There is a kind of grey that only Southern Ontario can offer; today is one of those grey days, but as I pull up to the Ritchie household in Wiarton, the sun peaks through the clouds offering a hint of what’s to come. Inside, the warmth of setting contrasts the outside chill and as I’m sipping tea that his mother Ande has steeped, I settle into the comfort that great art has been created here.
His studio is 19.5 feet long. Exactly one half foot longer than is necessary to get the room sound Josh is after. And over the course of our conversation, the room – lined with vinyls, neatly wrapped cables and a couple of Josh’s signature Les Pauls – starts to feel more like an ‘an instrument’ in itself.
Josh Ritchie is an artist who brings pure rock n’ roll energy to every stage he graces, but here, in his safe space, I witness a different, quieter side of him. Zen-like.
Having recently been signed to Meriläinen Music Inc, an independent Toronto record label that places onus on promoting Indigenous and black artists, as well as music that exists in the pursuit of social change, he tells me how the courtship took place.
“It happened in the most organic way,” he says, explaining that the reps from the label began engaging with his music, showing up to his shows, and expressing genuine interest in his art. Without any pushy ulterior motives present, Josh hit a point where it all felt so natural that he couldn’t tell if he was being pursued for the label or simply by some prospective friends.
Since signing, Josh has released his new record So Much More Than a Dream, a project he tells me feels thematically like “the first time he’s being honest with himself.” Currently available on streaming platforms, Ritchie plans to release a special edition two-part record to emulate the flipping of an album between side A and B. There is breath, life, and an unflinching vulnerability in this effort.
“I want to make an artist fall in love with their music again…to help them see their song the way I do”
Sifting through his curated wall of vinyl, he pulls out a Gang of Youths album and begins describing the influence this band has had on both his writing and his passion for finding emotion through production.
Ritchie is an artist who has carved out a very distinct sound for himself. I’m not surprised when he offers a range of influences: Simon and Garfunkel, U2, Supertramp, Queen, Cat Stevens and The Beach Boys.
The through-line that connects all these artists for Josh is not that every record they’ve ever made is perfect, but that each has recorded albums that “were definitely not made for commercial purposes.” He goes on to describe the admiration he has for massive artists who make records that push the envelope, that ride the lines of experimentation, that redefine what it means to make truly great music.
It becomes glaringly obvious to me that Josh is never not immersed in music. Whether he’s searching for Easter eggs in 60s singer-songwriter gems at 2am, exploring a new accidental texture that will capture the vision of an artist he’s working with, or penning a tune of his own, music comes naturally to him, and honestly.
Growing up, Josh was fortunate enough to see parts of the world kids his age only dreamed of. As his father’s band, Tanglefoot, made waves throughout North America and Europe, Josh was eager to tag along whenever possible; that kind of life appealed to him at a young age.
Getting to interact with strangers on an intimate level, making new friends, venturing off the beaten path in incredible parts of the globe: all perks of life on the road. There is also the benefit of expanding his network of artistry. It wasn’t just the music that spoke to Josh, but the worldwide community and sense of exploration it offered.
Attending Metalworks Institute in Mississauga helped develop his skills in the areas of production and since then, he has self-produced and recorded a number of projects. He has taken the producer/engineer seat for a range of Canadian musicians, including his partner and local gem Gracie Jet.
“I want to make an artist fall in love with their music again…to help them see their song the way I do,” he says. Where songs often get lost in production due to a misunderstanding of theme and meaning, a massive part of Josh’s process is understanding the lyrics of a song and digging into the feelings they evoke.
Unhinged Sound Studios in Wiarton has become Josh’s instrument, an extension of his musicality that allows him to write songs with limitless potential for sonic evolution. “When I was starting out, I only knew how to do so much,” he tells me, explaining that it often limited the way he could write. Now, with the skills and staples he’s developed, he breathes new life into his music while constantly working to grow his understanding of sound.
He says one of the biggest tricks and hardest things for him to do when sitting in the production seat is to “listen to yourself as an artist, not as yourself,” which is a process he’s personally at peace with now. He finds confidence in being objective with his own music and enjoying the challenge of helping other artists to step outside of their ego in pursuit of what is best for their songs, when recording. “We’re not perfect, but I’ve learned to live with that,” he adds.
Josh Ritchie reminds me of myself when I first started writing music. Not in terms of skill level, as he vastly outplays a young Marshall, but the energy, the passion, the inspiration of a life in pursuit of true purpose. It’s something that can be easy to stray from in a world that increasingly seems to want artists to quit; but here, with him, in his studio, I’m reinvigorate with the reasons for why music exists.
Josh Ritchie’s new record So Much More Than a Dream is currently available on streaming platforms. For the A-side/B-Side release, you’ll have to buy it on Bandcamp, and trust me, it’s worth it.
And if you’re an artist in pursuit of your sound and willing to push the envelope, Josh Ritchie is currently accepting new demos and project pitches for the next great Unhinged Sounds Studios release.
Written by Marshall Veroni
Photos by Marshall Veroni and Bella Brough
