Josh Ritter

On Wednesday, Mr. Doodlebug and I went to see Josh Ritter play at the World Cafe Live. I've been a fan for three or four years and he just put out a new CD -- The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter -- which I love. The show was amazing. His enthusiasm and energy were infectious. He had a huge smile on his face while he played and sang most of his songs. He commented a number of times on how "amazing" it was to be here playing for us.

I'm a creature of habit, as are most people, and I tend to enjoy songs as they're recorded on the album (do people still use that word?) more than when they're performed live. But Josh Ritter had the opposite effect. I've listened to his newest CD about ten times since we saw the concert and there are a number of songs I liked better live than on the CD. He's incredibly talented.

I have also taken to reading the lyrics while listening to the songs and they are really quite poetic. Here are a few examples of some of my favorite lines from different songs:

"Pity the bullet and pity the man Who both find their place in the same sad plan Who both are like the barrel going over the falls Crying all they way down I never asked to be involved."

"I traded all the innocence I ever had for hesitation."

"The crickets all leapt up and met the moon with a standing ovation."

"Oh Marie if you would stay then we could stick pins in the map Of all the places where you thought that love would be found But I would only need one pin to show where my heart's at In a top secret location three hundred feet under the ground."

There are a lot more from his other albums but I don't have the liner notes to those with me at the moment.

His music is inspired and has great sound, and it makes me love it even more knowing that Josh Ritter is an intelligent, intellectual guy who reads Thoreau and about the fall of the Roman empire on the tour bus.

I'm in Vermont with baby Doodle visiting my mom and I had to bring some Ritter to listen to (Animal Years, Hello Starling and the aforementioned new one) while I'm here -- I think the only CD my mother owns is The Sound of Music.

When we begged for an encore he didn't play games and take forever to come back on stage. He unplugged his guitar and stood away from the microphones and played Girl in the War to us. The whole show was incredible and unique. If you ever get a chance to see Josh Ritter live do it. Get a babysitter, cancel your other plans, bring your friends and just go. You won't regret it.