There’s a bit of an accent to singer Josh Ritter’s voice that you can’t quite place. It’s a slight tinge that you might expect out of a country-singer, which only compliments his unique neo-folk ballads.

On Saturday, the Idaho native’s upbeat folk sound and clever lyrics, accompanied by The Royal City Band, will grace the Majestic Theater. This continues a tour for his new album, So Runs the World, which has been ongoing since last April. Ritter explained in an interview with The Badger Herald the rewards of being on tour.

“It’s a joy. Everything you’ve heard about being on tour is true. On a good night it feels like you could be anywhere, you have a universal feeling,” he said. “I strive to get that good feeling.”

Although Ritter has been touring with his band for quite a while, it hasn’t gotten old quite yet.

“Every tour takes on a mind of its own. Every day is different but that’s good, you want to meet new people and see new things. You wouldn’t want it to be like ‘Groundhog Day,'” he said.

Every record Ritter produces is strongly influenced by his current interests. Ritter gives off the impression that he puts part of himself into every one of his albums. He confessed that his latest interest in explorers, specifically arctic explorers and explorer movies, particularly shaped So Runs the World.

“It’s a larger scale record – it’s a saga,” he said. “There are a lot of big songs to play, which is like being a blood dog and getting to run across an open field. That’s the feeling you get.”

So Runs the World tells the story of a mummy and his love affair with an archeologist. Coincidentally, he wrote his first novel, “Bright’s Passage,” which will be published in July, simultaneously with this record. This isn’t Ritter’s first time in Madison either.

“The first time I came to Madison there was a dairy-man association going on and it was 30 degrees out,” he said, laughing. “I’m really excited to come back.”

Ritter started playing the guitar when he was 17 years old, idolizing musicians like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.

“I always thought I was a writer, but I didn’t have any way to write,” he said. “I wrote a lot about stuff I didn’t really know about because I didn’t have a girlfriend yet. Lots of bad love songs,”

As for his inspiration, he finds it everywhere. Ritter is an avid runner and says he always tries to stay open to new ideas. His current location also doesn’t hurt.

“Living in New York, there is no reason not to be inspired,” he said.

Similar to the intimate feeling of Ritter’s songs, his shows have a custom-made feel. He likes to check out the location where he will be playing beforehand to get an idea of what the atmosphere of the show will be, and during shows is enthusiastic about playing off of the crowd.

“It starts every day when you walk into the venue. We go onstage, look around, go to the back of the hall to really get a feel for the place. Then we make a setlist with the band. It’s new every night,” he said. “It’s always great when the crowd is ready to yell back at you. We’ll give them everything we got.”

Something that doesn’t change is that before every show, Ritter and his band – made up of bass player Zack Hickman, pianist Sam Kassier, guitarist Austin Nevins and drummer Liam Hurley – have a huddle before every show to get themselves into the right frame of mind for a show.

“I’m a superstitious person and I like to have the huddle before each show. Too many more things would be hard to remember,” Ritter said with a laugh.
Ritter claims to not have a favorite song to play, saying he is extremely pleased when any of them actually make it onto the record. It seems Ritter will stop at nothing short of the best for his audiences.

“Come ready to have a good time. I don’t think music should be anything more complicated than that,” Ritter said, addressing those who will be in the audience Saturday at the Majestic.

Tickets are sold at Majesticmadison.com, $18 in advance and $20 day of. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m.