Wil Ridge

Wil Ridge has a lot to say. The young country songsmith tells stories of pain, heartbreak and loss with a poignancy that few current songwriters can match. He's a classic storyteller in the vein of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. His low voice carries dark melodies through hell and back, while his acoustic playing could wake the dead. The Santa Barbara native released his debut album through Jackass Records, aptly titled Painful, and has recently signed none other than Devildriver frontman Dez Fafara as his manager. In addition, one of his friends is currently in the midst of wrapping a documentary on him. Wil's gone from hauling dead horses for work to gracing stages as a country artist. Coming off a tour in Europe with Mad Caddies, Wil sat down with ARTISTdirect and discussed everything from overcoming stage fright to songwriting.

It seems like you're telling some very personal stories on Painful. Where do the songs start for you?

To be quite honest, I really don't know anymore. They just come out differently every time. I'm in a stage of my life where I don't know where I'm going, but I let it come. Sometimes I have a really good idea, and I can write a whole song sitting down, without an acoustic guitar even. Other times, I'll have an acoustic guitar out, and the idea just merges into it.

About Painful, what was the story behind that?

I was a kid when I wrote a lot of those songs. When I got the opportunity to put them down on the record, they had to get dusted off and polished up a bit. The reason why it's called Painful, is that it's all the same story of being with women, getting your heart broken and dealing with the whole love process. Then there are some other songs that my father and I started to write together. He passed away. So some songs meant a lot and other songs were about the breakups we all go through. That's where the name came from. It's all painful [laughs].

You're a great storyteller. Was your intent to have certain tales come across through the music?

No, it wasn't. The storytelling wasn't meant at all. When I wrote these songs, they were meant to be just poems. Of course, I wanted to be the "Poet of the universe" when I was younger. I realized, "Shit, I'm far from that." I didn't want to be so visual to be quite honest. They just turned out to be stories that I experienced and I was able to get through. I don't really know how that happened. My dad was a very good writer, and I was the rebel. I didn't want to be anything like that. Grammatically, I'm not that educated.

So you wanted to be more abstract, initially?

I wanted to be like Bob Dylan, and get away with that. However, I just realized that no one's going to be Bob Dylan. You've just got to find yourself. I'm still trying to find myself too, believe me. These songs are starting to become more mature though. I realize the way it's going to be and that I'm going to have to settle in on being happy with that. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next couple years and where my writing will go.

- Artist Direct Interview

Wil Ridge has a lot to say. The young country songsmith tells stories of pain, heartbreak and loss with a poignancy that few current songwriters can match. He's a classic storyteller in the vein of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. His low voice carries dark melodies through hell and back, while his acoustic playing could wake the dead. The Santa Barbara native released his debut album through Jackass Records, aptly titled Painful, and has recently signed none other than Devildriver frontman Dez Fafara as his manager. In addition, one of his friends is currently in the midst of wrapping a documentary on him. Wil's gone from hauling dead horses for work to gracing stages as a country artist. Coming off a tour in Europe with Mad Caddies, Wil sat down with ARTISTdirect and discussed everything from overcoming stage fright to songwriting.

It seems like you're telling some very personal stories on Painful. Where do the songs start for you?

To be quite honest, I really don't know anymore. They just come out differently every time. I'm in a stage of my life where I don't know where I'm going, but I let it come. Sometimes I have a really good idea, and I can write a whole song sitting down, without an acoustic guitar even. Other times, I'll have an acoustic guitar out, and the idea just merges into it.

About Painful, what was the story behind that?

I was a kid when I wrote a lot of those songs. When I got the opportunity to put them down on the record, they had to get dusted off and polished up a bit. The reason why it's called Painful, is that it's all the same story of being with women, getting your heart broken and dealing with the whole love process. Then there are some other songs that my father and I started to write together. He passed away. So some songs meant a lot and other songs were about the breakups we all go through. That's where the name came from. It's all painful [laughs].

You're a great storyteller. Was your intent to have certain tales come across through the music?

No, it wasn't. The storytelling wasn't meant at all. When I wrote these songs, they were meant to be just poems. Of course, I wanted to be the "Poet of the universe" when I was younger. I realized, "Shit, I'm far from that." I didn't want to be so visual to be quite honest. They just turned out to be stories that I experienced and I was able to get through. I don't really know how that happened. My dad was a very good writer, and I was the rebel. I didn't want to be anything like that. Grammatically, I'm not that educated.

