Justin Ringle Is Writing Between Memory and Fiction

Few bands write folk music this moving or enduring.

The songs of Horse Feathers often feel like they emerge from the fog-draped forests and winding rivers of the Pacific Northwest: haunting, tender, and threaded with a kind of weathered beauty. At their center is Justin Ringle, a songwriter who treats music less as performance than a vessel for memory, imagination, and fleeting moments of grace. In this conversation, Ringle traces the landscapes that have seeped into his lyrics, the fragile balance between lived experience and fiction, and the unspoken magic that sometimes appears in the studio. Like the passing of a baton, each record builds upon the last, carrying forward not only sound but spirit, an ongoing pursuit of songs that might one day outlive their maker.

Growing up in Lewiston, Idaho, and later moving to Portland, how have these environments influenced your musical style and lyrical themes?

Growing up and living in the Pacific Northwest for most of my life has left an indelible impression that's for sure. In terms of backdrop and scene, in most instances, it's where my mind is parked. The Northwest has such a fascinating combination of beauty and mystery that lends itself to narrative description. Idaho contributed more heavily in the first few albums, and Oregon has taken over in terms of influence. I lived in North Carolina for a year and visited a lot, so I've also found a way there.

Your songwriting often intertwines personal experiences with fictional narratives. How do you navigate the line between autobiography and storytelling in your music?

Songwriting is the epitome of autobiography. You will never be able to escape your own influences, opinions, and idiosyncrasies, which are the individual songs' building blocks. With that being said, if you are overly exacting in your details, the narrative can become painfully boring. Sometimes, "I held Tammy's hand on Smith Street at 3 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 1991, and she was wearing a hypercolor t-shirt that was both yellow and pink" lyrically becomes a little much and lacking in the artful distillation that allows for people to be reminded of their own personal handholding experience. Sometimes, that level of detail can be effective in its specificity. I suppose the important thing is that the combination of personal experience and fiction needs to be relatable and human, and sometimes embellishment is as necessary as abbreviation.

In an interview, you spoke to the importance of developing a personal voice over technical virtuosity. How do you balance authenticity with musical experimentation in your work?

Harkening back to the last question, I've always believed everyone has their voice and experience. If you can truly convey that and authentically be yourself, you already are ahead of the game. By that metric, art is often directly influenced by life. By cultivating life experience, that can yield better rewards in the work than by just practicing guitar or singing more. Those things only sharpen your fluency in expressing the ideas from the ether. As an artist, you are really just a medium, right?.

You've mentioned that each album is a 'baton pass' from the previous one. How has this perspective influenced the evolution of Horse Feathers' sound over the years?

Every recording I've done has ended up being a journey. I usually work with some new people, then figure out how to translate the recording process to the stage, and some of those people come along, and some leave during that time. Things are discovered, and old ideas are honed. Most songs are subjected to some kind of new arrangement, playing off the strengths of the ensemble of musicians I'm playing with. Over time, things have evolved naturally in this way with some intentional direction changes, based on new and different musical interests.

You've expressed admiration for Eric Bachmann's To The Races. How has this album influenced your musical direction, and are there other works that have had a similar impact?

I was a big fan of Eric Bachmann since I was in high school, from his other projects before that album. My first record in 2006 was included in a few year-end lists with To The Races. At the time, that seemed impossible to feasibly happen. I listened to his record on long tour drives, which reaffirmed that having a spare approach could be impactful. I appreciated his use of lyrics and mood, and related to what I thought the intent was in a lot of the songs. The record didn't influence me as much musically, but made me braver. And in that way, I listened to Kyle Morton's solo record, What Will Destroy You, with a similar admiration. Here was a guy who plays in a huge ensemble of people in the band Typhoon, paring his approach down to just himself, in many songs, but without sacrificing any intensity.

Looking back at your discography, is there a particular album or song that holds a special place for you, perhaps due to the circumstances under which it was created?.

I've heard a musician friend describe albums as tattoos. When you look back at each one, they instantly convey a whole chapter of time, contextual experiences, and emotions. They also remind you of the person you were when they were recorded, often an alien version of your current self. I don't have tattoos, so I'm guesstimating about part of this metaphor, but I can imagine. Each album was a different and unique experience. But I will say I have never had a recording experience; I did when I recorded the song Thistled Spring. It was a very clumsy and simple piano part with an ascending part that we were trying to arrange in the studio for a string quartet. We got the part down and tracked it live. Went into the booth to listen, and the playback was greater than the sum of its parts. Somewhere in that studio procedure, magic got directly injected into the track. It's unexplainable, and I think it's what musicians always chase.

Speaking of batons, how do you envision the future of folk music lineage, and where do you see Horse Feathers fitting into that picture?

I don't really know how Horse Feathers fits in exactly. I don't have any lofty visions or expectations just a small hope that the music was moving enough to be memorable. You know, somewhere between influential and seminal? Haha.

As you prepare for your Florida tour, are there any local elements (culture, nature, history, etc.) you're eager to experience?

I'm an open book when it comes to Florida. I've been a few times and admit that it still seems mysterious. Its landscape, flora, and fauna seem foreign and intriguing. I'd love to see a manatee someday.

Horse Feathers’ Performances

November 13 - Casselberry Arts Center
November 14 - Spinster Abbott’s
November 15 - The Lynx Books
November 16 - Blue Jay Listening Room