Published at 1:35 PM on October 29, 2007

By Austin L. Ray

Josh Ritter – Backstage Recordings, Vol. I

Dear Diary

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I’m not a gadget type of guy. I’m rarely allowed to drive, have an alarm on my watch that I’ve owned for three years and can’t figure out how to turn off, and have occasional struggles with things like light switches, elevator buttons and elevators. So, when it comes to recording songs on the fly I like to keep things decidedly one-button simple.




What follows are a couple recordings done backstage by myself or with friends from the tour. They’re rough, but it’s a lot of fun.




Jess Harper is the lead singer of Old School Freight Train and, like Zack and I, is a big Randy Newman fan. After the show at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. we went over to our friend Ed Romanoff’s apartment and recorded a few Newman tunes.




Here are Jesse, Zack, Ed and I singing “Louisiana 1927” and “Lonely at the Top.”









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