
- T-shirts – $25
- Hoodies – $40
- Private Dances – $250
Contact Info:
- Email: Thericters@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.thericters.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thericters/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thericters
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thericters
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2IVe8AqItxJS_-LGUjxiXQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thericters
Image Credits
Steve Rosen, Ryan McLaughlin, Kaylee Roberts, and Drew Nills
