Thanks to this musician and his 7 albums, you have now heard of 'Jersey Swamp Rock'

Music has always been ingrained in Reese Van Riper’s heart and soul. So even though he now spends his time rocking out at bars and clubs, it’s somewhat fitting that the first song he ever learned to play was a certain piano standard.

"My maternal grandfather taught me how to play ‘Heart and Soul’ on the piano when I was 5 or 6 years old," he says. "I started fiddling away at all the keys on the piano and focusing on how the notes sounded and how they were arranged." Van Riper would make up his own songs, memorize them, and record them on a cassette tape recorder. A few years later, he received his first guitar — a red Danelectro — from his godfather. It quickly became his instrument of choice.

"I was brought up in a very musical family," Van Riper says. "My paternal grandfather was a music teacher at Cliffside Park High School and was also in a few bands of his own."

Van Riper played in several bands through the years, but didn't start writing and performing Reese Van Riper songs until 2006. "I started writing as a solo entity with the intention of being a solo performer, so I named the project after myself," he says. "I thought that if I were to have a band, I would name them The Paper Mache Bandits and be known as Reese Van Riper & The Paper Mache Bandits. However, after trying to fit all of that onto flyers for shows, we decided Reese Van Riper was long enough."

The new four-piece group — made up entirely of Bergen musicians — bonded over their love of Tom Waits, Alice In Chains, Gogol Bordello, Type O Negative, and classic country blues folk music, and started playing shows primarily in New York City, but also as far away as Austin, Texas.

Van Riper played with different bandmates through the years, but in 2018 Reese Van Riper started to form its current lineup, thanks to a new partnership with drummer and producer Glen Monturi of Midland Park. "Glenn has been the catalyst behind the band’s productivity and ability to constantly excel with each of our releases," Van Riper says. "He creates a vivid sonic landscape for the Reese Van Riper persona to thrive in."

Who are some of your influences?

I was heavily influenced by grunge bands like Alice In Chains, the haunting vocal styles of Radiohead's Thom Yorke on Kid A and Amnesiac, and the raw, picking heartbeat of eerie old blues artists like Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson.

What is Jersey swamp rock?

"Jersey swamp rock" was coined by my good friend and fellow musician Alex Grippo for a genre he describes as “a tree struck by lightning, only to fall into the north Jersey Meadowlands bogs. While it’s in there, it soaks up all the good and bad, the nice and the scary, the light and the dark. Once you’ve exhumed the log because you thought it was the body of Jimmy Hoffa, you find it resembles the thing before, but has been saturated with local influence.”

If you ask me though, swamp rock in general was born out of the bayous of Louisiana. It's a fusion of moaning blues guitars, cryptic folk lyrics, and southern rock. With Jersey swamp rock, we’re letting everyone know the South isn’t exclusive to this vibe. What many people fail to realize is that Jersey has its fair share of swamplands as well ― along with its fair share of darkness, hardships and folklore of its own. All of which makes for some great music.

How did you connect with Hawthorne's Mint 400 Records?

I began to notice Mint 400 Records through the shows they were putting on at Stosh’s in Fair Lawn and other venues we were playing. A close friend of mine, Adam Bird, who is on the record label, introduced me to Neil Sabatino, the owner of the label. After a few meetings at the Brick House Cigar Shop in Wyckoff, we became fast friends and came up with a contract that suited the group.

Since our partnership in 2019, we’ve released 65 songs over seven albums. Mint 400 Records has been a great independent record label that allows us to focus on being creative while they help us reach a larger audience and deal with the red tape of the music industry.

Can you tell me about your latest album, Saints?

Writing Saints was an exorcism of so many emotions, a confession of expression and a cure for depression. I found empowerment in writing about situations that would usually distress me. This album inspires self-reflection due to the fact that it was birthed out of a purge of emotion from life experiences that molded me.

After deliberation with my drummer, producer and best friend, Glen Monturi, we decided that what first began as an idea for a 10-song LP should end up becoming an epic 30-song triple LP entitled Sinners, Saints & Psychopaths. An album to celebrate the carnal, an album to glorify the pious, and an album to reflect the instinctual heathen living inside us all. There are so many different aspects and emotions in this compilation of songs that there is something for everyone.

How do you get the word out and promote your music?

I try to use all the platforms available to me for promotion, yet I feel like I’m fighting a constant war against the algorithm. Thanks to our record label, Mint 400 Records, we get a lot of radio play across the country and press we weren’t able to access as a fully independent band.

Playing live is crucial in getting the word out. The more you play, the larger your audience becomes. Once you start touring, you reach a new set of ears everywhere you play. Beyond that, you have to get creative, by making content people want to see. Music videos are a great way for people to experience your music. I’ve been lucky to work with videographer Arielle Paredes for the past few years. She directed and edited our videos for “Clown Walk” and “Make It to the Grave.” She has a great artistic eye that compliments our style perfectly. A partnership with talent like that will guarantee more eyes and ears on your art.

Tell me about the Revelation Radio Podcast.

It is a podcast we created during the pandemic as a way to reach out to our fanbase and the masses in general when everything was shut down. I recorded it with my friends Jon Maisto and Matt Knight. Over the 15 episodes available on YouTube, we talk about everything from music to conspiracy theories to funny personal experiences and so much more. We had a bunch of special guests on the shows as well, including actors and musicians.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Bergen?

On any given day, I’m having a cigar at the Brick House Cigar Shop in Wyckoff, then crossing the street to the Brick House restaurant for a steak salad and Manhattan in their cigar lounge. For Mexican food, I’ll grab a margarita over at Blue Moon in Wyckoff. The bacon beer mussels at The Village Grille in Waldwick are the county's best-kept secret.

For a night out with friends, I’ll head to Stosh’s in Fair Lawn because they have the best craft beer in the area and put on some great live music events. It reminds me of a modern-day juke joint. Another great place to see live music in the area is Prototype 237 in Paterson. The place is covered in art, including their stage, which is adorned with a giant sunflower tiger emitting beams of light.

Most importantly, though, to tame my mane, I visit my hair stylist Christa Puffer at Hair Collective in Hillsdale.

What’s next?

Next, we’re releasing Psychopaths, the third and final installment in our album trilogy. We’ll be touring the country for its release in November. Eventually, I’d like to start touring in Europe. I hear a lot of good things from all the bands that have made it across the pond. Luckily, music is a universal language.

Get to Know Reese Van Riper

Age: 36

Where we can find you online:reesevanriper.com (Web) @reesevanriper (Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, TikTok)reesevanriper.bandcamp.com (Bandcamp) reesevanriper (Facebook)

Where you grew up: I grew up in Fort Lee, then moved to Wyckoff when I was 9. I remember there was a time when Wyckoff felt like the country compared to Fort Lee. I’d spend my summers on my family farm in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where I gained my love for nature and the outdoors. Some of my most cherished memories were on that farm. Playing guitar in the fields, inside the bat-infested barn, and beside the creek that ran alongside the Watson Run Cemetery ― which is most likely where I gained my love for all things eerie. As I got older, I would hang out and play music with friends in Ringwood. I remember we would frequent Clinton Road in West Milford often looking for ghosts and red-eyed dogs, and occasionally pull over to play for the spirits.

Where you live now: I have a few places where I rest my head, but spend most of my time in Hawthorne and Wyckoff now.

Education/Schools: Graduate of Ramapo High School in 2005

Future Aspirations: When I was younger, I cared about fame and fortune. But you learn quickly in this business it’s not all about the glitz and glamour you dreamt of as a kid. Now I hope to keep making music that continues to touch people for as long as I can. I would like the Reese Van Riper legacy to be remembered for always putting out high-quality music and providing exhilarating live performances. I’ve never been more confident with the band’s current lineup than I am now to catapult us to the next level in our musical careers. I’m really looking forward to whatever comes next.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Reese Van Riper is from Bergen, and plays 'Jersey Swamp Rock'