Comments on: it’s only a change of time, love

By: kate

kate — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:49:30 +0000

i just said john ritter, but clearly meant josh ritter. so embarrassed.

By: kate

kate — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:47:34 +0000

totally agree with you heather! i’m a huge fan of john ritter’s work and a huge fan of your blog. and, can i just say that i garnered so much respect for you because of how you handled that little tiff between you and the other blogger (was his name matt?). you were nothing but class, while respectfully maintaining your opinion (that so many people have, too). he was, shall we say a douche? something like that. i wanted to alert more people to his ranting, but didn’t want to up his readership for acting that way towards you and/or his readers.

thanks heather! and thanks for all the great music.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:23:11 +0000

I think everyone with any sense knew what you meant when you said he was one of the most “important” songwriters of his generation – and no, it’s got nothing to do with sales or audience or political statements (although Ritter has made his fair share of those in his songs, too).
If I had to name three songwriters from the past ten years who carry the torch for meaningful, lyrical songwriting (such as that of Dylan, Waits, Young et al), Josh Ritter would most definitely be among them.
Your counter-blogger seems to hold a very old-fashioned view of music. It seems almost like he yearns for a time when everyone shared a common taste. One of the great things about music these days is that a wealth of varied artists can be important to different people for different reasons.
So it was stupid for him to even take issue with the statement in the first place.

By: Ike

Ike — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:56:11 +0000

Josh is the best. Here are some live performances of the new tracks with suprisingly good quality. Found on youtube on “vanslyke 25″’s page. Thanks to her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqH6Bckmyoo

By: scott

scott — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:37:24 +0000

absolutely one of, if not THE most important songwriter of our generation. without the passing hype, he consistently puts out excellent records and writes moving songs.

really one of the few guys writing songs today that, 10 years down the line, i can imagine referring to in the same breath as dylan, springsteen, neil young, leonard cohen, etc in terms of songwriting

can’t wait for the new album

By: Frank Joyce

Frank Joyce — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:46:55 +0000

Hey there Heather…great post from a fellow Ritter fan. I agree with you totally…it would be nice to hear more of whom Matty considers to be important to our generation (I belive Ryan Adams is still great & important enough whether or not he became Mr. Mandy Moore. Matty needs to give us some better examples).
It seems people are so quick to criticize but so slow to elaborate. Blogs are technically opinion pages and everyone is entitled to their own and some are read and taken in more than others. If Josh Ritter adapted “The Animal Years” into a broadway show and played on the Grammys, would his stock go up? Definitely, but I would think he’d be just fine not doing so, and just writing and playing his songs for his devoted fanbase. I spread the word about him as much as possible and almost always get positive responses. It’s all in the eye of the beholder, but I believe the world needs more Josh Ritters than it needs more performers like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Green Day. Some people prefer that music…I prefer Nellie Mckay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Patty Griffin and Nada Surf to name just a few. The argument over how much commercial success has to do with cultural importance could go and on, even if it’s premature. How much criticism do you think Jon Landau received when he crowned Springsteen the future of rock & roll in 1975? There’s nothing wrong with heaping praise upon “unknown” artistic talent when it is done with careful attention, intelligence and taste…it also helps to be a fan. But I do believe that just like my father passed on his Dylan records to me, I will be passing on my Ritter records to my own kids.
Keep up the great work,
Frank

By: lafamos

lafamos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:14:34 +0000

definitely one of the more underrated singer songwriters out there

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:33:29 +0000

Love the song–makes my heart swell. Thank you, Heather!

By: Luke

Luke — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:56:48 +0000

Josh Ritter is certainly one of the most important songwriters of our generation. Is he any less popular just because he is overlooked by a chunk of the population? Think of all those young singer-songwriters emulate his tunes in their own music. He is not important to them? What about when they grow up?

Basically, I agree with you Heather! Long-time reader, first-time commenter, love your blog, please don’t stop

By: Bruce Warren

Bruce Warren — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:40:47 +0000

Heather + Josh = Love