Josh Ritter bringing new music to Englert concert in Iowa City

No one can blame Josh Ritter for mentioning that Bob Dylan covered “Only a River,” a song he and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir co-wrote.

“It’s beyond description,” Ritter said when asked about how he felt about the songwriting legend covering his tune.

“If it was anyone else covering the song, it would have felt like I was name dropping,” Ritter said. “But if it’s that dude, I won’t shy away from mentioning that Bob Dylan played that song. Dylan played our song in Japan and Rome.”

It speaks volumes when a songwriter is honored by Dylan, but it’s not surprising the legend tipped his cap since Ritter is a witty and poetic writer.

Ritter, 48, was inspired to buy his first guitar while growing up in northern Idaho during the 1980s, after hearing Dylan and Johnny Cash’s classic tune “The Girl from the North Country.” Music was a hobby, but that changed when Ritter was studying at Oberlin College during the ’90s. He changed majors from neuroscience to music.

“Neuroscience went down the tubes due to organic chemistry,” Ritter said while calling from his Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment. “What else could I do but music?”

His other dream was becoming a Detroit Piston.

“That’s what I dreamed about when I was a kid, but I was never that athletic,” he said. “I remember walking in the Detroit airport when I was in the sixth grade. I walked into someone’s midsection. That person was impossibly tall and it was a Detroit Piston.”

What Ritter loved about the Bad Boy era Pistons of the late ’80s was the camaraderie.

“The Pistons were this cool gang,” he said. “I wanted to be part of a gang.”

Ritter accomplished that by becoming a musician and fronting a group, dubbed the Royal City Band, and includes bassist Zack Hickman, guitarists John Lundahl and Josh Kaufman, pianist Sam Kassiirer and drummer Ray Rizzo.

“I’m living that dream,” Ritter said.

New tunes

“Heaven, or Someplace as Nice” is the latest album from Ritter and his band. The group will showcase the new tunes Sunday at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City.

The album, which features jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, is mellow and includes a number of torch songs.

“It’s an album of small tunes,” Ritter said. “It’s my tribute to the country-western sound. I’m looking forward to playing these songs when I get back to Iowa. I always enjoy playing there.”

Ritter chuckled when recalling his initial Corridor experience, a 2002 concert in Cedar Rapids.

“This is a wild one and goes back to my very first tour across the country,” he said. “When I went to check into the hotel, George Bush showed up. The place was filled with security. I must have looked absolutely feral with my guitar case. I remember taking the elevator with three guys with ear pieces. I’m not expecting it to be that way when I go back. ... ”

That was the starting point of a solid, consistent career, which includes many highlights, including the exceptional 2019 album, “Fever Breaks,” produced by Jason Isbell.

“I have so much respect for Jason,” Ritter said. “It was such a treat to work with him, since he’s whip-smart and razor-sharp. I love that dude. We had a great time together working and hanging out. His approach is different than mine, and it was refreshing going into the studio every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a wonderful experience since he pointed out things I didn’t see, and I think we made a really good album.”

Ritter is optimistic at mid-life, believing he’s a better writer now than when he was in the elevator with President Bush’s Secret Service crew.

“I think I’ve improved and I think we get better with experience,” Ritter said. “Look at Bob Dylan. He is proof you can get better with age as a singer/songwriter.”

Ritter caught a few of Dylan’s shows in 2023, hoping the bard would play “Only a River.”

“It didn’t happen,” Ritter said. “But it’s so cool that Dylan covered the song.”

It’s not that Ritter needs validation as a songwriter.

“But it’s nice that one of the greatest, if not the greatest songwriter of all time covered our song,” he said. “It’s still hard to believe that happened.”