Yorkville band will perform Friday at Southbank Original Barbecue as part of CD release party for debut EP

In sitting down to make their debut EP, the members of Yorkville-based Ripped Jeans Duo wanted to give listeners a taste of the energy the band creates live.

The EP will be released June 30 and fittingly enough, Ripped Jeans Duo – comprised of 19-year-old Levi Cull and 17-year-old Matthew Ripsch – will perform songs from the EP “Worn In” from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 30 at Southbank Original Barbecue, 129 E. Hydraulic Ave., Yorkville, as part of a CD release party. The band will then perform a three-hour show from 7 to 10 p.m.

CDs will be available for sale at the show.

Kendall County Record reporter Eric Schelkopf had the chance to talk to Cull and Ripsch about the new EP and the upcoming show. The interview has been edited for length and style.

Eric Schelkopf: Did the both of you grow up in Yorkville?

Ripsch: I’ve lived in Yorkville my whole life and Levi grew up in Oswego. Yorkville is where I started performing.

Schelkopf: Does it make it even more special the fact that you are debuting your EP in Yorkville?

Ripsch: Yeah, and I’ve been playing at Southbank, I think, since I was 10 years old. Southbank is a great place. It’s one of our favorite venues.

Schelkopf: It’s pretty cool that you guys will be releasing your first EP at your age. Is this the timeline that you envisioned or is it even earlier than you envisioned?

Cull: I’ve always wanted to put out music of some sort. I feel like it’s been a long time coming in a way.

And even when we got together as Ripped Jeans, we wanted to start writing songs and putting stuff out. And so we did, like right away.

We were writing and recording stuff, but it did take a lot longer than we thought that it would.

Schelkopf: What were your goals for the EP and did you accomplish them?

Ripsch: I think our goal was kind of to bring the energy that we have in our shows. I think we wanted to write songs that kind of showed off what we really do in a live show and I think we accomplished that.

We have a nice blend of different genres in this EP and I think it kind of is a good representation of the energy that we bring.

Cull: One of the things that we really pride ourselves in is not only playing the music well and singing well, but also to put on a show and entertain and have it be an experience for everybody who is there. Like Matthew said, we wanted that to be encompassed in the album.

Schelkopf: So is there a meaning behind the name of the EP?

Ripsch: Yeah, there kind of is. It’s kind of a pun, but it’s kind of just like what we really wanted to do.

We kind of wanted to make a classic sound. So the name “Worn In,” it’s kind of like it’s comfortable music and people like the styles a lot, I think.

“Worn In” also is kind of a pun because we’re Ripped Jeans Duo, so it’s like a worn in pair of ripped jeans.

Schelkopf: So is the name of the band Levi a reflection of your name?

Cull: It is. It’s actually both of our names. Levi is like the brand Levi’s.

Ripsch: And we changed my name to Ripped, as in Ripped Jeans.

Schelkopf: That is clever. How long have you guys been together?

Ripsch: Just since last May, so like a year and a month.

Schelkopf: Wow, that’s really impressive to be releasing your debut EP only a year after forming. After you release your EP, are you going to be working on a full album?

Cull: We have plans to make more music. We don’t know if that will be another EP or a full album.

But we already have some songs written that we will be working on and recording. More music is definitely on the way.