Josh Ritter interview
Josh Ritter
Quick Change
Guest spots on Letterman and Conan, accolades from both horror master Stephen King and The Boss Bruce Springsteen, superstardom in Ireland, and still Josh Ritter helps out his friends in need. It’s that Idaho upbringing.
Appearing: October 16th at Park West in Chicago.
On a sticky late August afternoon mere days before Ritter embarks on a celebratory trip to the Emerald Isle to showcase his new album, The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter, to the audience who embraced him first and wholeheartedly, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter braves Brooklyn’s humidity to get an oil change. See, his buddy needs a van for a few gigs of his own and since Ritter won’t be using his while he’s away, he’s generously lending the vehicle. But the oil change, isn’t that just a bit above and beyond the call of friendly duty? Especially if you’re a hot-shit recording artist on a major label like Sony BMG?
Therein lies Ritter’s charm. Despite the success he has amassed inch by inch throughout the decade — culminating with his last record, The Animal Years — Ritter maintains the air of someone who knows he’s damn lucky to have left toiling at the luggage factory and hitting open mic nights after work behind.
And performing “The River” at Carnegie Hall at a Springsteen tribute last April for the man himself exemplifies one of those moments where the pure luck of his situation burrows itself into his heart.
“The chance to get to play and to say thanks to him and to meet him and say that to his face — that’s an honor and it’s one of those times when you start to realize why you’re working, why you’re doing what you do, through experiences like that,” Ritter explains. “To like, wake up the next morning and know exactly why you’re happy.”
Ritter’s recent wake-up calls must fill him with joy then. After former label V2 released its roster to focus on catalog sales, Sony swooped in and laid claim on the talented lyricist with a soft spot for legendary female figures like Joan Of Arc and Calamity Jane. This new relationship seems to fit Ritter like the old brown suit he used to wear to gig after gig, paired with red Chuck Taylors.
“This record felt like a big record and I figured I wanted it to come out on a big label. These guys seemed like they had the right attitude. They just wanted to go in and make a big record bigger, which is something that I like,” Ritter says. “I’ve never been indie for the sake of being indie. To me that doesn’t feel like a real ethos.”
— Janine Schaults
For the full interview, grab the October edition of Illinois Entertainer, available free throughout Chicagoland.
