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Using this platform to hail Shaver Lake, CA-born singer-songwriter Noah Rinker as one of the standout players of the next generation of country music was the central premise of this assignment. That is, until our nearly 30-minute conversation in the basement green room of the Mercury Lounge on a damp and dreary NYC day when he told me, point blank, “I’m not a country artist.” 

Whatever he is, Rinker is an anomaly.

A self-proclaimed retrospective writer revisiting harrowing moments of beauty and heartbreak with a burgeoning maturity, Rinker’s songwriting is poetic and practical. His vocals, both studio and live, are impressively refined and holistic. His musical arrangements, several of which are derived from formative moments of musical connection between he and his collaborators, are spacious, flattering, and musician-savvy.

A live performance of 2024 track “After Dark” sees him commit to the internal and external messaging of his lyrics with grit and fervor, a gift which, as he explains in detail, is enhanced by his ability to repeatedly transport himself back to the time and place a song was written: “You won’t find love, or peace of mind, in a bar room/ But you’ll find fake love in a strangers arms… after dark.” Additional tracks from his growing catalog including “Hand On My Gun,” “Wherever I Go,” “99,” and “Rodeo” and “Don’t Give Up On Me”, the latter two off his latest EP The Pines, contain similar commitments, whether they be outward bursts or silent cries.

Not only has Rinker acquired admirable musical chops and a vibrant and curious personality that further enhances his musical connectedness, he also possesses the artistic vision and keen eye for aesthetic that affords him the luxury of overseeing and driving his creative direction. He speaks fondly of his environmental setting in rural California, utilizing its picturesque landscapes and serene feel for impactful social media content and as the backdrop for his debut music video for The Pines track “Restless Eyes.” In collaboration with renown director Gus Black, the project is short film worthy, and, according to Rinker, is merely an introductory piece of partnerships between his music and complimentary forms of media. 

In the hours following our interview, Rinker played his debut NYC headline show to a shoulder-to-shoulder sold-out crowd. Highlights of his set included its opening number; the mountainous The Pines track “Tumbleweed,” an incredibly competent cover of the Tears For Fears classic “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” stratospheric vocals on the bridge of a slightly edited, and homage-geared, live version of “Matches & Gasoline,” and, of course, his spiritually rousing breakout hit “Save My Soul.” He will surely be back, in bigger rooms, sooner rather than later. 

OnesToWatch: Military veterans, pastors, and rock artists have reacted to your music online. What qualities do you think are the most intriguing for such different walks of people to be committed to your music enough to dissect and analyze it?

Noah Rinker: When I write music, I try to write from a perspective of giving a little bit of something to anyone. I want the content of what I write to be specific to me, but also as universal as I can make it. The elements of the way I’ve grown up are similar to how some of these people have grown up and lived their life, and some of the struggles they’ve faced as well. 

How do you feel you’re able to craft touches of religious imagery and personal introspection that are written in a poetic way, but without excessive secrecy, in your music? 

The best music is the most truthful music. The best songs I’ve written are the ones I have been the most scared to put out because they are so honest and real. I have my own set of beliefs, and I believe that, as an artist, it is your responsibility to have a point of view. I believe that’s why people gravitate towards a certain artist, or in this case, me. They want to be brought into my world, and I want to bring them into my mind, and my world, as closely and truthfully as I can. I have my own reasons for writing a song like “Save My Soul.” I wanted to make something that wasn’t a ‘worship song,’ because that’s not what it is. In a lot of ways, it’s just [pauses]… exactly what I wanted it to be.

You’ve talked about how John Mayer and Kings of Leon are influences of yours, but I’ve read that Cat Stevens, Jewel, and Sara Bareilles are also somewhat responsible for your love of songwriting. Is there any truth to that?

That’s… crazy. I don’t know where you heard that, but Cat Stevens and Jewel were playing all the time at home and in the minivan growing up. That’s kind of what I was grown up on, and I loved that singer-songwriter storyteller situation. 

So, that’s not exactly public knowledge then? 

Not at all. I mean… I may have mentioned them to just a couple of people. Those are good finds! I like that. 

In your interview with CountryNow, you talked about being privy to minute details because of where you’re from and your general environment at home. At what point did you begin to develop the skill of honing into minute details and translating them from thought to lyric to instrument? 

Writing music, a lot of the time, I have a general thought that condenses into a line, and a line will lead me to the feeling of a certain lick, or something that supports it. At times, I fail at conjoining them, but I believe when the melody and the meaning of the words and music combine perfectly, that is, to me, what an amazing song is. When I bring in those elements of what I’ve known and what I feel together, it’s a magic thing that I can’t explain. But, it often happens with me sitting on the tailgate of my Ford F-150 from 1996 and staring into the trees. It just kind of falls down. 

So, do you feel your ability to do that is stunted if you don’t have the same sense of emotional space? 

In some ways, I’ve scared myself into a limitation. For a while, I taught myself that that was the only way I could make music. Quietly, in the mountains, alone. Now that I’m more busy, I’m discovering different ways to make it. Although I do love that process the most, it is fun to have a little bit of a shock. I like when my brain gets shocked by something out of its normal cycle. I did a lot of writing just a bit ago when the ice storm hit Nashville. It threw me into some sort of different head space, and I got a lot done that I didn’t think I could. So, I’m exploring that. I’d love to take three months to write here in New York City and see how I feel. 

How do you decide which of these minute details will be of any significance to you six months, a year, 10 years from now? 

