Josh Ritter
Encyclopedia
Josh Ritter 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. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine
.
, 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.
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. 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.
, 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. 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.
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 classic
al violin
ist 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 with Stephen King
calling The Animal Years the best album of 2006 in his column for Entertainment Weekly
. 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.
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
.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 and continuing with an extensive tour of the United States. So Runs the World Away
largely garnered positive reviews. "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.
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.
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. To the Yet Unknowing World
hit Apple's iTunes
and record stores February 15, 2011. In February 2011, Ritter and his band continued their extensive tour in support of So Runs The World Away touring American and Europe. 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
. 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.
, a fellow musician, in Branson, Missouri
on May 9, 2009. 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".
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.
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
. 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". 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".
).
Members:
In January 2010 Ritter opened at New York City's Radio City Music Hall
for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
of The Swell Season
.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
.
Early life
Josh Ritter was born in MoscowMoscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in 1976. As a teenager, after hearing Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
’s “Girl from the North Country
Girl from the North Country
"Girl from the North Country" is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released in 1963 as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in 1969. That recording became the first track on Nashville Skyline,...
” on his parents' copy of Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
, he attempted to write songs on a lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
that his father had built, before abandoning the lute and buying his first guitar at K-Mart.
Ritter attended Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
to study neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, 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
Josh Ritter (album)
Josh Ritter is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was self-released in 1999.Humorous folk-inspired songs such as "Hotel Song" and "Stuck to You" evoke comparisons to John Prine, while ballads "Letter from Omaha" and "Leaves and Kings" seem inspired by Leonard Cohen and...
at a recording studio on campus. After graduating, Josh moved to Scotland to attend the School of Scottish Folk Studies for six months. 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
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
and his band The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
, 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.
Career
A year and a half after recording Josh RitterJosh Ritter (album)
Josh Ritter is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was self-released in 1999.Humorous folk-inspired songs such as "Hotel Song" and "Stuck to You" evoke comparisons to John Prine, while ballads "Letter from Omaha" and "Leaves and Kings" seem inspired by Leonard Cohen and...
, Ritter recorded his second album Golden Age of Radio
Golden Age of Radio (album)
Golden Age of Radio is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was Ritter's first album to be released nationally after he was signed to Signature Sounds. According to , Golden Age of Radio was originally self-released in 2001 and passed out at shows...
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. While promoting Golden Age of Radio, he met Jim Olsen, head of independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Signature Sounds
Signature Sounds Recordings
Signature Sounds Recordings is an independent record label specializing in singer-songwriter, Americana, and modern folk music. Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer founded the label in 1995 to promote the acoustic artists playing in the Northampton, Massachusetts music scene...
, 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
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
, then headlining his own shows. Ritter's third record, Hello Starling
Hello Starling
Hello Starling is the third album by Josh Ritter, released on September 9, 2003.Hello Starling was reissued on January 17, 2010 as a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the complete original studio album and a second bonus disc...
, produced by former Frames guitarist Dave Odlum
Dave Odlum
David Odlum is an Irish guitarist, drummer and producer who has dated, worked and played with Academy Award winners and Mercury Prize nominees...
, debuted at #2 on the Irish charts.
In 2003, Ritter shared top billing with the French Kicks
French Kicks
French Kicks are an indie rock group from New York City, USA. Their sound is a mix of garage rock, post-punk, and modded pop.Three of the original four band members, bassist Jamie Krents, vocalist/drummer Nick Stumpf, and vocalist/guitarist Matthew Stinchcomb, are from Washington, D.C. They were...
at Sepomana, the annual music festival produced by WRMC
WRMC
WRMC-FM is the full power, student-volunteer-run radio station of Middlebury College. WRMC broadcasts a variety of content types, including talk, news, and radio drama, although the vast majority of the schedule is music of all genres...
91.1 FM. Ritter and Ron Sexsmith
Ron Sexsmith
Ronald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. He started his own band when he was fourteen years old, and released the first recordings of his own material seven years later, in 1985...
headlined the Friday night singer-songwriter event at the Hotel Viking at the 2004 Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
. He also appeared at Oxegen 2005
Oxegen 2005
Oxegen 2005 was the second Oxegen festival to take place, following the dissolution of its predecessor Witnness in 2004. It took place on the weekend of Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland....
, and has headlined with artists such as Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, who later released her own version of Ritter's song "Wings" on her album Dark Chords on a Big Guitar
Dark Chords on a Big Guitar
Dark Chords on a Big Guitar was a 2003 album by Joan Baez. The sound was more "rockish" than her prior releases, and it was composed of work by mostly Generation X songwriters, including Natalie Merchant, Ryan Adams and Steve Earle. The title was taken from a line in Greg Brown's song "Rexroth's...
. He was signed by a British label, V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
, in 2005 and Hello Starling
Hello Starling
Hello Starling is the third album by Josh Ritter, released on September 9, 2003.Hello Starling was reissued on January 17, 2010 as a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the complete original studio album and a second bonus disc...
was subsequently re-released. He began performing and touring in a crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
duo with the classic
Classic
The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective or a noun . It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts...
al violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn is an American violinist.Hahn was born in Lexington, Virginia. Beginning her studies when she was three years old at Baltimore's Peabody Institute, she was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, and in 1991, made her major orchestral debut with the...
in 2005.
In 2006, Ritter released his fourth album The Animal Years
The Animal Years
The Animal Years is the fourth album by Josh Ritter, released on April 19, 2006.Before performing Girl in the War at the 2006 annual dinner of the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Ritter stated that he intended to “to write about [the United States of America], but [instead] it all...
. 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
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is the fifth full-length album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released in the U.S. on August 21, 2007, in Ireland on September 7, 2007 through Independent Records, and released in the rest of Europe on October 1, 2007 by V2 Records...
, in 2007. Both The Animal Years and Historical Conquests received warm critical reception with Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
calling The Animal Years the best album of 2006 in his column for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. In support of Historical Conquests, Ritter appeared as a musical guest on such high profile television shows as Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
in America and Later... with Jools Holland in Britain.
Ritter re-issued his second and third, Golden Age of Radio
Golden Age of Radio (album)
Golden Age of Radio is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was Ritter's first album to be released nationally after he was signed to Signature Sounds. According to , Golden Age of Radio was originally self-released in 2001 and passed out at shows...
and Hello Starling
Hello Starling
Hello Starling is the third album by Josh Ritter, released on September 9, 2003.Hello Starling was reissued on January 17, 2010 as a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the complete original studio album and a second bonus disc...
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
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
and Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
.
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. In 2009, Ritter also provided the soundtrack for the documentary film, Typeface
Typeface (film)
Typeface is an independent documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, about visual culture, technology and graphic design, centered around the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin...
, by Kartemquin Films
Kartemquin Films
Kartemquin Films is a not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1966 by Gordon Quinn, Jerry Temaner and Stan Karter, three University of Chicago graduates who wanted to make documentary films guided by their principle of "Cinematic Social Inquiry." They were soon joined by Jerry Blumenthal...
.
Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
, was released April 23, 2010 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and May 4, 2010 worldwide. The vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
version of the album had an earlier release on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
celebrations. The vinyl record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. To promote the album, Ritter made the song, "Change of Time" from So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
, available for free download from his website on February 8, 2010. The song also appeared in the March 23, 2010 episode of the television series Parenthood
Parenthood (2010 TV series)
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC...
. 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
Grand Canal Theatre
The Grand Canal Theatre is a 2,111 capacity world class theatre in Dublin, Ireland which opened on 18 March 2010. Designed by Daniel Libeskind of New York and RHWL Architects of London, it is located in the Grand Canal Dock area and the concept of the theatre was created by Mike Adamson of Live...
in Dublin and continuing with an extensive tour of the United States. So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
largely garnered positive reviews. "Change of Time" was featured on the Parenthood soundtrack
Parenthood (television soundtrack)
Parenthood was released by Arrival Records/Scion Music Group in 2010. It consists of music featured in the first season of the NBC television series Parenthood.-Overview:...
in August 2010, and quickly became a fan favorite. The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2011 Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
film, The Other Woman.
On February 15, 2011 Ritter reissued The Animal Years
The Animal Years
The Animal Years is the fourth album by Josh Ritter, released on April 19, 2006.Before performing Girl in the War at the 2006 annual dinner of the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Ritter stated that he intended to “to write about [the United States of America], but [instead] it all...
on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
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.
During his early 2011 tour, Josh Ritter released an EP album of previously unreleased material from the So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
recording sessions, titled To the Yet Unknowing World
To the Yet Unknowing World (EP)
To the Yet Unknowing World is a limited-edition EP album by Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band, released on February 8, 2011.The EP features b-sides, demos, and remixes from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions. To the Yet Unknowing World was first made available on Ritter's official...
. Ritter began streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
the EP for free on his website as well as made it available for digital purchase
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on February 8, 2011. To the Yet Unknowing World
To the Yet Unknowing World (EP)
To the Yet Unknowing World is a limited-edition EP album by Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band, released on February 8, 2011.The EP features b-sides, demos, and remixes from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions. To the Yet Unknowing World was first made available on Ritter's official...
hit Apple's iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and record stores February 15, 2011. In February 2011, Ritter and his band continued their extensive tour in support of So Runs The World Away touring American and Europe. On February 12, 2011, at a show in New York the band were introducted onstage by The US Office stars Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
and John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
. 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.
