Ryan Bingham’s New Song, New Album “American Love Song,” & New Festival
Wondering what the hell Ryan Bingham has been up to, and when we might get some news on his current doings? Well then today has been an embarrassment of riches for you. Not only has Ryan released his first new song in quite a few moons, announced his first album in four years, he’s also prepping tour plans for 2019, and preparing his own personally-curated festival. It’s about as much Bingham as you can bear.
Ryan has just released the new song “Wolves” (listen below), which the Grammy and Oscar winner says is about facing down the darkness and bullies in life. It’s the first track off his upcoming sixth studio record entitled American Love Song, which will be released on February 15th via his own Axster Bingham Records. The 15-track album was written in a remote cabin in his home state of New Mexico, and was co-produced by Charlie Sexton at Austin’s Arlyn Studios, with additional studio work completed in Los Angeles.
Bingham has also let it be known that he’s planning a big, full band tour for 2019, starting March 19 in Salt Lake City, UT (dates forthcoming), after he completes his acoustic tour finishing in California and Texas in the coming days. Even bigger, he’s helping to launch a new festival called The Western, which will take place at the legendary Luckenbach, TX.
In partnership with Live Nation, The Western is scheduled to take place April 12th and 13th, 2019. So far the acts scheduled to play are Colter Wall, Margo Price, Old 97’s, Jamestown Revival, Jai Malano, and The Americans, with more artists to be announced soon. One problem is that’s the same weekend as the 32-year-old Old Settler’s Festival, that also occurs in Central Texas, and appeals to much of the same crowd. Colter Wall played Old Settler’s Fest last year, for example.
In other Bingham news, Ryan continues to participate as a recurrent character in the current Paramount series Yellowstone helmed by Kevin Costner. He plays an ex-con named Walker who is recruited out of prison to work as a cowboy on the Yellowstone Ranch. The 2nd season is currently shooting in Montana and Utah.
American Love Song can now be pre-ordered. More information on Ryan Bingham’s The Western Festival can be found at thewesternfestival.com .
Ryan Bingham American Love Song track list:
- “Jingle and Go”
- “Nothin’ Holds Me Down”
- “Pontiac”
- “Lover Girl”
- “Beautiful and Kind”
- “Situation Station”
- “Got Damn Blues”
- “Time for My Mind”
- “What Would I’ve Become”
- “Wolves”
- “Blue”
- “Hot House”
- “Stones”
- “America”
- “Blues Lady”
November 29, 2018 @ 8:00 pm
It’s been 11 years since Mescalito was released? Time is flying. I had such high hopes for Bingham back when he first hit the scene. Back in 08, I drove from Detroit to Pittsburgh and back the same night (600 miles round trip) to see him in concert (I had a job interview the next morning… I missed it). His path diverged off to what we now know is listless Americana and for the most part, it’s just not my thing. I’ll get American Love Songs when it’s released, but my expectations are curbed.
As for another music festival, doesn’t he read or do any research?
November 30, 2018 @ 7:08 am
He “hit the scene” way before Mescalito. If you’d had your radar up in the right direction you could’ve probably seen him in Detroit before ‘08 with about 5 other people and bought a copy of Wishbone Saloon from his hand to yours. As for him not reading or doing research, that’s kind of a silly question. Sure he’s behind the festival but there’s probably a team helping put it together. Maybe they don’t want a gazillion people at Luckenbach and that’s a good way to balance it out. That place is miserable when is overcrowded. There’s enough music fans in Texas to float both boats and then some.
November 30, 2018 @ 10:17 am
The point was Mesaclito was his first release on a major that exposed him to the masses.
There aren’t many music festival successes these days. Many are closing after trying to sell tickets. There’s just too many of them and the concept is archaic and the model not profitable. I’d bet this one doesn’t happen.
November 30, 2018 @ 3:03 pm
I was working in the music industry (Handleman) when in the late summer of 07 our Universal rep handed me an advanced copy of Mescalito and said, “if you like Hank III, check this guy out.” At that time, he was new to the Universal rep., too.
December 1, 2018 @ 1:10 pm
Sunny, my thoughts exactly. I’ve been to Luckenbach and can’t envision a music fest there. Waaay too small.
As for his lineup I’m not impressed. I can see Colter Wall making sense but Old 97s? What does he have in common with them?
It’s his thing though, so whatever.
November 29, 2018 @ 8:11 pm
Yeah Bingham started off like an all timer then fizzled into boredom. Hopefully he’s still got something left in the tank.
