Ep.26 with U.S drummer Jeff Tripoli

The Brief Encounter Podcast with Johnny Boyle

Jeff Tripoli is an American musician raised in Syracuse, New York USA and has been performing drums, percussion and voice for over 30 years. He started making a living, playing in the nightclubs of Central New York, at the age of 17.
On the road and in the studio, Tripoli has performed with many groups of various styles including Rock, Funk, Blues, Soul, Alternative, Bluegrass, Zydeco, Americana, Celtic, Folk and World. His drumming reflects a wide background of independent musical influences. The root of his dynamic framework resides the passion to provide fresh rhythms and artistic perspective.
Jeff's upcoming solo release, "Perspectives", is set to be his next record and will include 10 original percussion compositions. Each tune will feature a special guest collaborator as well as an accompanying music video. This full length album brings new additions of Tripoli's homemade instruments and found sounds. Everything from mixing bowls to spoons, soup cans to paint cans, groan tubes to toy drums, pickle jar lids to bicycle racks.... EVEN THE KITCHEN SINK!

Tripoli has toured professionally for over 15 years throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He has also performed at several major music festivals including Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, The Great Blue Heron Music Festival, Fingerlakes Grassroots Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and The Dublin Ohio Celtic Festival.

Between 2015 and 2022, Tripoli performed full time with Vancouver, Canada based Celtic folk rockers, The Town Pants. TTP tours have spanned many major cities including Honolulu, Vancouver, Buffalo, Toronto and Dublin Ireland. Jeff also appears on The Town Pant's latest album "Something To Say", released in 2018.

The Town Pants combine aspects of Irish traditional, folk-rock and roots-Americana. With decades worth of headlining Roots and Celtic festivals to selling out nights at rock venues, The Town Pants own brand of Celtic-Roots-Rock spans six studio albums and two live albums, backed up with a legendary live show that’s garnered them from New York to Norway.

In 2021, Jeff began to study with renowned Los Angeles based drummer and percussionist, Butch Norton. Tripoli's mentorship with Norton covers many aspects of drum set and percussion composition. Several points of focus include groove, feel, creativity, active listening skills, improvisation, recording technique and critical self awareness.

Jeff released his first full length solo effort called “Wabi Sabi”. Tripoli's 2022 album offers in his unusual manner a wide variety of original drum set and percussion compositions. The album takes you on a journey through Tripoli’s musical improvisations while experimenting with new sonic landscapes. It also reveals Tripoli’s explorations deep into found sounds and self made instruments created in Tripoli’s private studio.

Personal expressions of psychedelic rhythms and musical collaborations are laid out in a pure and unfiltered form. The album was 1 year in the making and the production, performances and compositions are some of the finest and most detailed efforts captured of Tripoli’s solo career so far. Tripoli performs most of the instruments with special guest appearances by Butch Norton (Lucinda Williams) and Jeff Tortora (Blue Man Group Las Vegas). Furthermore the record features some of the beautiful audio mixing by Jeff Moleski (Smashing Pumpkins).

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