Josh Ritter celebrates debut novel with Cœirt gigs

Josh Ritter plays the Live Lounge at the Radisson on April 24, as part of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature when he will be showcasing songs from his latest album So Runs The World Away, as well as the material that has won him a loyal following in Ireland. It’s part of a double bill at Cúirt, which will also see him discuss his debut novel, Bright’s Passage, earlier the same day.

For his Radisson show, Josh will be joined by his bandmates Zack Hickman, Austin Nevins, Liam Hurley and Sam Kassirer. He has been playing with all four for a long time now and feels that this continuity has helped him achieve the sound he’s after.

“The great thing about working with anybody for a long time is you just get to know each other better,” he says. “You have a kind of vocabulary – you can describe things the same way because you have common experiences. That’s really important with music because talking about it is difficult, especially when you’re looking for something but you’re not really sure what you’re going for.”

Sam Kassirer also acts as a producer on Ritter’s albums, something the songwriter is very happy about.

“When you get a producer you’re asking somebody to come in and be a psychologist as much as an artist,” he says. They have to come into a middle of a situation where people know each other really well, figure out the dynamics of the band and how they’re going to pull what the person wants out of the music.

“That’s why I love working with Sam – I have both of those elements. I have a band and I also have someone who can help me get what I want.”

So Runs The World Away was 15 months in the making. Did Josh intend to take his time with this album?

“It’s just the way it worked out,” he says. “I love records that are really short too; I think there’s something to be said for something that’s completely spontaneous. Like the last record was (The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter) – it just happened.

“This record was one I really wanted to take my time on,” he adds. “Some of the things I was going for, it took me a while to realise what they were before I really got down to it. It took that long to get what I wanted.”

Was there any particular book or album that influenced the making of his new record?

“There always is, but it’s really nebulous,” he muses. “It’s just one more fish in the aquarium; the rest of your life is happening and all those things go into it. I always read a lot of history and listen to all kinds of stuff, but never anything where I would say ‘this is what caused that’.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.