Ryan Bingham is happy to see that country music has returned to the mainstream.
In case you didn’t know, the Yellowstone star has been touring across the country in some form or fashion for two decades. He’s seen a thing or two over the years, and more recently, he’s been happy to see that the country music genre is being appreciated. In a conversation with Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience, he explained how wearing a cowboy hat wasn’t always a cool thing to do:
“I remember when I really started playing music and stuff, I’d wear a cowboy hat all the time. It was very much my identity. Cowboy stuff wasn’t really cool in the early 2000s.
There wasn’t a big Americana scene or any of that kind of stuff. Definitely going to New York or going to Los Angeles, I’d be the only one wearing a cowboy hat.”
Bingham went on to tell a story about how one time, when he was inn Los Angeles and was wearing a cowboy hat, someone pointed at him and yelled “Brokeback Mountain.” That was just to hammer home his “cowboy stuff hasn’t always been cool” point.
Now, Bingham is happy to see that country music has established itself. Most importantly, He’s glad that young people are actually playing instruments again, and going away from the digital music creation. From his perspective, the talent has always been there in the country music space… now there’s just a platform that’s built to support the artists:
“They’re wearing it on their sleeves. I think there has been plenty of folks out there writing from the heart and having a certain integrity to the things that they’re saying. Now there’s a lot more of a platform to support them.”
The Yellowstone actor makes a good point.
Many would agree with him and say it hasn’t been a music problem. There’s always been good country music. It’s just that the great stuff had been pushed aside for the shiny, popular thing (*cough* pop country *cough*).
Fortunately, the world is healing, and country music is cool again. And you can hear Ryan Bingham talk more about that in the interview below:
Oh, and if you’ve never seen Ryan Bingham play live, make sure to go check him out. If you have seen him… go support him again. He’s one of the most underrated acts in all of country music right now, and he could be coming to a town near you.
Ryan Bingham Tour Dates
May 22—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE
May 23—Columbus, OH—KEMBA Live!
May 24—Cleveland, OH—The Agora
May 26—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
May 27—Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 29—Buffalo, NY—Artpark Mainstage Theater
May 30—Kingston, NY—Ulster Performing Arts Center
June 1—South Deerfield, MA—Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company
June 2—Portland, ME—State Theatre
June 3—Boston, MA—Roadrunner
June 5—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre
June 6—New Haven, CT—Toad’s Place
June 7—Montclair, NJ—The Wellmont Theater
June 9—New York, NY—Irving Plaza
June 10—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore
June 12—Richmond, VA—The National
June 13—Washington, D.C.—Lincoln Theatre
June 14—Norfolk, VA—The Norva
June 16—Chattanooga, TN—The Signal
June 18—Fayetteville, AR—Ozark Music Hall
June 19—Dallas, TX—Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater
July 11—Alta, WY—Grand Targhee Resort
July 18—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky Festival
