Josh Ritter has a new album out

If you're a fan of his, you already know you need to check out Gathering, this latest release from Ritter.  If you don't know his work, read some past blog entries on him for some good starting songs.

I've only begun to listen to this one, so I don't have many opinions yet.  It feels quiet and meditative, but that might change as I listen to more cuts.

This song, for example, is a quiet love song.



Enjoy.

I had to hear this song tonight

I hope it works for you, too.

I leave for the airport in the morning

and it's late, so enjoy "Homecoming," the third song from Josh Ritter's upcoming Sermon on the Rocks album.



I can't wait for this album.  I love all three songs I've heard from it.

I also have to find some way to see him live on the upcoming tour, though so far I have no good plan for doing so.

I have an irrational, inexplicable fondness for this video

of an upcoming Josh Ritter song.  I've previously posted another video of the same song, but this one turns brilliant for me when it cuts--only twice, but that's enough--to a dance class.

I hope you enjoy it, too.



As bad luck would have it, Ritter is playing in my area in February at the same time that I will be in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress.  I must find another time and place to see this tour.

Don't forget to pre-order the new Josh Ritter album

I've plugged it before, and I'll plug it again.  Based on the two songs I've heard so far, this release, titled Sermon On the Rocks, promises to be big fun.

While we're waiting, check out this entertaining lyrics video for the first song out of the gate, "Getting Ready To Get Down."


Enjoy.

Another single from the upcoming new Josh Ritter album

In an earlier post, I mentioned Ritter's new album, Sermon on the Rocks, and pointed to a single from it.  Today, Sarah tipped me off to another song from this upcoming release.  This one, "Where the Night Goes," is even better than the previous one.  You can give it a listen here.

Enjoy--and preorder this album.

Time to preorder the new Josh Ritter album

Oh, yeah, Sermon on the Rocks, the album he was recording in New Orleans, is now available for preorder on his site.  You can also check out "Getting Ready To Get Down," the first song available from the album on this NPR page.

I'm psyched and hoping he tours somewhere nearby.

And, yes, I've already preordered it.

Josh Ritter had a dream last night

Far better poetry than mine, same first line, very different topic.

A gentle, lovely song.

Enjoy.

The joy of Josh Ritter

Wednesday night, Josh Ritter played at a local club, Cat's Cradle. As I mentioned yesterday, I rushed from the plane, which landed late, straight to Carrboro to catch the show. (I regret missing the opening act, but I arrived too late for it.) Less than five minutes after I reached the spot where I like to stand, Ritter bounded onto the stage.

When I say "bounded," I'm not indulging in hyperbole.  He quite literally moved by leaps, running and jumping his way to his guitar and then the microphone. A huge smile lit up his face, he backed up and screamed with what appeared to be sheer joy, and the show began.

Two hours later, the main set ended.  Less than five minutes later, he bounded onto the stage again, every bit as energetic as he was at the start, smiled as broadly as before, screamed again, and launched into a fifteen-minute encore.

If he wasn't singing a serious song, he was smiling whenever he could, during instrumental portions in songs, during breaks, any time he could.  The picture above is the best one I got, but you can't see his expression due to the lights (though you can see a larger version by clicking on it).  The joy of the music, the joy of performing, was always there, suffusing him, powering him, pouring out of him into the audience.

The audience responded with its own joy, and for two and a quarter hours all I saw around me were happy people.

The show marked the third time I've seen Ritter live, and it was easily the best.  I love his music, but even more I love how much joy and passion he brings to performing. This guy should be selling out stadiums, having number-one albums, enjoying a rep as a performer everyone knows. Instead, he's playing Cat's Cradle, not selling every ticket...

...and giving the show his all. 

In his wonderful song, "Snow Is Gone," Ritter sings this bit:

I'm singing for the love of it,
have mercy on the man who sings to be adored

I believe him.  I don't know him, but watching him perform, I utterly believe him.  I'm sure he has plenty of depressed times, and I have to believe that all the realities of his life are not to his liking, but when he steps onto the stage, he brings the joy. 

More, I believe he's right in those lines.  He really is, and I and every artist I know should listen to him.  

When I fret over the reception my writing receives, over how I'm selling or why I'm not winning awards or any of the other noise that fills my head, I would do well to recall these lines, smile, and take joy in the fact that I'm so very fortunate that people pay to read my stories. 

If you get a chance, go see Josh Ritter.  Bring your joy.  You can be damn sure he'll bring his.

Josh Ritter in a club

is even better than he was in a theater when I saw him almost a year and a half ago. Tonight was the last night of his current short tour, and he and the Royal City Band tore up the place. The show was amazing. His energy and smiles were infectious and had the house rocking. He was more animated and happier at the end than at the beginning, and he started like a man bursting to run.

The narrative in my head rarely ceases, but tonight during several songs it did. I was, as always, particularly touched by his statements on love and art in "Snow Is Gone." I've featured it before, but it bears repetition.



The line "I'm singing for the love of it; have mercy on the man who sings to be adored" reminded me yet again that as an artist I have to write because I love it, need to do it, and not for any other reason.

Ritter's love of performing was so clear and so compelling tonight that I wish I could have shared the show with every friend I have.

If he comes to your area, don't miss him.

One of those nights

Out of a clear and happy night a fog of melancholy settled on me, and I can barely see across the office. Time to go stick holes in my arms: my every-three-weeks allergy shots.

To keep you company, here's a lovely song that feels right just now.



Me, I have a date with a couple of needles.

I can't get this song out of my head

So, I figured, why should I be the only one?

I found this live version on YouTube. Check it out, then buy the CD, So Runs the World Away. The more I listen to it, the more I like it.

Josh Ritter

We went to see him in concert tonight, which was about the last thing I should have been doing on a frantically busy work day.

It was the right choice. The show was awesome.

The opening act was Dawn Landes, who along with a drummer and a bass player delivered one great song after another. She was good enough that I'd be happy to see a show with her as the headliner, and I will definitely buy some of her CDs. (Later, Ritter mentioned that they were married.)

Setting up for Ritter and his band took a lot longer than should have been necessary, but once they hit the stage, I forgot the wait almost immediately. I have never seen a performer who seemed so genuinely happy to be up there singing. I was never bored, never found a song dull, and loved almost all of the music. What I didn't love, I liked a great deal.

If he comes to your area, don't miss him.

As part of the encore, he played one of his songs that I particularly love, "Snow Is Gone." Check it out.



One of my favorite lines in this song is this one:

I’m singing for the love of it—have mercy on the man who sings to be adored

As I watched him on the stage, I realized that I need to allow myself to love more the things I do. I've spent a lot of my life tamping down my passions, because I lacked the control to let them out without also letting out the sometimes related anger, but maybe I have that control now. Dunno. I'll be pondering this topic for a while.

I am sure that I write for the love of it and not to be adored, and that makes me happy.