Personal life
Josh Ritter married Dawn LandesDawn Landes
Dawn Landes is a Louisville, Kentucky-born, New York City-based musician who performs under her own name. She is also a sometimes-member of the band Hem, where she has lent her voice to harmony vocals, and plays glockenspiel. She has worked as an audio engineer at Stratosphere Sound in New York...
, a fellow musician, in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
on May 9, 2009. However, in a February 2011 interview with the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
, 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".
On November 22, 2009, Ritter played at a Benefit Concert at Moscow Junior High School in Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
for Jim LaFortune, an Earth Science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
teacher at the school struggling with a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. LaFortune was one of Ritter's teachers. Ritter attended the school from the 7th through the 9th grade.
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
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O'Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries...
, Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
, and Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
(who wrote the intro for the Deluxe Edition of Hello Starling
Hello Starling
Hello Starling is the third album by Josh Ritter, released on September 9, 2003.Hello Starling was reissued on January 17, 2010 as a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the complete original studio album and a second bonus disc...
). The title of Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away
So Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
, comes from a line in the third act of Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. Ritter's own novel, Bright's Passage
Bright's Passage
Bright's Passage is the debut novel by singer/songwriter Josh Ritter. It is published by Dial Press and was released June 28th 2011. The entire first chapter had been previously released for free download on Ritter's official website.-Blurb:...
, was published by Dial Press
Dial Press
The Dial Press was a publishing house founded in 1923 by Lincoln MacVeagh.Dial Press shared a building with The Dial and Scofield Thayer worked with both. The first imprint was issued in 1924. Authors included Elizabeth Bowen, W.R...
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". Ritter has said that "It’s about a kind of sweet normal guy from West Virginia. He goes to the first World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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".
The Royal City Band
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 YearsThe Animal Years
The Animal Years is the fourth album by Josh Ritter, released on April 19, 2006.Before performing Girl in the War at the 2006 annual dinner of the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Ritter stated that he intended to “to write about [the United States of America], but [instead] it all...
).
Members:
- Josh Ritter - Lead vocals, guitar
- Zack Hickman - Bass, guitar, tuba, strings
- Sam Kassirer - Piano, keyboards, organ, accordion
- Austin Nevins - Guitar, lap steel, baritone
- Liam Hurley - Drums, percussion
Albums
- Josh RitterJosh Ritter (album)Josh Ritter is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was self-released in 1999.Humorous folk-inspired songs such as "Hotel Song" and "Stuck to You" evoke comparisons to John Prine, while ballads "Letter from Omaha" and "Leaves and Kings" seem inspired by Leonard Cohen and...
(1999, self-released) - Golden Age of RadioGolden Age of Radio (album)Golden Age of Radio is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was Ritter's first album to be released nationally after he was signed to Signature Sounds. According to , Golden Age of Radio was originally self-released in 2001 and passed out at shows...
(2000, re-released 2002, Deluxe Edition 2009) - Hello StarlingHello StarlingHello Starling is the third album by Josh Ritter, released on September 9, 2003.Hello Starling was reissued on January 17, 2010 as a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the complete original studio album and a second bonus disc...
(September 9, 2003, re-released 2005, Deluxe Edition 2010) - The Animal YearsThe Animal YearsThe Animal Years is the fourth album by Josh Ritter, released on April 19, 2006.Before performing Girl in the War at the 2006 annual dinner of the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Ritter stated that he intended to “to write about [the United States of America], but [instead] it all...
(March 20, 2006 in UK, April 11, 2006 in US, Deluxe Edition 2011) - The Historical Conquests of Josh RitterThe Historical Conquests of Josh RitterThe Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is the fifth full-length album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released in the U.S. on August 21, 2007, in Ireland on September 7, 2007 through Independent Records, and released in the rest of Europe on October 1, 2007 by V2 Records...
(August 21, 2007 in US, October 1, 2007 in UK) - So Runs the World AwaySo Runs the World AwaySo Runs the World Away is the sixth full-length studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on vinyl record on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day in the United States. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well. The official album...
(April 17, US (Vinyl Release - Record Store Day), April 23, 2010 in Ireland, May 4, 2010 in U.S./World)
Live Albums
- In The Dark - Live At Vicar Street - Live Album/DVD (November 24, 2006 in Ireland, February 5, 2008 in U.S.)
