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Having recently signed  with Universal Music, The Riptide Movement are conducting interviews in the organised manner one would expect of a band on a big label, meaning GoldenPlec  gets to sit down  with two of the band, bassist Ger McGarry and guitarist JP Dalton, in the relaxed surroundings of a Dublin hotel last Thursday afternoon.

The interview is very relaxed..  Ger and JP couldn’t be nicer (funny too), and are eager to get the message out about their new album, the tour, the new video, the record deal etc.  There is a lot going on in the world of the Riptide Movement. They are a band on an upward spiral, taking their real guitar music with an American rootsy influence to the masses.

They get straight in to talking about the album (‘Getting Through’) and the record deal. JP says that, “It mainly means we can do things the way we want to do them, it’s the premier league now, Universal are amazing to work with, they have a great infrastructure and are very behind the album.”

With this extra level of resources behind them, they could be forgiven for looking to increase their touring organisation, but that’s not the case. The lads might take on “maybe one or two people, plus we might take on an actual general manager.”  But that’s about it.

So, you’re still looking for your Brian Epstein?  ‘Peter Grant, more like!

When it comes to writing, guitarist and lead vocalist Mal Tuohy is the lyrics-writer. The guys explain how he was looking to get a feeling for the sense of frustration in the country, and touch on topics like emigration and non-conformity.   But, bleak it is not.  The title  ‘Getting Through’ is a deliberate personal statement about perseverance.  And as with the title of the last album (‘Keep on Keeping on’) it is definitely symbolic of the band’s own hard-working attitude, which has stood them in such good stead.

Working with producer Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys) was a real thrill for The Riptide Movement. It was Hutt’s unique way of working, says JP, that led to a cohesiveness around the sessions and the material and ultimately made the album feel like a more crafted piece of work. Added to this is the fact that working with a proper budget for the first time made the bad feel like kids in a candy shop with all sorts of interesting new instruments and equipment.

In terms of influences Rory Gallagher, Dylan, Hendrix etc all get a mention. Again, the guys show their wicked streak by telling us that the other band members (Mal and drummer Gar Byrne) are most strongly influenced by the works of Celine Dion and Justin Bieber. Seriously though, the band have great taste and also admire plenty of current artists, such as Gaslight Anthem, Avett Brothers, Wilco and Ryan Adams.

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The Riptide Movement are famous for their live shows and the way they build songs dynamically, using and feeding off the energy of the audience. But how do they go about replicating this energy in the studio?   Ger says that Ted’s vision and skill helped a lot in this regard, putting all the pieces together and experimenting with different sounds, amps, instruments etc.  The band were adamant that they wanted the album to sound as big and vibrant as the live show.

On top of this a recently added horn section has added a whole new dimension to the Riptide’s live shows.  The good news is that there are some horns on the new album.  There’s even a choir. “Mainly we just want to be always improving and working on the live show, and when something works, we go for it”.

The band have had some great adventures in recent years, both on and off stage.  We don’t quite get time to talk about their touring in Russia and India (and isn’t it great to see Irish bands plundering such of-the-beaten-tracks locations?) but they talk enthusiastically about the likes of Glastonbury, supporting the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park and Bob Dylan in Finsbury Park.  They’re certainly not sticking to Lucan.  Nor Grafton Street, which is where they plied their trade initially and learned how to grab a crowd quickly and how to sell albums.

Next up for The Riptide Movement is the album launch and concert in Vicar Street on Friday 4 April, followed by a short UK tour.

Can fans expect a lot of new songs on the setlist?  JP says that they’ve been doing “three or four of them over the last year anyhow,” and will play songs from all their albums.  Ger mentions that the new songs have been going down well, and have already freshened things up for the band.  So, hopefully we will see songs like Animal, All Works Out and the album’s title track make their way on that Vicar Street playlist.

‘ Getting Through’ by the Riptide Movement is released on 4 April through Universal Music, and the band play Vicar Street in Dublin on the same day.