Johnson Hall Opera House in Gardiner presents folk-rock artist Josh Ritter for a 7:30 p.m. performance Friday, Nov. 22.
This is a special, intimate show with a stripped down trio version of Josh Ritter and his band, featuring Sam Kassirer on piano and Rich Hinman on pedal steel plus more.
Josh Ritter will perform at Gardiner’s Johnson Hall Opera House on Friday, Nov. 22. Courtesy of Johnson Hall Opera House
“All that I truly know about songs is this: the entire universe can be contained within a single one,” Ritter said in a prepared release from Johnson Hall. “I’ve known that forever, maybe I came into the world with that knowledge. Likewise, there is nothing so infinitesimal that its magic cannot be glorified or elucidated in a song. I wrote the song ‘Orbital’ in order to show that. Truth is shared by all things. The arch of an eyebrow recognizes the shadow cast by an eclipse. For that matter, a loud-ass rock song can recognize and relate to even the quietest li’l lullaby.”
Ritter is a renowned singer, songwriter, musician, artist and best-selling author. One of today’s most thoughtful and prolific voices, he has released 11 studio albums, including 2019’s widely acclaimed “Fever Breaks,” of which NPR Music praised, “He remains a hydrant of ideas while embodying an endless capacity for empathy and indignation, often within a single song.”
In addition to his work as a musician, Ritter is also a national best-selling author, having released two novels to date: 2021’s “The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All” and 2011’s “Bright’s Passage.” Released to critical attention, Stephen King wrote in The New York Times book review that “Bright’s Passage” “shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his prime. … This is the work of a gifted novelist.”
Tickets are $65 for all seats. The show will be on the third floor, Reehl Stage. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Johnson Hall Opera House box office (280 Water St., Gardiner) is open for in-person and over-the-phone sales from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Hours subject to change. Online tickets can be purchased at johnsonhall.org. All over-the-phone or online purchases will receive a digital ticket sent to email. The box office can be reached at 582-7144 or pam@johnsonhall.org. Johnson Hall is handicapped accessible.