Songwriter crosses genres to just tell stories through music

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Like many of his fellow folk-Americana contemporaries, Ryan Bingham is a tough artist to define. Originally from New Mexico, the singer-songwriter’s work originates in country music on the Texan border.

Ryan learned his craft on an acoustic guitar gifted to him by his mother on his sixteenth birthday and his earliest songs were performed for friends after rodeos. It seems like the start of a clear stylistic path but Ryan’s dedication to his songwriting has seen his music hop between genres as the years have gone on.

Ryan plays the Róisín Dubh this Saturday, January 18, as part of a mini Irish tour. It comes after another whirlwind 2019 in which Ryan released his sixth studio album American Love Song.

The fifteen track LP contains elements of folk, rock and punk but its architect acknowledges one common theme that runs through every song – storytelling.

“You know I really don’t think about it too much,” Ryan says of writing in specific genres.

“For me, it’s really about songwriting and not necessarily about the genre. I write a lot of songs in a lot of different ways… Whether it’s for a record or for a TV show or a film, I have to be able to diversify things and cross over into different genres. I always try to start with a story…

“I’ll start with a melody on a guitar or a piano and it’s all about the story. Whether the accompaniment is fiddles and mandolins and banjos or if it’s organs and electric guitars – whatever the aesthetic is – you’re still surrounding a story.

“I really try to focus on that. I think a good story can appeal to anyone, no matter where they’re from or what their background is.”

Much of Ryan’s work is autobiographical but as his career has progressed, he has made a concerted effort to write with his listeners in mind.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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