Ryan Bingham is an American singer/songwriter who defies easy classification. His career has seen incredible highs and lows. Shortly after winning an Oscar and a Grammy for 'The Weary kind', theme song to the Jeff Bridges film Crazy Heart, he faced the tragic deaths of his parents.
His recent album, ‘American Love Song’ sees his distinctive voice ruminating on the personal and the political, in what for many, including this reviewer, is his finest release yet. Preparing for an Irish and UK tour, Ryan took time off to talk to Folk and Tumble.
FT: You have played Ireland before, Belfast too, but with a band. What can the Belfast crowd expect of you as a solo artist?
RB: This trip it’s just going to be me and an acoustic guitar. All of the songs I have written have started out this way, so they can expect to hear these songs in their original form as well as some stories that inspired them.
FT: You don’t neatly fit into a label. You are seen as too indie and have too much of a rock sensibility to be really country and seen by many to be too country, to be rock. Are you happy not to fit ‘neatly’ into a ‘label’ or ‘box’?
RB: I’m okay with that. I have many influences that cross all over those genres of music. I can only write and play what I feel and hear. Things I write about don’t always look the same or sound the same, or even come from the same place. I like to use a variety of instruments and sounds to translate whatever emotion I want to invoke within the story.
FT: After the success of ‘The Weary kind’, was there a pressure on you to produce more of the same kind of material?
RB: There was a bit but most of the pressure was to be more mainstream. ‘The Weary Kind’ mostly got attention because of the movie. It wasn’t a pop song. At the time, a radio programmer actually told me they couldn’t play it because there was too much mandolin on the track. I had lot of people around me trying to make a quick buck.
FT: The success came at a difficult time for you in your own personal life with your parent’s deaths in difficult circumstances. You were able to write about such tragic events, particularly on the ‘Tomorrowland’ album. How hard are those songs to sing each night to a new crowd of strangers?
RB: It can be difficult at times, but it mostly helps. Hearing stories from people after the show about
how they connect to the songs has helped as well. When people tell me how a certain song has helped them through a tough time or how they can relate to it because they went through a similar situation always makes me feel like I’m out there doing something good for people.
FT: There’s a real political edge to this album, ‘American Love Song’. Given the conservative nature of much of the country audience, is this a dangerous move, or do you just write it, as you see it, and to hell with the consequences?
RB: I just write it as I see it. To hell with the consequences. I can’t pretend to be something I’m not and in these highly political times it would feel weird not to address some of the issues that surround us every day.
FT: You certainly don’t sit on the fence regarding your views on the current administration- “As the President shits upon the nation Wipes his ass with all denominations Turns around and begs for donations Riding on the
back of the poor men, selling them Lies!” (‘Situation Station’) How is that going
down in gigs in the States?
RB: I just played two months of sold out shows all across the United States, and it was the best tour I have ever had. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go over either but I know now that the feeling is mostly mutual among my fans here.
FT: What artists are you listening to now yourself?
RB: I’ve been listening to The Markus King Band. Hell of a guitar player and singer.
FT: So what does 2020 hold for Ryan Bingham?
RB: I’ve been working on a lot of music for film and TV projects at the moment. I’m also doing a bit of acting and going to start recording a new album as well so the next couple of years will be busy in a good way.
FT: Ryan thanks for taking the time to talk to Folk and Tumble, and good luck with the album and tour.
RB: Thanks for having me.
Ryan Bingham plays the Black Box on 21st January 2020 as part of the Out To Lunch Festival. His album, ‘American Love Song’ is out now on the Axster Bingham label.