So you wanted to be more abstract, initially?

I wanted to be like Bob Dylan, and get away with that. However, I just realized that no one's going to be Bob Dylan. You've just got to find yourself. I'm still trying to find myself too, believe me. These songs are starting to become more mature though. I realize the way it's going to be and that I'm going to have to settle in on being happy with that. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next couple years and where my writing will go.

- Artist Direct Interview

Op je twaalfde een versie van Bob Dylan's "Tangled up In Blue" neerzetten zonder ooit het originele gehoord te hebben ... de Nederlandse collega's die uitvoerig met het wierooksvat zwaaien richting "newcomer" Wil Ridge ... het lijkt wel of er een nieuwe messias is opgestaan in Santa Ynez, California. Een mid-twintiger die met het album "Painful" een relaas ophangt van al zijn veroveringen en de bijhorende liefdesperikelen. Met de opener "Hell of a Woman", "Scorpio VS. Me" en "Women" lijkt het wel of Wil Ridge een reïncarnatie is van de jonge Bruce Springsteen, met het pareltje "Rooftops" nu al geschiedenis schrijft (al doet dat "it's alright, it's okay" mij verdomd veel aan Bob Dylan's "Don't think Twice" en de hemelse versie van Steve Young denken) en met "Dozen Red Roses", "Devil's Toenail" en het genereuze aanbod "Take My Wife" alle roots/rockregisters opentrekt. Gezonde herrie die met de nochtans flink doorzopen stem van Ridge nergens ontspoort en met de akoestische hoogtepunten "Messed up the Bed Again" en "Dead Before Midnight" duidelijk in zijn kaarten laat kijken. Singer/songwriter pur sang die de knepen van het vak leerde in de rokerige naar verschraald bier ruikende honky tonks & bars, maar met het album "Painful" onder de arm spoedig in de betere etablissementen/concertzalen zijn opwachting mag maken. Het album "Painful" zal ongetwijfeld hoog scoren in de Juni editie van de Euro Americana Chart (http://home.hetnet.nl/~noci48/) en massaal voorkomen in de jaarlijstjes van 2006. "California", "Karina" en de rest van de wereld mag het weten ... Wil Ridge is een topper in wording!_* * * * 1/ 2 * (SWA)

- Rootstime

Op je twaalfde een versie van Bob Dylan's "Tangled up In Blue" neerzetten zonder ooit het originele gehoord te hebben ... de Nederlandse collega's die uitvoerig met het wierooksvat zwaaien richting "newcomer" Wil Ridge ... het lijkt wel of er een nieuwe messias is opgestaan in Santa Ynez, California. Een mid-twintiger die met het album "Painful" een relaas ophangt van al zijn veroveringen en de bijhorende liefdesperikelen. Met de opener "Hell of a Woman", "Scorpio VS. Me" en "Women" lijkt het wel of Wil Ridge een reïncarnatie is van de jonge Bruce Springsteen, met het pareltje "Rooftops" nu al geschiedenis schrijft (al doet dat "it's alright, it's okay" mij verdomd veel aan Bob Dylan's "Don't think Twice" en de hemelse versie van Steve Young denken) en met "Dozen Red Roses", "Devil's Toenail" en het genereuze aanbod "Take My Wife" alle roots/rockregisters opentrekt. Gezonde herrie die met de nochtans flink doorzopen stem van Ridge nergens ontspoort en met de akoestische hoogtepunten "Messed up the Bed Again" en "Dead Before Midnight" duidelijk in zijn kaarten laat kijken. Singer/songwriter pur sang die de knepen van het vak leerde in de rokerige naar verschraald bier ruikende honky tonks & bars, maar met het album "Painful" onder de arm spoedig in de betere etablissementen/concertzalen zijn opwachting mag maken. Het album "Painful" zal ongetwijfeld hoog scoren in de Juni editie van de Euro Americana Chart (http://home.hetnet.nl/~noci48/) en massaal voorkomen in de jaarlijstjes van 2006. "California", "Karina" en de rest van de wereld mag het weten ... Wil Ridge is een topper in wording!_* * * * 1/ 2 * (SWA)

- Rootstime