Josh Ritter (26/06/2012)
Speaking to me from his home in Brooklyn, a few weeks out from his trip to Australia for four co-headline shows around the country with Simone Felice, Josh Ritter clearly loves what he does. That is to say, as a contemporary folk storyteller, an alt-country singer-songwriter, Ritter is in his element. He is honoured to be in the company of the likes of Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson in Paste Magazine's Top 100 Living Songwriters, explaining that the most exciting thing is “the chance to keep on writing and playing songs.”
Ritter explained how it was he found himself in the business of making music. He saw Dylan and Johnny Cash perform 'Girl From The North Country' and it was a defining moment in his vocational self-discovery. “Some people saw the Beatles on TV, some people saw the Sex Pistols – a little bit earlier than me people saw Nirvana. ['Girl From The North Country'] was my lightning strike moment. I have never had a moment that was so clear”.
When asked about the emerging omnipresence of reality television's 'star' factory on the music scene, Ritter is pragmatic and thoughtful in his response. He shows a refreshing compassion for contestants of shows such as The Voice, who he says “all have hopes and dreams and work really hard to do something”. However, he finds the ploy to 'create' stars a cynical one, and is concerned that “the focus on the judging [is] harmful if [contestants] don't have a good head on their shoulders”. As such, Ritter believes that participating on a show like The Voice “requires a bravery that goes beyond performing on stage and TV”. To the winner of Australia's premier season, Karise Eden, Ritter offers this sage advice: “continue doing what you're doing, and do it whether people say you're great or not. It's about an entire lifetime, it's great to get recognition but keep on going when no one notices”.
Throughout our chat, Ritter gets more excited for his upcoming trip out to Oz. He is no stranger to travel, having lived in Adelaide during high school (where he saw some lizards!), and studying folk music in Scotland. When asked what motivated this move, he says it was “the promise of being able to listen to [one of the] largest folklore music archives of the world”. His days consisted of “sitting in a room filled with records and tapes”, to which he would listen before going out and having a beer (which he wasn't yet legally able to do in his home town in Idaho).
One of the genres attached to Josh Ritter's music is 'Americana'. I ask him what this term means to him, and he maintains that he and his peers “write the music that comes [and] listen to what feels like home”. However, he can see the utilitarian value in terms such as Americana, which can work as a starting off point for discovering new music.
Among his musical inspirations are Tom Waits, Gillian Welch, Aphex Twin, Radiohead and Jay-Z. His tour of Australia is alongside Simone Felice, and Ritter is chuffed by the chance to play and then watch an artist and peer who he respects. For punters, he insists it's a 2-for-1 deal that is not to be missed! Felice and Ritter don't just have music in common, as both are published authors. Ritter says the creative process of writing is a solitary one that “can be hard sometimes”, but in a similar way to songwriting offers “the thrill” of finding the right words to express something.
His run of shows in Australia begins in Brisbane on July 5th, and you'll be able to find Josh Ritter in the parks and gardens jogging. With the advent of YouTube and remixing acting as a “funhouse mirror” for music, according to Ritter “its the best time in history to be an artist right now”.
Rebecca McCann
Ritter explained how it was he found himself in the business of making music. He saw Dylan and Johnny Cash perform 'Girl From The North Country' and it was a defining moment in his vocational self-discovery. “Some people saw the Beatles on TV, some people saw the Sex Pistols – a little bit earlier than me people saw Nirvana. ['Girl From The North Country'] was my lightning strike moment. I have never had a moment that was so clear”.
When asked about the emerging omnipresence of reality television's 'star' factory on the music scene, Ritter is pragmatic and thoughtful in his response. He shows a refreshing compassion for contestants of shows such as The Voice, who he says “all have hopes and dreams and work really hard to do something”. However, he finds the ploy to 'create' stars a cynical one, and is concerned that “the focus on the judging [is] harmful if [contestants] don't have a good head on their shoulders”. As such, Ritter believes that participating on a show like The Voice “requires a bravery that goes beyond performing on stage and TV”. To the winner of Australia's premier season, Karise Eden, Ritter offers this sage advice: “continue doing what you're doing, and do it whether people say you're great or not. It's about an entire lifetime, it's great to get recognition but keep on going when no one notices”.
Throughout our chat, Ritter gets more excited for his upcoming trip out to Oz. He is no stranger to travel, having lived in Adelaide during high school (where he saw some lizards!), and studying folk music in Scotland. When asked what motivated this move, he says it was “the promise of being able to listen to [one of the] largest folklore music archives of the world”. His days consisted of “sitting in a room filled with records and tapes”, to which he would listen before going out and having a beer (which he wasn't yet legally able to do in his home town in Idaho).
One of the genres attached to Josh Ritter's music is 'Americana'. I ask him what this term means to him, and he maintains that he and his peers “write the music that comes [and] listen to what feels like home”. However, he can see the utilitarian value in terms such as Americana, which can work as a starting off point for discovering new music.
Among his musical inspirations are Tom Waits, Gillian Welch, Aphex Twin, Radiohead and Jay-Z. His tour of Australia is alongside Simone Felice, and Ritter is chuffed by the chance to play and then watch an artist and peer who he respects. For punters, he insists it's a 2-for-1 deal that is not to be missed! Felice and Ritter don't just have music in common, as both are published authors. Ritter says the creative process of writing is a solitary one that “can be hard sometimes”, but in a similar way to songwriting offers “the thrill” of finding the right words to express something.
His run of shows in Australia begins in Brisbane on July 5th, and you'll be able to find Josh Ritter in the parks and gardens jogging. With the advent of YouTube and remixing acting as a “funhouse mirror” for music, according to Ritter “its the best time in history to be an artist right now”.
Rebecca McCann