Graduate Ritter crams the Cat

New and returning Oberlin students tightly squeezed into the Cat In The Cream Coffee House Tuesday night to hear 1999 graduate Josh Ritter's set of electrifying country/folk tunes. Clad in blue jeans and a white oxford shirt, Ritter made his way through the energetic crowd, smiling to reveal his delight in returning to Oberlin. His summer touring of the west coast to support a full-length, self-titled album has served the performer well, and his return to Oberlin displayed an ease on stage and striking maturity that only such touring can provide.

He started the evening with "Not Go Down," a song not found on the debut album, but included on a project that Ritter worked on with Bridget Matros in the spring. Then, as beads of sweat began to roll off his forehead, a soft-spoken Ritter said half-jokingly, "We can open some windows if they aren't already open. We can raise the roof." And that's exactly what the folk singer did.

Ritter's next piece, "Hotel Song," about a small hotel manager whose only friends are the unknowing guests who check in and out of his hotel, combines conversational wit and humor with sadness and emotion. "Hotel Song," as well as "Letter from Omaha" and "Angels on Her Shoulders," were some of his most memorable tunes because of their colorful characters and imaginative, philosophical lyrics. In "Angel on Her Shoulders" Ritter sang, "She walked right in, time slowed down, but not enough to keep me from ordering up another round, in a bottomless cup, that I had found in the hopes of never waking up."

Mumbling, strumming, and singing with a hint of a Western drawl, this Moscow, Idaho native won over the audience with his stylistic range and vocal capabilities, as well as his charming stories.

Joining Ritter on several songs were friends senior Zack Hickman (bass, organ, harmonica), Darius Zelkha, OC'99 (drums, percussion) and senior Tom Graves (cello). The band provided the kick necessary to lighten some of Ritter's more intense numbers.

The highlight of the evening came with the tragically comic "Mining Song," telling the story of a miner who is hit in the head with a rock ("Now Joe rest in pieces"). Followed by the audience-pleasing "Leaves and Kings." ("Like leaves and kings, all things must fall/No diamond ring gonna cut through it all"), this ending to the show exhibited the excellent sense of pacing that Ritter has developed.

Ritter, who said he graduated from Oberlin with an individually designed degree in American Folk Music, said he caught the music bug as a teenager when he picked up a guitar for the first time and "it felt like the most natural thing in the world to sing and write songs."

Now he's taking his show on the road in the hopes of having an independent folk music career, and if this live show is any indication of Ritter's ability to win a crowd, his success is inevitable.

What advice does Ritter have to offer incoming Oberlin first-years? "Don't be afraid to mess up, or to ask for advice. And get the most out of the short time you have here." Oh, and there was one more thing: "Stay away from Top 40 Stations. When you see one, smash it."