Chuck Ragan

All Ages
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People discover Chuck Ragan in different ways. Some people know Ragan from the pioneering punk act Hot Water Music he’s co-fronted for the past three decades. Others are aware of his successful solo career or the Revival Tour, a collection of traveling troubadours that included his peers like Frank Turner and the Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. Some folks may have even come across him from the successful fly fishing operation he runs out of Grass Valley, California. The one throughline through all this is the way that Ragan approaches everything with a level of honesty and integrity that can’t be faked—and that sentiment is undeniable on Love And Lore, his first solo collection in ten years and one that’s being released as Hot Water Music take a well-deserved victory lap for their breakout album Vows, which came out earlier this year.
In some ways, it’s a miracle that Love And Lore even exists. The album was first conceptualized by Ragan in 2016, studio time was booked in 2019 and right before the recording was set to take place, COVID happened and all of Ragan’s musical projects had to be put on hold so he could focus on his fishing operation to provide for his family. “We got serious about making this album again in 2022, but I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to it between being physically exhausted and having a toddler,” he admits. “It was just chaos.” (This also includes a tree falling on guitarist/pedal steel/multi-instrumentalist Todd Beene’s house.) Eventually Love And Lore was recorded in early 2023 and the result is an album that showcases Ragan further transcending the “folk” label to create a collection of songs that see him stretching out as a songwriter to fearlessly explore new sonic territory.
“I’m always trying to do something different because I feel like if we’re not searching, we’re not learning,” he says. “My writing approach seems to be whatever the song needs or wherever the song takes you, just let it breathe.” This sentiment is evident in songs like “Echo The Halls” which sees Ragan shaping his road-worn voice into something more melodic and measured over a backdrop of chiming pianos and phaser-friendly guitars. “Some of these songs are 15 years old and every once in a while something will pop out to me at the right time,” he explains. “It may have started a decade ago but for some reason whatever I sang or played just felt relevant to me in that moment, and that’s what I wanted to work on.” This quality adds a timeless quality to Love And Lore: In fact if it wasn't for the polished production, the roots of “Winter” could be a previously undiscovered folk classic. As Ragan sings the refrain of “free your shadow,” there’s a multitude of meanings hidden in these three words.