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Interview: 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.

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I think the stage fright is over now. Once my boot heels hit the stage now, I'm ready to roll. I've got to say it's more fun focusing on my music than the dead horses now.

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Some other songs that truly stand out are your acoustic tracks: "Boston Bound" and "On My Day of Dying."

[Laughs] Those weren't even really supposed to be an album. They're just ideas we put down. "Day of Dying" is about a friend of mine who passed away. He was drinking too much, and that's a song I wrote for him. "Boston Bound" is just an idea.

Your voice also really hits hard on those especially.

Thank you! I don't mean to be so pessimistic, but I don't really know where I'm going. My voice isn't necessarily what I want it to be. I never thought I'd have this low, gravely voice. I wanted it to be prettier [laughs]. What I'm realizing is that I have to embrace it. This is what I've got.

It feels like there's a lot of emotion in there.

There are days where it comes and there are days when it doesn't. Singing is a pretty magical thing. It's amazing. I never thought I was a singer either. I was just able to get my poems and music across. It makes me happy, and it definitely helps.

How do you feel like your dad affected your songwriting?

We were hillbillies, but we lived in a rich place. My dad was a poet. He was an alcoholic too. He was amazing. He could tell you stories, improv-ing and rhyming. He could tell these stories for like five minutes straight, and it was amazing. That was what I respected, and that was what I wanted to be. It was amazing to me. I didn't realize it until I was older. I want to accomplish something like that. He was definitely the person that I wanted to be as a writer and a huge inspiration. He never got to hear any of the songs on Painful, but he was the one to get me my first gig. He brought me down to this old, little bar in this mountain called Cold Springs. I was terrified, but he forced me to get up there and play. Since then, I've been playing ever since. I was about 15 or 16 then, and I was so scared to play in front of four people drinking at the bar. We lived up in the mountains too, and eventually I got better and better at it. If it wasn't for him though, I don't know if I ever would've gotten over that hump. I'd still be nervous to go out and sing a song. I think the stage fright is over now. Once my boot heels hit the stage now, I'm ready to roll. I've got to say it's more fun focusing on my music than the dead horses now [laughs].

–Rick Florino
04.14.08