November 29, 2018 @ 9:45 pm
Fear and Saturday Night was pretty solid. For my money, Tomorrowland was the only subpar album in Bingham’s output, unless you count the Live Album. Mescalito was great. Roadhouse Sun was a solid 8/10 or so. Junky Star was every bit as good as Mescalito.
November 30, 2018 @ 12:41 pm
The live album is actually cut down from the full live concert that is on Amazon Prime – they seemed to remove any of the cover songs he did which is a real bummer (perhaps so they wouldn’t have to pay any royalty rights?)
November 30, 2018 @ 2:12 pm
I hope so. Mescalito was great. Bread and Water was in heavy rotation for me. I also loved the theme song he did for the short lived The Bridge TV series. He went on some meandering path and I lost interest. I’m cautiously optimistic.
December 3, 2018 @ 11:19 am
Getting rid of the dead Horses is what screwed him up.
December 4, 2018 @ 1:50 am
It’s so true, and as someone who has thought this for the last 5-6 years or so, it’s odd that I don’t see more people mentioning this during online discussion of Bingham. I think it has to do with the fact that the band got dropped not too long after his huge influx of new fans, so they didn’t really know what they were missing. The older fans just became sort of disinterested, so neither sides were posting about it. I was such a big fan of RB & the DH. That band was fucking magical.
November 29, 2018 @ 8:42 pm
Isn’t this just like that uncle lucius song?
November 30, 2018 @ 7:53 am
Very similar but not nearly as good! ????
December 3, 2018 @ 6:55 am
Also American aquarium song/album (called wolves btw)
November 29, 2018 @ 8:54 pm
Trig, I just recently found out that you started this website in April 2008. Wow!! Just curious if the mission of this site ever changed or was altered a bit. What was that goal in 2008… Because I thought country music was pretty country back in 2008. The Biggest offenders were probably Toby Keith, maybe Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts? But Reba, Strait, Alan Jackson, and other “traditionalists” were still prominent and played on radio. I would say the turning point was definitely 2012 ….
You definitely should write an article about your perspective of your 10th anniversary and how things have changed so much, just in these past 10 years. What inspired you to create this website in 2008 and when did you think country strayed away from its roots??
I feel like Barbra Walters on a 20/20 interview
November 30, 2018 @ 8:33 am
I’ll second that request. Understand if it’s a little too meta, though.
As for the state of country in 2008 being fine, I call BS. Compared to the early 90s, 2008 was a country music wasteland and a sellout’s dream. There were a few good ones still hanging on (Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley, etc.), but quality on the radio was all but gone. Taylor Swift was all over the country charts. It’s even worse now, because even the crappy country-ish sound of 2008 is now totally gone.
November 30, 2018 @ 12:07 pm
I forgot about Taylor Swift…
Would you say Country Music strayed from its roots in 2005? Once Carrie Underwood won American Idol? I feel like when Carrie was on Idol – many people (young people that is) viewed country music as “boring and old fashioned” – but Carrie made it “hip” again. 2005 is when Keith became super popular and started headlining more shows. I feel like a change happened there. I have older cousins who were in high school during 2000-2004 and everyone hated country music. By the time I got to high school, 2009-2013 – many teens loved country music and country concerts. And it was the same town & school. Many of my friends seeked out Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Carrie U, Tim McGraw, Keith, Rascal Flatts concerts over the hip hop garbage. And you can’t say back then that those teens only liked “pop country” because Toby and Brad and Tim are pretty true country to me (back then that is circa 2011) . Of course they weren’t into Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, or even George Strait….
November 30, 2018 @ 1:57 pm
Timing and perspective are things. Way back in the 80s my grandpa used to say, “nobody does real C&W music anymore; the only one who does it right is Willie”. He witnessed the disappearance of Western and the pop country crossover era.
The early 90s was the last time real country substance dominated on country radio, IMO. My grandpa loved guys like Alan Jackson and Randy Travis. By the late 90s, pop (Faith, Tim, Shania, Chris Gaines, etc.) was back on top. Brad Paisley was the last one to move the genre forward on radio with his guitar playing in the early 2000s. I mostly stopped listening to country radio around then.
I think the groundwork for the “country” that your friends liked in the early-mid 2000s had been laid by Garth’s arena rock-country shows and insane profits, Shania Twain, Tim & Faith, and others who made pop country super profitable.
SiriusXM Outlaw, streaming, and SCM got me back into the music. It wasn’t dead; it just wasn’t on the radio. It’s always been a struggle to keep country afloat, and I think it’s too late for radio, whose market is so homogeneous and shrinking, and so monopolized by the few remaining players… I’m just glad we have alternatives.
November 30, 2018 @ 1:02 am
pretty boring song
November 30, 2018 @ 4:27 am
Love it.
November 30, 2018 @ 5:18 am
meh, his gravely voice gets old way too fast.
November 30, 2018 @ 8:48 am
Not for me. I love his voice. I’ve listened to Mescalito and Roadhouse Sun more times than I could possibly estimate.
November 30, 2018 @ 7:01 am
I like the song in the video and I like him in Yellowstone.
November 30, 2018 @ 7:23 am
There is too little variance in his music. It all starts to sound the same after a while. When Marc Ford produced his albums, his music was much more interesting. Lots of slide guitar, crunchy rhythm, etc. He isn’t the kind of artist, like Chris Knight, who can just stand up there with an acoustic guitar and wow you with his songs. His music requires a layer of decent production.
November 30, 2018 @ 7:40 am
I’ve seen Chris Knight and Ryan Bingham many times. Bingham with just a guitar playing “Hallelujah” , just as good as anything Chris Knight has done.
November 30, 2018 @ 7:45 am
Not even close. I like Ryan Bingham, but he isn’t isn’t one-tenth the songwriter that Chris Knight is.
November 30, 2018 @ 10:41 am
Chris Knight performing “Enough Rope” acoustic is a show stopper. He did it at Beaver Dam, KY… silenced a rowdy crowd that wasn’t really there to see him. I cried.
November 30, 2018 @ 8:31 am
One of my favourite artists love all his albums.
He puts on one hell of a live show as well whether it’s solo or with his band
November 30, 2018 @ 2:19 pm
Is RD secretly Chris Knight and are you begging fans to like these comments or is that a glitch? I’ve never seen so many likes on a comment before.
November 30, 2018 @ 8:18 pm
There might be a glitch in the “likes.” We’re looking into it.
November 30, 2018 @ 2:55 pm
Love Ryan Bingham.
On a different note, have you checked out the two new songs Shane Smith and the Saints recently released? Hurricane(a cover) and Mountain Girl? One of my favorite bands and an excellent live show, though I’ve never seen much about them on this site.
November 30, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
That song made me tired. He sounds run down.
December 1, 2018 @ 10:48 am
Hmmm, not much love here. I agree that his work, especially when he goes electric, can be hit or miss, but those acoustic songs occupy a major spot on my playlists. I also saw him last spring on his solo tour, and he was awesome!
December 2, 2018 @ 6:10 am
Sounds great, I’m hoping he rest of the album goes down like this.
December 2, 2018 @ 11:56 pm
I have the “Mescalito” and “Roadhouse Sun” albums and was super-enthused about Ryan Bingham since I first heard “Bread & Water” on the radio! Must admit, it was waned a little since then, although I can’t quite decide why. Initially I thought of Ryan B. as like a new Springsteen – an ultra-authentic voice singing rural anthems. Time for me to re-engage with his output I suppose, although “Wolves” isn’t quite what I had in mind.
December 3, 2018 @ 9:47 am
Love me some Bingham. He was my entry into the Texas/Red Dirt/American scene after Crazy Heart. “Mescalito” is still his best album, but I feel like “Fear and Saturday Night” might be my 2nd favorite of his. The only misfire of his albums was Tomorrowland. He always puts on a great show. I’m excited for the album and the corresponding tour.
December 3, 2018 @ 11:18 am
Biggest issue with Bingham is..
No Dead Horses.
Seriously, since he broke up the band it’s been kinda lax. I love Ryan be his life story is sad and inspirational; I find wishbone saloon and Mescalito fantastic.
But the big thing is not playing with the Dead Horses anymore. It’s been downhill since
Surprised no one else noticed since the bands Gone.. We want corby n paw paw!
December 4, 2018 @ 1:55 am
I’ve seen them all play in different bands since then except for Corby. I saw he played with Walt Wilkins for awhile, but nothing in a long time that I’ve seen. Saw pawpaw with Red Shahan and Elijah play at SXSW with a woman who’s name I can’t remember. Makes me sad that such a great thing got tossed aside. Who knows what actually happened. RB didn’t really explain it in any depth back when it happened.
December 5, 2018 @ 7:43 pm
I’m a string believer than an artist owes much to a good backing band.
The Dead Horses were definitely such a band.
December 9, 2018 @ 6:26 am
Why anyone buy this dude’s slow and brooding bullshit is beyond me. He has always been boring but this is bad.