- Live at the 9:30 Club (April 19, 2008)
- Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, Live at The Iveagh Gardens (April 2011)
EPs
- Me & Jiggs EP (2002 in Ireland only)
- Come & Find Me EP (2002)
- 4 Songs Live EP4 Songs Live EP4 Songs Live EP is a live EP by Josh Ritter, released February 22, 2005.-Track listing:#"Kathleen"#"Golden Age Of Radio"#"You Don't Make It Easy Babe"#"Snow Is Gone"...
(February 22, 2005) - Good Man EP (August 18, 2006, Ireland only)
- Girl in the War EP (August 29, 2006 on iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, November 27, 2006 in UK) - Live at The Record Exchange EPLive at The Record Exchange EPLive at The Record Exchange is an acoustic EP by Josh Ritter. It was recorded at the Record Exchange in Boise in 2006. The EP features three songs from Ritter's 2006 album The Animal Years, two previously unreleased songs and a John Prine cover.-Track listing:# Peter Killed the Dragon# Girl in the...
(January 30, 2007) - To the Yet Unknowing WorldTo the Yet Unknowing World (EP)To the Yet Unknowing World is a limited-edition EP album by Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band, released on February 8, 2011.The EP features b-sides, demos, and remixes from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions. To the Yet Unknowing World was first made available on Ritter's official...
(February 8, 2011)
Singles
- "Hello Starling (Snow Is Gone)" (May 31, 2004, UK single)
- "Bright Smile" (2004, Irish single)
- "Man Burning" (2004, Ireland promo-only single)
- "Thin Blue Flame" (2005, US promo-only single)
- "Girl in the War" (April 11, 2006)
- "Lillian, Egypt" (May 29, 2006, UK single)
- "Wolves" (July 25, 2006, promo only)
- "Mind's Eye" (October 15, 2007)
- "Right Moves" (December 17, 2007)
- "Empty Hearts" (March 31, 2008)
- "Real Long Distance" (May 5, 2008)
- "Change of Time" (March 16, 2010)
- "Lantern" (2010)
Other contributions
- Sweetheart: Love Songs (2004, Hear MusicHear MusicHear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
) - "Tonight You Belong To Me, featuring Blake HazardThe Submarines-Band history:Working as solo artists in Boston, the two members of the band, John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard, were introduced through a mutual friend, Joe Klompus. Dragonetti and Hazard became partners and soon toured Europe together as members of the band. The relationship lasted for four...
" - Acoustic 05 (2005, Echo) - "Kathleen"
- The Cake SaleThe Cake Sale (album)- Reaction :The national broadcaster RTÉ gave the album a five star rating, describing it as "a commendable effort by a large group of musicians who genuinely want to help" and saying it was deserving of its rating "if not always for the music then definitely for the effort"...
(2006, Oxfam Ireland, Yep Roc RecordsYep Roc RecordsYep Roc Records is an independent International record label based in Haw River, North Carolina and owned by Redeye Distribution . The label has put out albums by artists like The Go-Betweens, The Fleshtones, Gang of Four, The Reverend Horton Heat, and The Minus 5, as well as the work of important...
) - "Vapour Trail" - Acoustic 07Acoustic 07Acoustic 07 is a 2-disc compilation album, released under V2 Records in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2007. The collection is the seventh of V2 Records' popular Acoustic series.-Track listing:Disc 1#"Lovestain", performed by José González...
(2007, V2 RecordsV2 RecordsV2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
) - "Girl in the War" - House M.D. (Original Television Soundtrack) (2007, NettwerkNettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
) - "Good Man" - 1% For The Planet, The Music (Vol. 1) (2010, One Percent for the PlanetOne Percent for the PlanetOne Percent for the Planet is an international organization whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental causes. Their mission is to "use market forces to drive positive environmental change by inspiring companies to give"...
) - "Great Big Mind" - Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows - John Prine Tribute Album (2010, Oh Boy RecordsOh Boy RecordsOh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1984 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Slick Ballinger, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder...
) - "Mexican Home" - Americana 2004 UNCUT "Wings"
Notable Performances
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
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Markéta Irglová
Markéta Irglová is a Czech songwriter, musician, actress, and singer. As of 2010, she resides in New York City.-Early life:...
of The Swell Season
The Swell Season
The Swell Season is a folk rock duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. "The Swell Season" name is derived from Hansard's favourite novel by Josef Škvorecký from 1975 bearing the same title...
.
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.
External links
- Official website
- Official blog
- Official fansite
- Official MySpace page
- Josh Ritter collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - 2009 interview
- Josh Ritter "So Runs the World Away" Review www.AwaitingTheFlood.com