Josh Ritter : NPR

Josh Ritter performs live at WXPN's Free At Noon Concert. Recorded live for World Cafe. Liz Waldie/WXPN hide caption

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World Cafe

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

XPN

November 2, 2017 • Listen to the prolific songwriter perform at World Cafe Live and speak with host Talia Schlanger about his latest album, Gathering.

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

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Josh Ritter's Gathering comes out Sept. 22. Laura S. Wilson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

First Listen

Review: Josh Ritter, 'Gathering'

September 14, 2017 • Ritter's ninth album rose out of a prolific songwriting binge, and it shows in the breadth of sounds and stories on display.

New Mix: Josh Ritter, Ian Chang, Moses Sumney And More

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All Songs Considered

New Mix: Josh Ritter, Ian Chang, Moses Sumney And More

July 18, 2017 • You'll want to listen to this week's essential new music on a good pair of headphones, preferably in the dark and, if you take drummer Ian Chang's advice, while getting a massage.

New Mix: Josh Ritter, Ian Chang, Moses Sumney And More

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Uncertainty, Mania, Laughter and Sadness: Josh Ritter Writes His Newest Work

Josh Ritter's ninth full-length studio album, Gathering, will be released this fall. Laura Wilson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

Uncertainty, Mania, Laughter and Sadness: Josh Ritter Writes His Newest Work

July 17, 2017 • A sense of gathering storms, of laughing at the darkness, informed Ritter's most recent record, Gathering. In an Essay for All Songs Considered, he explains the process.

Uncertainty, Mania, Laughter and Sadness: Josh Ritter Writes His Newest Work

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Mountain Stage

Josh Ritter On Mountain Stage

April 19, 2016 • The folk-rock singer-songwriter performs songs from Sermon On The Rocks, live in West Virginia.

Josh Ritter On Mountain Stage

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Review: Josh Ritter, 'Sermon On The Rocks'

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Review

First Listen

Review: Josh Ritter, 'Sermon On The Rocks'

October 7, 2015 • On his eighth album, Ritter delves into what he calls "messianic oracular honky-tonk." Fortunately, it's an approach that brings out some of the singer's slipperiest, nimblest wordplay.

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World Cafe

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

XPN

October 16, 2015 • Hear the witty folk-rock singer give his new album, Sermon On The Rocks, the acoustic treatment.

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

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All Songs + 1: Josh Ritter's 'Sermon on the Rocks'

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All Songs Considered

All Songs + 1: Josh Ritter's 'Sermon on the Rocks'

July 27, 2015 • A singer-songwriter tells the tale of a "risky teen" and a Bible school intervention in the lead single from his forthcoming album, Sermon On The Rocks.

All Songs + 1: Josh Ritter's 'Sermon on the Rocks'

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Wiqan Ang

Newport Folk Festival

Josh Ritter: Newport Folk 2009

WFUV On-Air: Music Discovery Starts Here

August 2, 2009 • Even with an 11:30 a.m. set, Josh Ritter played an explosive set to a sleepy Newport crowd.

Josh Ritter: Newport Folk 2009

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Josh Ritter: Coming Out Of The Dark Clouds

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opbmusic

Favorite Sessions

Josh Ritter: Coming Out Of The Dark Clouds

opbmusic.org

April 20, 2013 • The singer-songwriter and his Royal City Band performed a sold-out show at Portland's iconic Crystal Ballroom. During soundcheck, Ritter let in cameras from opbmusic for a rendition of "Hopeful."

Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage

Mountain Stage

Josh Ritter On Mountain Stage

October 17, 2012 • The singer-songwriter had just reissued his second album, The Golden Age of Radio, at the time of this 2003 recording. Ritter is also a prose writer who published his first novel in 2011.

Josh Ritter On Mountain Stage

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World Cafe

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

XPN

June 20, 2013 • Hear the folk-rock singer-songwriter perform songs from his latest album, The Beast in Its Tracks, and discuss finding universal themes in autobiographical work.

Listen To Josh Ritter On World Cafe

20:51

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First Listen: Josh Ritter, 'The Beast In Its Tracks'

Josh Ritter's new album, The Beast in Its Tracks, comes out March 5. Laura Wilson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

First Listen: Josh Ritter, 'The Beast In Its Tracks'

February 24, 2013 • The singer-songwriter's new album was written entirely in response to his recent divorce. Even in its darkest moments, though, The Beast in Its Tracks finds Ritter sounding more bruised than wounded, and yearning to compartmentalize and preserve the happy memories that remain.

Third Arm

Audio for this story is unavailable.

NPR Music Presents: Josh Ritter Live From New York City

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All Songs Considered

NPR Music Presents: Josh Ritter Live From New York City

February 20, 2013 • Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band will perform most of their new album, The Beast in Its Tracks, a day before its official release. You'll be able to watch the live concert webcast online, from New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge.

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World Cafe

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

XPN

December 13, 2012 • Hear Ritter perform a song from his forthcoming album, The Beast in Its Tracks, in the studio.

Josh Ritter On World Cafe

35:38

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Mountain Stage

Josh Ritter On Mountain Stage

August 18, 2008 • A literary bent informs the Idaho native's clever, imaginative story-songs, which are finally earning attention in the U.S. After releasing five albums in seven years, Ritter stopped by Mountain Stage during a recent tour.

Josh Ritter in Concert on Mountain Stage

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Concerts

Hilary Hahn and Josh Ritter: An Uncommon Duo

WNYC Radio

May 22, 2008 • Their music might be vastly different, but when folk-rocker Josh Ritter and classical violinist Hilary Hahn share a concert stage, surprising connections develop between the two performers and their audience.

Hilary Hahn and Josh Ritter: An Uncommon Duo

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Best Music of 2007

The Best CDs of 2007, from World Cafe

XPN

December 13, 2007 • The best albums of 2007 include a plethora of reliable favorites, whether they're treading new stylistic ground (Iron and Wine), returning to roots (Wilco) or merely holding steady (Spoon). And, of course, a few new favorites join the mix, too.

October 14, 2007 • Josh Ritter's poetic and intellectually complex lyrics have helped make the singer-songwriter practically a household name in Ireland. But he's not yet well-known in America -– "yet" being the key word. Hear an interview and in-studio performance from NPR's Studio 4A.

Making Josh Ritter a Household Name Everywhere

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Studio Sessions

Josh Ritter Launches New Conquest

October 1, 2007 • Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter talks about his new album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, and performs his song "To the Dogs or Whoever."

Josh Ritter Launches New Conquest

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Review

Music Articles

The Bright Side of the World's Annihilation

September 4, 2007 • In the pre-apocalyptic love song "The Temptation of Adam," Josh Ritter demonstrates his considerable gift for subtle, warmly evocative turns of phrase. As the song unfolds, he revels in the simplicity of the end times, acknowledging that romance is easier when it unfolds in isolation.