It’s not too often that a good old-fashioned hoedown happens in Portland, Oregon. Sure, Oregon definitely has its fair share of hillbilly communities, but Portland isn’t exactly regarded as one of them. None of that seemed to matter, however, when Ryan Bingham and his band took the stage at Portland’s Roseland Theater on Friday, June 7th. It was easy to get lost in the plain old fun that ensued. It was a fitting way for many (who looked like they ventured downtown from some of the aforementioned communities) to spend their Friday evening.
Although Bingham has been releasing albums since 2007, he gained a wider amount of fame a couple of years into his career when he both appeared in and wrote a song for 2009’s critically-acclaimed film Crazy Heart, which starred The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. The song that Bingham wrote for the movie, “The Weary Kind”, also won him an Academy Award for Best Original Song, which placed him in the ranks of folks like Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan, to name a few. Although “The Weary Kind” didn’t make an appearance at his Sasquatch! performance a mere week earlier (QRO recap), it was included in the set list at the Roseland. Prior to playing the song, Bingham entertained the crowd by saying, “This is kind of a sad song, but every time I play it I just think about the time I got to smoke a joint with The Dude.” What an experience that must have been, indeed.
Amongst many sips of beer and whiskey – both from the performers and crowd alike – the rest of the set featured many tracks from his latest album Tomorrowland such as “Beg For Broken Legs” and “Guess Who’s Knocking” as well as past hits such as “Southside of Heaven”, “Hallelujah”, “Depression”, “Dollar a Day”, and “Bluebird”.
Ryan Bingham is an interesting fellow. He is only 32 years old, which, by many people’s standards, is relatively young. But he seems like an old soul – almost as though he’s lived several lives in one, hard lives no less. And that comes through in every one of his songs. His smoky voice, when coupled with his particular brand of country/rock makes for some good times, indeed.
