Bright's Passage

Josh Ritter’s popular Americana music is the product of his childhood spent in the small western town of Moscow, Idaho and his years as a student of American History and Scottish folk traditions. His strength as a narrator and balladeer has drawn comparisons to Bob Dylan and acclaim from both the mainstream press and indie music magazines. He’s released close to a dozen albums and EPs and played at Radio City Music Hall. So what does a guy in his 30s with that much success do for an encore? He writes a novel of course. Ritter’s debut work of fiction is called “Bright’s Passage” (Random House, 2011). It’s the story of a World War I veteran and his talking horse. Ritter calls it a comedy but reviewers have called it “tender, touching, moving and genuine.” He joins guest host Isaac-Davy Aronson in the studio today to talk about writing fiction and to perform a live preview of his concert tonight at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro.