Josh Ritter: Sometimes You're Stalked By Heartbreak

You know the saying, it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. We don’t think that’s helped anyone going through a breakup. But it has led to some great, enduring albums -- like Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, and Richard and Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out the Lights. Now, Josh Ritter is adding to that long tradition.

Josh Ritter’s new album is called The Beast In Its Tracks, and it chronicles the end of his marriage to another musician, the singer songwriter Dawn Landes. He joined us in the studio to talk about the album, and the emotions behind it, before heading off to Austin Texas for this week’s SXSW music festival -- where he’s playing a couple of showcases on Thursday night, March 14th. But if you’re not going to Austin, crack a Lone Star beer and enjoy this in-studio performance and conversation with Josh Ritter, who is accompanied by Josh Kaufman.

On writing the album:

When I was in the teeth of everything -- where the marriage had just fallen apart and I was so angry -- I was hurt, and bitter and I had a lot of rage. I wanted to write songs that had all of that in them -- it was the only way I felt like I had the power back, that I had lost, was to write things that were really pretty mean. As I wrote them I realized that they were easy to write but they weren't good songs --  they didn't make me feel good about myself. There has to be a humanity in there. Because it's not hard to write dark songs, just like it's not hard to write happy songs. The stuff that's really hard to write is mixed emotions.

On getting autobiographical in song:

There's so much out there in the world to write about, and to be imagined. I don't see the act of autobiography as a feat of any kind of imagination -- I've stayed away from it. But I felt like, I was walking along, and I came to the Grand Canyon. And to turn around and write a song about flowers or something like that would have been a betrayal of what I believe I'm supposed to be doing, which is describing human experience. That's what a writer is supposed to do, and that's what I had to do. Once [the songs] were there I had to write them down.

On the album title, The Beast In Its Tracks:

Initially I would wake up the mornings -- and I'm not telling anybody who has had heartbreak anything new -- you feel like you've been in an accident and you're feeling for your fingers and toes, and you're seeing what works, and you think "I think I'm happy today, today might be the day that I'm over it." And you make your way through the day and think "I'm better." But as soon as the sun goes down you're right back in it. Those times when you're stalked by heartbreak, that's what I really wanted to write about. As my life changed, I met someone incredible, the anger becomes less and eventually it goes away. But these songs I wrote to keep ahead of that monster.

Set List:

• A Certain Light

• Joy To You Baby 

• New Lover