The beautiful thing about music, and making music as you get older, is that it is time stamped in that moment and cemented in time. Even in my short discography, I can go back and listen to something I put out a year ago and remember exactly where I was. I can reflect and immediately report right back to that place. In 10 years, I can look back and still be right there. 

What does the warmth of being around fire do for your ability to comprehend or sell the messaging of a song? 

There’s something so classic and identifiable about sitting around a campfire with an acoustic guitar. When I first had the idea to set up my phone and get videos out there, it felt like I was able to look THROUGH the phone right into the audience. And that was the review that I got from the fans. I’ve met so many that have said they felt like there were sitting right there with me. Again, I just want to bring these people in my world. 

What aspects of The Pines do you feel are the most refined and/or elevated from previous projects? 

I have had the blessing of getting some more help on the production end. My first EP, After Dark, was entirely self-produced, mixed, and mastered. It went straight to Warner Records from my computer. This one, I got to add a lot more piano elements. Rob Moose, one of the most incredible string arrangers… an absolute WEAPON on all the Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers stuff, got to play on the project and just crushed it. He filled the beautiful space that was missing. I just wanted it to feel bigger. We’re going bigger in this next project this year, too. 

Going bigger is a great descriptor of “Tumbleweed,” my favorite song on the project. How did the arrangement of that song come about, and how do you feel you were able to match the intensity of that arrangement with your vocal? 

I don’t cowrite a lot. I like to write by myself. This time, I got to write with Geoff Warburton and Ian Fitchuk who are absolutely incredible writers and producers. We sat in a room, and I had been sitting on that riff for a while. I knew that I wanted something HOT, red hot. We went in there, had the idea, we crushed it, and Ian is such an incredible producer. He just let me play most of the instruments, and I sat there and I sang and sang and sang. 

When you went into the process to create the video for “Restless Eyes,” did you know what the visual palette would be? 

I knew I wanted to do something at home. I knew as we’re in this home-centered feel for me and my project, and me as an artist, I wanted to bring a crew and make something that depicted where I’m from in the best possible way. Gus Black, an incredible director, wanted to work on this. He made a treatment, and I loved it. He came up early and scouted for three days. He was wandering around, and got lost in a forest, and found a meadow that I have never seen in my LIFE!! We call it Gus’ Meadow. We filmed a bunch of stuff there, and it’s now one of my favorite places. It was because of his- whimsy- that we found it. He was so dedicated to the process of making sure that he pictured my town, and what it feels like to be there, so well. 

Can you see yourself expanding your reach as far as your visuals go, and creating more long-form pieces? 

Definitely. I have some stuff in the tank that I’ve composed that is not lyrical that I would love to put into film and TV. I’m obsessed with that kind of stuff. 

What is one song by another artist that you would want to create a vision or mood board for… 

[Interjects) Ooooooh, GREAT question. I would say “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead… 

NICEEEEEEE 

That song, when I close my eyes, I see a supercut of so much emotion. 

Would you ever do it onstage? 

I’d LOVE to. That’s actually a great idea. I actually took a vibe of something they do in that song and applied it to when I sort of sing over the bridge of “Matches & Gasoline.” I do this very Radiohead thing that is kind of derived from that song.

Similarly, to that, what is a song of your that you think would enhance a film soundtrack and/or trailer?

[Exhales and pauses in thought] I would say, like I was just saying, the bridge of “Matches and Gasoline” or “Wherever I Go.” It just has that emotion. 

You and Max McNown have a very similar tone. Neither of you are from the south, and you’re not putting on a twang. What kind of vocal training do you have, if any, that allows you to have such a robust growl, falsetto, and upper chest voice?

I had a vocal coach, for about three years, who passed away a few years ago. He taught me some very classical things of how to use my voice property. I wanted my voice to just sound like me. Again, if the thing is authenticity here, I don’t want to put on anything else. As far as getting in the door of a country space, it’s hard to tell because people like Max, or Sam Barber, it’s like, ‘What IS country music right now?’ I am not a country artist. I, just purely, am not, but I’ve gotten in the door supporting incredible artists in the genre, and the fans have connected to that, and it’s beautiful. 

So, what do you consider yourself? 

I’d say that the way my project is moving, and how I’ve always wanted it to develop, is in more of a folk-pop alternative, singer-songwriter way. The Pines really pushes the envelope as I will myself further into this album we’re working on. I don’t know what it is, I just make the music and it sounds a certain way. 

What do you think the basis of your stories are? 

So much of it is derived from the life I live, and my first relationship, that was a real big… [pauses], earthquake- in my life that really shifted the tectonic plates in my mind. I was writing music before that, but once that happened, and I felt that spectrum of emotions, it sent me spiraling. A lot of it is about life and the things I’ve observed. I’ve worked in propane. They called me Bobby Hill. I’ve experienced so much learning in that field, and I’ve been able to take a wider look at life. 

What was the healing aspect of the earthquake like? 

That was amazing, because the first heartbreak is such a shattering experience, and also, I have quite a big heart and I love very deeply. Working through that was one of the greatest experiences of my life, because I got to do it writing this music. Not everyone can say, or point to, the [pauses]… the benefit of healing from something like that. This music has changed my life, and it came from something so tragic, and now I have something so beautiful to show for it. That is the ultimate healer. That is something I get so psyched about. That you can take things like that that other people can relate to, and now I get to sing those songs as loud as I can with the fans every night. 

Rinker will take the stage at the C2C Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as for two headline shows in Camden, UK later this week. He’ll also play the Stagecoach Country festival this coming spring. Listen to The Pines below: