Chuck Ragan

Chuck Ragan

People discover Chuck Ragan in different ways. Some know him 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 peers like Frank Turner and the Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. Some may have come across him from the fly fishing operation he runs out of Grass Valley, California. The one throughline is the way Ragan approaches everything with honesty and integrity—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 in 2016, studio time was booked in 2019, and right before 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, resulting in an album that sees Ragan stretching out as a songwriter and further transcending the "folk" label to 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." That sentiment is evident in songs like "Echo The Halls," which shapes his road-worn voice into something more melodic and measured over 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 feel to Love And Lore: if it wasn’t for the polished production, the roots of "Winter" could be a previously undiscovered folk classic. As Ragan sings the refrain "free your shadow," there’s a multitude of meanings hidden in those three words.

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