Jul. 27: Josh Ritter returns to St. Louis

Jason Gonulsen
Special to Metromix

In what should be a slam dunk for local concertgoers who like singer-songwriters, Josh Ritter will be performing with a full band tomorrow night at Off Broadway. Who is Josh Ritter, you ask? Well, in 2006 he made waves with 'Animal Years,' which pretty much was at or near the top of every "Best of" list that year. He followed that in 2007 with the wonderful and mostly electric 'The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter,' which also was critically lauded. Both are great places to start.

In my opinion, Ritter is a can't miss talent. Although I was very late to catch on to his music, songs like "Girl in the War," "Wolves," and "Right Moves" have quickly become favorites on my iPod. The characters in his tunes are an interesting bunch; they "pass their time with crosswords," trade their "innocence for hesitation" and become "thin blue flames." Ritter is a folkie, a rocker and quite a wordsmith, and if you've seen him live, you know that a smile literally never leaves his face.

His upcoming show should be packed, rocking and intimate—I'm pretty stoked that we're getting to see him in such a great venue like Off Broadway (Doors open at 7:30, and Langhorne Slim supports, so get there early).

Ritter graciously (on rather late notice) found some time to answer a few questions over e-mail before his St. Louis gig. Here's what he had to say:

On your current tour, you are performing a few new songs that will presumably be included on an upcoming album. Can you briefly tell us about those and how they are sounding?
I'm thinking about them as gigantic oil paintings.  I wanted stories that left nothing out and I want them to sound lush.  I'm lucky enough to work with musicians who can do that.

'Animal Years' included the epic song, "Thin Blue Flame," which is full of random and beautiful imagery. What's going through your head when you're playing that song live?
When the night is going well, I can get pretty deep inside the song.  I don't mean that in a touchy feely, inside-the-actor's-studio kind of way—I just mean that with all the imagery going by, there is plenty to concentrate on.  It feels like a movie to me.

It's been a while since you last played St. Louis, but do you have any memories of past shows in our city?
I remember buying a bottle of Crown Royal for Joan Baez in St. Louis.  I was on tour with her and thought that would be a good gift. The guy behind the counter told me that all the best liquor came in bags.

In 2006, Stephen King called 'Animal Years' "the best album of the year in a walk, and maybe the best album I've heard in the last five." When you hear something like that, what does it mean to you? Any contact with Mr. King?
Well, it's a huge compliment coming from a writer who I respect so much.  I've loved his books for ages, so it was a real shot in the arm.  I've never had any contact with him, but I record my records in Maine and we'd love to have him over for dinner!

Lastly, you play solo shows, orchestral shows and shows with your band—how do they differ from one another, and how do you prepare? I would imagine that most of your fans will always want to hear a solo song or two every night...
The thing about mixing it up on stage is that no one emotion can be sustained for an entire show. I started my career playing on my own and gradually was able to bring a band along. As we were able to play larger palces and the opportunities for weirdnesses like orchestras came along, I decided to try that too.  There is a line you walk each night between giving the audience what it needs and giving yourself what you need. I find that that balance is a healthy one. The bottom line is that each of these formats offers something that the others can't, be it the one-to-one interaction of a solo show or the whirlwind of an orchestral gig. My favorite is still being up there with my band, though. They're superhumans.

Five Josh Ritter videos: