| Josh Ritter | |
|---|---|
Ritter with the Love Cannon String Band Wexford, Ireland on October 20, 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 21, 1976 Moscow, Idaho United States |
| Genres | Folk, Alternative Country, Rock |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter, Author |
| Instruments | Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, lute |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Signature Sounds V2 Sony BMG/Victor |
| Associated acts | The Frames, Hilary Hahn |
| Website | www.joshritter.com |
Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics.[1] In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.[2]
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Josh Ritter was born in Moscow, Idaho in 1976. As a teenager, after hearing Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” on his parents' copy of Nashville Skyline, he attempted to write songs on a lute that his father had built, before abandoning the lute and buying his first guitar at K-Mart.[3]
Ritter attended Oberlin College to study neuroscience, but later changed his major to the self-created "American History Through Narrative Folk Music". At the age of 21 Josh recorded his first album Josh Ritter at a recording studio on campus. After graduating, Josh moved to Scotland to attend the School of Scottish Folk Studies for six months.[4] Josh then moved back to Idaho for a few months, before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, then Somerville, Massachusetts where he worked temporary jobs and played at open mic nights. During this time, Ritter sold copies of his album and was spotted by Glen Hansard and his band The Frames, who invited him to return with them to Ireland. As an early sign of his success to come, Ritter found on the trip to Ireland that his album sold particularly well at open mics there. With the money from merchandise sales, Ritter was eventually able to quit his day job and devote himself to music full-time.
A year and a half after recording Josh Ritter, Ritter recorded his second album Golden Age of Radio for $1000 and self-published it. The album was recorded in three different studios: Soundgun in Philadelphia, Electric Cave in New Hampshire, and a friend's basement studio.[5] While promoting Golden Age of Radio, he met Jim Olsen, head of independent record label Signature Sounds, who offered to remaster and re-release the album after hearing Ritter play. The song "Me & Jiggs" was subsequently released as a single in Ireland, where Ritter was quickly becoming a word-of-mouth success, first opening for The Frames, then headlining his own shows. Ritter's third record, Hello Starling, produced by former Frames guitarist Dave Odlum, debuted at #2 on the Irish charts.[6]
In 2003, Ritter shared top billing with the French Kicks at Sepomana, the annual music festival produced by WRMC 91.1 FM. Ritter and Ron Sexsmith headlined the Friday night singer-songwriter event at the Hotel Viking at the 2004 Newport Folk Festival. He also appeared at Oxegen 2005, and has headlined with artists such as Joan Baez, who later released her own version of Ritter's song "Wings" on her album Dark Chords on a Big Guitar. He was signed by a British label, V2 Records, in 2005 and Hello Starling was subsequently re-released. He began performing and touring in a crossover duo with the classical violinist Hilary Hahn in 2005.
In 2006, Ritter released his fourth album The Animal Years. 2006 also saw the release of Ritter's first full-length live album and DVD In The Dark - Live At Vicar Street which was recorded over two nights in May 2006. Ritter released his fifth album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, in 2007. Both The Animal Years and Historical Conquests received warm critical reception[7][8] with Stephen King calling The Animal Years the best album of 2006 in his column for Entertainment Weekly.[9] In support of Historical Conquests, Ritter appeared as a musical guest on such high profile television shows as Late Show with David Letterman in America and Later... with Jools Holland in Britain.[10][11]
Ritter re-issued his second and third, Golden Age of Radio and Hello Starling on April 7, 2009 and January 17, 2010 respectively. Each re-issued albums were packaged as two-disc deluxe editions. The deluxe editions contain both the original studio album as well as solo acoustic versions of all the original tracks, live and remixed bonus songs, and never-before-seen photos and artwork. The deluxe editions also feature liner notes written by Ritter fans, including Dennis Lehane and Cameron Crowe.[12][13]
In Autumn 2009 Ritter toured with Love Canon String Band, where he reinterpreted his songs with a band composed of banjo, double bass, mandolin and guitar. This tour included three nights in Whelans Dublin, where he performed his albums Golden Age of Radio, Hello Starling, and The Animal Years in full.[14] In 2009, Ritter also provided the soundtrack for the documentary film, Typeface, by Kartemquin Films.
Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away, was released April 23, 2010 in Ireland and May 4, 2010 worldwide.[15] The vinyl version of the album had an earlier release on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day celebrations. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well.[16] To promote the album, Ritter made the song, "Change of Time" from So Runs the World Away, available for free download from his website on February 8, 2010.[17] The song also appeared in the March 23, 2010 episode of the television series Parenthood. In support of the new album Ritter toured with his newly named The Royal City Band - starting with six dates in Ireland - including a sell out performance at the newly opened 2100 capacity Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin[18] and continuing with an extensive tour of the United States.[19] So Runs the World Away largely garnered positive reviews.[20][21] "Change of Time" was featured on the Parenthood soundtrack in August 2010, and quickly became a fan favorite. The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2011 Natalie Portman film, The Other Woman.[22]
On February 15, 2011 Ritter reissued The Animal Years on vinyl and as a two-disc deluxe edition on CD. The deluxe edition contains both the original studio album as well as a solo acoustic version of the album. The bonus disc includes four b-side recordings, two videos, new artwork, and liner notes by author Tom Ricks.[23]
During his early 2011 tour, Josh Ritter released an EP album of previously unreleased material from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions, titled To the Yet Unknowing World. Ritter began streaming the EP for free on his website as well as made it available for digital purchase on February 8, 2011.[24] To the Yet Unknowing World hit Apple's iTunes and record stores February 15, 2011.[25] In February 2011, Ritter and his band continued their extensive tour in support of So Runs The World Away touring American and Europe.[26] On February 12, 2011, at a show in New York the band were introducted onstage by The US Office stars Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski.[27] During his European tour in April 2011, Ritter released his third live album, Live at The Iveagh Gardens. The limited edition two CD and one DVD set is a live recording of Ritter's performance of 21 songs at the Dublin venue on 18 July 2010.[28]
Josh Ritter married Dawn Landes, a fellow musician, in Branson, Missouri on May 9, 2009.[29] However, in a February 2011 interview with the Boston Herald, when asked about Dawn Landes, Ritter said "we’ve actually decided to split, which is hard, but is going to be better in the end".[30]
On November 22, 2009, Ritter played at a Benefit Concert at Moscow Junior High School in Moscow, Idaho for Jim LaFortune, an Earth Science teacher at the school struggling with a brain tumor. LaFortune was one of Ritter's teachers. Ritter attended the school from the 7th through the 9th grade.[3]
Apart from music, Ritter also has interests in writing. Ritter has claimed many different writers as influences on both his songwriting and fiction work. Some of his favorite authors are Flannery O'Connor, Philip Roth, and Dennis Lehane (who wrote the intro for the Deluxe Edition of Hello Starling). The title of Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away, comes from a line in the third act of Shakespeare's Hamlet.[31] Ritter's own novel, Bright's Passage, was published by Dial Press on June 28, 2011. Ritter has said of the novel, "Besides my songs, Bright’s Passage is the first [written] work I’ve wanted anyone to see".[32] Ritter has said that "It’s about a kind of sweet normal guy from West Virginia. He goes to the first World War and he comes back and he has an angel. And it’s about him and this angel escaping this wildfire for five days. It’s sort of this short little comedy".[33]
In 2010, Ritter's band members - some of whom had been performing with him from the early 2000s - were given the name "The Royal City Band" (a reference to the song "Thin Blue Flame" from The Animal Years).
Members:[34]
Josh Ritter performed at Michele Clark's Sunset Sessions in 2005.
In January 2010 Ritter opened at New York City's Radio City Music Hall for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season.[35]
Josh Ritter performed at the South by Southwest Music & Media Conference and Festival, March 18, 2011 at the Historic Sanctuary of St. David's Episcopal Church.