Hey Everyone!
It’s 10 p.m., we’re ensconced in a hotel in Medford, Massachusetts and we’ve just gotten back from kicking these songs around a final time before we head out on the road tomorrow, and the Rittorical conquests begin. I’ve got Alfred Deller on and he’s singing a beautiful song called “Peg-a-Ramsay.” The guy’s voice could break your heart. Right now it’s about as quiet as it’s going to be for the next five weeks and I am fast falling asleep.
I first toured around the country in 2003 when my album, Hello Starling, was released. My band and I toured in the Green Machine, a sixteen passenger van half filled with gear and half filled with guys. We slept six to a room. Seriously. We slept six to a room, and before this little autobiography drifts into the “Back in the day, we were so poor we couldn’t even afford a last name” territory, I’ll just say that I have been around the country many times and I’m excited to be documenting this trip for Paste because there are a lot of places I want people to see.
I remember reading Johnny Cash saying that he could pinpoint where he was in the country within 10 miles just by looking out the window of his tour bus at any given moment. I didn’t used to believe him, but after just four years on the interstates, state highways and occasional back roads I’ve learned how to pick out a few places myself. The muggy pull of air thick with oxygen that is cornfields in Nebraska in summer, the steep and curvy roads that mix with the smell of cloud and pine that is Snoqualmie Pass headed down into Seattle. There is a stretch of Indiana road that is so straight even your hair loses its curl until it’s snarled up again in the traffic of Gary, Indiana at the gates of Chicago.
I know Bozeman, Montana and Dallas, Texas by their respective skylines. The sky scrapers of Dallas seem like those laboratory-grown crystals that you can buy on late night shopping programs; smoked and ambitious and fragile. Bozeman, which I have only ever seen in the early morning twilight, is built low to the ground and owns what I consider to be the nation’s most beautiful collection of small town movie marquees. The town, which we always stop in for breakfast on the long dead-head drive from Minnesota to Seattle, is permanently wrapped up in the smell of bacon for me, though we once bought perfume on the street here from a British girl trying to get gas money for the trip to Taos, New Mexico at 7:30 in the morning.
I think it’s a fairly universal experience finding the familiar rendered new again by witnessing through someone else’s eyes. A friend of mine from Ireland once visited me in my hometown of Moscow, Idaho. She couldn’t believe the gun selection at Tri-State (“Idaho’s Most Interesting Store”), the number of Christian denominational coffeehouses, and our strange reliance on the huckleberry. Seeing it through her eyes made me appreciate my town in a deeper way.
This tour is a big one for me. It’s my first time having a tour bus in the States, the shows are the biggest of my career, and I have a kick-ass new record to play with my band and friends. The country is huge and it’s sewn together by roads that we’ll be traveling by night and day over the next month and a half, playing radio shows, eating breakfast, running, reading, carousing all hours and most of all playing music late into the night. In his essay “Walking,” which accompanies me on the road this trip, Thoreau dissects one of the possible meanings for the word “saunter” as, “sans terre, without land or home, which, therefore, in the good sense, will mean, having no particular home, but equally at home everywhere.”
For the next five weeks my band and I will have no particular home and yet try our best to be at home everywhere. It’s an experience well worth the having, and folks, I hope you can share in it as we go sauntering along.
Email
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Bozeman, Montana and huckleberries stole my heart in one fell swoop.
Yet to get it back.
This really made me want to learn how to sing and drive and hop in a pink car, driving through the backwoods of america and making songs for anyone.
I love the way you write.
Please come to buffalo, ny?
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I went to Emmanuel Lutheran Church with you and got confirmed with your little brother Lincoln. I remember when I used to go down to Tri-State and grab free donuts in between Sunday School and the 10:30 service. I think 6 months back you were in the Twin Cities and you saw my sister Wendy and her husband John after the show. They said you looked tired (working your butt off I’m sure!) I now work for Lutheran Social Services in IT, my violin career ended with carpel tunnel. Peace!
as a current resident of Moscow, and as a person who has answered the question “what the hell is a huckleberry? is it like a rasberry?” multiple times, I had to laugh at your comment about the peculiarities of certain towns. I’m from Coeur d’ Alene. and apparently no one in the world can pronounce that.
Hi Josh, Attended your show in Mpls with my daughter and son-in-law (I’m alittle older), and thoroughly, and I DO mean thoroughly enjoyed your performance and your band. I’m probably alittle ‘old’ to be a new fan, but what the hell, that is now what I am - I think one of your biggest! Love your lyrics, love your style, love your voice. Best of luck to all you guys.
Hey Josh, can’t wait to see you in Cork. Keep on singing to those dogs!
Hey, Josh, if you ever start to forget the Dallas skyline come on back and see us. We’d love to see you on stage again!
