I read somewhere that a cowboy is not only defined by the work he does, but also by the way he carries himself. Ryan Bingham curses, smokes, and drinks whiskey straight from the bottle on stage. There’s nothing fancy about him. But behind his low-slung cowboy hat and blue jeans is a man who feels just as blessed playing for small crowds in Wyoming as he does winning an Oscar.
A golden statue hasn’t jaded Bingham. He still describes his music career as “singing for supper.” Despite his chances to schmooze with Hollywood’s elite, his latest album Tomorrowland is anything but artificial. It’s honest and it’s gritty. On stage, he switches between singing, and playing guitar and the harmonica (sometimes simultaneously) with ease. His Southern roots merge, not collide, perfectly with his love for rock & roll.
Bingham didn’t set out for a career in music; rather, it found him just when he needed it. He sat down with me after his performance on the Sasquatch! Main Stage to talk about growing up in Texas, Jameson, and finding his “Western Shore.”
You’ve been traveling and on the road for a while now – how do you stay inspired?
It’s where all the songs come from at the end of the day. I always feel like I have to get out and travel around and see different things and meet different people and just experience shit. And then you get home…and that’s what you write about.
So you enjoy it?
It’s a love-hate relationship in a way, but at the same time I feel pretty damn lucky to be on the road playing music and riding on a tour bus.
Not many people get to do that.
Yeah, it’s been a long time in the works. Being in Suburbans, vans, blowing out tires and stuff isn’t easy. But at the end of the day I could be digging holes for some asshole screaming at me…. So I feel really lucky to be at the Gorge playing music.
What did you hope to achieve with Tomorrowland? Because it seems like you’re not afraid to tackle issues like family and poverty.
The biggest thing I set out to do with this record was to be a lot of fun to play live. I’ve been playing a lot more electric guitar and it’s lot more fun to play rock & roll and just turn shit up loud. The biggest part of playing music live is letting emotions fly and getting stuff off your chest. My last record was more stripped down and acoustic. So sometimes you can be in the best mood of the day and you get up there and you’re like “Fuck, I gotta play all these slow, sad songs.” I’d rather play more upbeat, electric, rock & roll music.
It seems like you interact with your band really well on stage. How did you all meet?
We just got together over the past year and a half. They’re great musicians, but they’re also a lot of fun. I’m a big fan of going on the road with guys that are a lot of fun to hang out with. You don’t have to be the best guitar player or drummer or bass player in the world, but if you’re a lot of fun to hang out with then that’s what it’s really all about.
What’s your song “Western Shore” about? Is that about your move to L.A.?
“Western Shore” isn’t about the West Coast, actually. It’s about having a safe place growing up. I left home when I was pretty young — probably 16 or 17 years old. The “Western Shore” is some place out there where you could have a life that’s safe, fun, and happy.
Did you always know you’d be on the West Coast?
No…I think about the migration and people settling across the states and moving out west. There was always hope for the future. The other part of the song was about my past. Leaving stuff behind, searching for something new, and meeting a lot of kids out on the street that had grown up with less or nothing at all.
It seems like you’re not afraid to take chances. Moving to L.A., leaving a career in rodeo to pursue music, and also moving to Paris to work at Euro Disney. Do you ever look back and think – I can’t believe I did that?
Those moments were a “Western Shore” as well. It’s just those things in life that you take chances on. There are people in your life that may tell you you’re not supposed to do something or it’s not a good idea. But at the same time they shouldn’t be telling you what to do in the first place. So a lot of it is getting out and living your own life. My Western Shore is out there somewhere. I may not have found it yet, but I will.
It seems like your Western Shore isn’t one place.
Yeah, it’s wherever you want it to be. It’s that place out there where anybody wants to go to find a better place and live happily.
Do you miss anything about Texas? Does it work its way into your music now?
Totally. It’s still my home; it’s what I’m rooted in. And I always look back on it in songs. But at the same time you can’t discount all the places you’ve traveled around to. I always think the cool thing about playing music is all the different places you get to go. But at the same time, to be diverse, open-minded, and vulnerable is a hard thing. A lot of people want to take advantage of who you are. So it’s hard to stay vulnerable and take the punches. But to just stick with it and say, “Fuck you – this is what I really saw. This is what I really experienced so this is what I’m gonna write about.”
For me it’s like a journal…you come home and think about where you’re from and you start there.
Exactly. That’s also why I come to music festivals like this, to experience different types of music and meet new people.
Me too. That’s what I like about it. I come from a very regional place with very regional music. And traveling around and getting to go to festivals like this and hear so many great bands and meet so many cool people is awesome. I think a lot of people are so fucking scared of being different.
It seems like in the South it’s not as easy to be different or to step outside of your comfort zone.
It’s fucked. They’re so scared of anything different. It’s hard growing up in that environment and so I really appreciate living my life on a Western Shore where there’s diversity. I love being inspired by it and I love writing about it as well.
What was the vision for your record label, Axster Bingham Records? What was your reason for starting it?
The biggest reason was the industry. We were signed to Lost Highway Records and did three records with them. But they called us up one day and they were like, “We’re not going to do anything else.” My wife and I were already doing the management stuff anyways and they basically said, “We think you guys could do this stuff on your own.” So we had a decision, either we sign to another label or start our own.
We’ve always been a touring band. We’ve always made our living playing shows and singing for our supper. It wasn’t about record sales or radio play. So we were like fuck it, let’s just try.
So it wasn’t a huge jump?
Nah – it was very natural. With social media and stuff like that, there’s only two things you need to do: Let people know when you have new music and let them know when you’re playing.
Wow! I didn’t know the music business was so easy! (/sarcasm)
(Laughs) Well, if you want people in Seattle to hear your music then you drive up to fucking Seattle and go play a show. You don’t need to go on American Idol to get people to hear you.
It takes a certain type of person to be on the road all the time.
It’s something I’m really thankful that I started when I was young and that’s been engrained in me. I never, ever thought I’d ever record a record or be signed to a record label. I played for three or four years in shithole bars and coffee shops or people’s backyards, parties, Bar mitzvahs, quinceañeras, etc. I’d make $50 to $100 in tips and that’s more than what I made digging holes for some asshole that was yelling at me all day. So I was like, this is the life.
It probably didn’t hurt that you could have a few beers too? (Laughs)
Free food, free beers. Anything else after that was a dream come true.
So when you won the Oscar — which so many artists dream of achieving — did you ever think, Hey, I can take a break now? Or did it propel you forward?
No, I didn’t feel like I could take a break. It was a very surreal experience. It definitely exposed my songs to a lot of people that had never heard of me before. But it was like a big party that lasted for 3 to 4 months and then it all settled down. What do I do now? It picked right back up as where we had left off . Some people come to shows and the only song they may have heard was the song from the movie. And sometimes they are appalled by the other music we play.
You can’t please everyone.
You do the best with what you have and you say what’s on your mind. And you play the kind of music you’re inspired by. You can’t cater to other people.
Okay, so last question – I have to know what your favorite type of whiskey is.
Whiskey? It’s gotta be Jameson.
Really? I was expecting something more fancy than that!
I know it’s very basic but it’s like – hey, it’s not that expensive and it’s easy for bars to give us every night. I don’t like to be snooty and be like, “I’m a whiskey connoisseur.” I’m lucky if I get a shot of Crown Royale.