Josh Ritter and his band are the finest collection of performers I have seen in quite a long while. Years from now, when the are famous like the Stones, I will tell stories to my friends how I saw them in a small concert venue with a few hundred fans and he hung out and chatted with me after the show like a life long friend.
Greetings from Ohio,
Saw your show in Cleveland this past Thursday and loved every minute of it. It’s funny, you can run into the same people each year at your concerts. Loved the cover of The River, very nice touch to step away from the mike. I can’t believe I have to wait till next tour to see you again.
Marianne
Loved the shows in Ann Arbor at Borders and the Blind Pig. Would enjoy reading your thoughts about our little city - we don’t have a fragile-crystal skyline or a prounounced smell of bacon, but we’ve got our own charms. Thanks for the lovely rendition of “The River.”
Josh,
I LOVE the new CD. You guys are my favorites!!
Glad you are playing in Colorado again. See you in Boulder on Thursday!!
Liz (Sam’s sistah!)
Oh! My heart just did a little flip flop. I long for TriState. It’s the only place I know of that you can buy a gun, horse tack, spray paint, Patagonia clothing (among other high-end techno outdoor clothing), and choose from about 1,000 different pairs of shoes. Awwww shucks, now I’m homesick! PS-- next time you’re entertaining guests, take ‘em for huckleberry shakes at the Elk River Country Cafe. They can’t be beat, and it’s a lovely side of our rich Idaho culture!!
you were amazing at slummaville theatre
i brought my father who hadn’t heard of you until i bought him the ticket, and he was absolutely giddy the entire time, repeatedly screaming “this guy is great!” and saying how much you reminded him of young Bruce Springsteen. he was also horrified that you aren’t more famous. your onstage energy kept everyone dancing in their seats, and i look forward to your return to boston on dec 11.
thanks for the chocolate!
Josh--Thanks for the great diary posting. I’m counting the days until your show in Boise. I was thrilled to be at the Big Easy last year for your Boise debut, and hopefully I can swing by the Record Exchange to say hello. I’m from the Lewiston/Moscow area and we have some mutual songwriting acquaintances from the distant past--funny thing. Thanks for writing and playing such fun and inspiring stuff. Press on!
Josh - I never thought music/lyrics could touch me in such a deep way. Im so happy your music is a part of my life. Thankyou for the feel good feelings you create. What a gift. Safe travels and roll on the Olympia :)
Josh- My husband Bob & I have been following your beautiful and very insightful music since you appear on stage at the back tent of the Green River Fest! You write far beyond your years. We saw you twice at the Iron Horse and the night with Erin was ausome! I don’t use that word ligthly eithier. 10/3 @ N’Ton Pearl St. was great fun & we look forward to seeing you in N.E. again. We do feel your presence here.
Josh - We really enjoyed your concert last night and we loved meeting you! From your friends, the fourth grade twins!
Josh, We can’t wait to see you again at the Beachland in Cleveland. Hope to make you and the guys feel as though you are at home. You bring me so much joy with your music. It is great to hear you so excited about the new album. I love it!
Josh: Thank you for that amazing show on Thursday in Somerville. And for your exuberance. Keep bouncing around like that, and belting those amazing lyrics to the skies.
I saw you play last night in at the Somerville Theater, and you are incredible! You brought tears to my eyes at one point, and I couldn’t have felt more lucky to see you perform. Try and come back to New England as soon as you can! I hope you have a great time in Europe. xoxox
Cheers, Josh - we drove the ten hours to see you in Portland and it was sooooo worth it! The drive home was an amazing end to the experience—our mouths kept falling open as a frog, fox, baby black bear, deer and wolf sauntered across our path, all in the space of three hours in the dead of night.. our home is their home, I guess.
Looking forward to catching you on your next sashay through the Canadian wilderness..
I’m still in a state of bliss from your Northampton, MA show last night. Your energy and genuine happiness made the night even more special. Come back soon! Or, even better, come to Northern California in the Winter and Summer; I’d love to see you at home.
thanks for what you wrote on my mocha brown poster, very sweet.
I’ll keep listening and singing joyously along…
ah, the smell of cloud and pine, isn’t that what heaven smells like?
Thanks for the entry. It is nice to hear your gift for language outside of the space of the (always fine) lyrics. The album is wonderful! And so unexpectedly soon after the last one, which, itself was a beautiful feat of coherence and colors. Thanks for what you do...and keep it up..
Thanks to Paste for hosting you in style. It’ll be lovely to have a behind the scenes peek into your tour, written in your own inimitable way. By the way - you need to become familiar with Fort Worth, a much lovelier place than our “smoked and ambitious and fragile” sister to the east. I can just picture you sauntering through the Stockyards.
I’m looking forward to being an audience participant in Boise and Austin.
I was just wondering if you would like to marry me.
Amazing as always, Josh! Can’t wait to see you in NC! :D
I’ll see you in Boston on Friday night. Thanks for the writing and beautiful music.
cheers!
I’m selfish: I wish you all the success in the world and yet, I want to keep you a secret - a shared wink between the select group of people who’ve adored your music for years.
I suppose you are a dream. Don’t let anyone in to wake us.
Lovely show last night. Fabulous new album. Saw you the first time at the Iron Horse in Northampton, you opened for Slaid Cleaves, been spreading the word ever since. Come back soon and come back often.
I had no idea you are a Thoreau fan. He has been one of my favorites for many years. If you havnt already, you should read a collection of his called “Backwoods and Along the Seashore” It has selections from his journey to Cape Cod and the Maine Woods.
Anyway, I cant wait to see you here in Seattle. You and your band will always have a home here.
Much love and luck,
~Ash
I would always imagine myself running alongside the car, leapting over buildings and spinning around telephone poles...walking on the horizon like Paul Bunyan. You should try that:)
thanks for your music.
this was beautiful. thank you.
If I can’t see the world for myself--there’s no one else’s eyes I’d rather see it through than yours!
Sounds like you’re ready to start a great tour. I’m incredibly excited to be able to make the Park West show in Chicago on the 16th. Can’t wait to see you and the guys in action.
very well written Josh
see ya in December...have fun :)
Reading your diary on my coffee break made this morning at the office a little less dreary, so thanks. But it’s the thought that I will finally get to see you in concert tonight in Northampton, MA will get me through the rest of the day. -Can’t wait!
Though you now feel like Johnny Cash (that he could pinpoint where he was in the country within 10 miles just by looking out the window of his tour bus at any given moment), I bet you can’t sing “I’ve Been Everywhere man”.... :)
I thoroughly enjoy your voice, Josh. The circle you draw always takes me in. You possess the ability to describe without being dismissive, with all of the buoyant enthusiasm and boundless wonder of a six year-old. Thanks. Safe journey.
Can there be early morning twilight? I thought twilight was a word reserved for dusk. I’m gonna look it up. Could there be another word, obscured by time, that once described the delicate newness of dawn?
I used to come to shows at the Beachland in Cleveland, but now will see / hear you in Portland in a few weeks...I will be with my daughter and your cousin’s cousin.
And I wish you could be in my book group.
Thank you for the new album and for the tour. You are so generous.
Hello Josh. I saw you play live at Vicar Street in Dublin once. And again at my local haunt in Dolan’s, Limerick. I love you.
You write beautifully, but my favourite lyrics are still from Kathleen.
Keep on bloggin!
I get to see you tonight in Northampton, Mass. I’ve been looking forward to this show, and it’s great to know you’ll be blogging about your experiences.
Thanks for taking us along for the ride!
Hi Josh, bought your new album last week in Kerry, Ireland, while on holiday there and it soon became the soudtrack to our own sauntering along through the majesty of the land. Best yet! Have fun, how could you not?
Josh
Greeting from Scotland Josh, I wish you all the very best for your tour, I hope its a happy one for you and your band as well as for all your many fans :o)
You paint such a good picture of the places you pass through that i sometimes feel i’m there with you ;o) I’m looking forward to your future blogs
All the best, Iain
p.s. Any chance of there being a dvd at the end of it?
hey there.
i envy you guys for the possibility to catch one (or even more) of his shows. is there any chance, josh, you’ll come to cantral Europe? like vienna? i really hope so. we miss you round here.
awesome post, by the way. keep doing it.
love
Josh, you are such a wonderful writer, thank you for sharing your tour with us. I hope you enjoy each and every minute of it. Try to rest when you can! Look forward to your next blog :).
hey josh if you ever get tired of touring you should write you would be our mark twain. great gig in tripod as always
ride on Mr. Ritter...ur new record is powerful and beautiful...safe travel & I look forward to seeing you in Atlanta and reading ur blogs.
-dk
Josh, you’ve started the trip out well with an absolutely unbelievable show in Portland, Maine. I may try to catch you in Mass before you leave New England.. Otherwise, I’ll see you in Tucson.
By the way, not to offend Idaho, but Maine Potatoes are better!
Great post. Cant wait to hear more of this adventure you are on. Thanks for sharing it with us again and again and cant wait to see you guys on the road. Rock on.
That was really beautifully written Josh, sincerely hope you will write the novel you’ve mentioned before in the near future, along with more brilliant music of course! Good luck with the US tour, it was great seeing you in tripod last month, even though it was one of the sweatiest gigs ever! Don’t miss out on his shows people, they’re a unique experience.