Ryan Bingham - "Southside of Heaven"

Well shucks, I know his album Mescalito came out in 2007, which is ancient in record time, but as Ryan Bingham is playing Coachella this year, I wanted to give some loving to my favorite Marlboro man and the only country singer I've ever loved.
Which is a big deal, considering I have never liked country. I used to be one of those "anything but country" people until I had the good sense to learn that I didn't care much for metal music, Tuvan throat singing, and a whole bunch of other stuff that might not make it into the average person's (or even average music lover's) music collection.
But Ryan Bingham was different. I was introduced to his music through a deal he did with Stitch's jeans and surprisingly, electronic label Quango, who released his first EP. One listen to his cigarette tinted voice and kick ass bluesy guitars and I suddenly found myself wondering what it would be like to go on a road trip through middle America in the truck I didn't have, and if a Jewish girl from LA and a cowboy from Texas could possibly be happy together.
Lucky for me, Ryan Bingham came to play Canter's Kibbitz Room (coincidence? I think not!) and for some reason, I managed to accrue a gang of about eight people to see a country singer-songwriter they had never heard of. And it was - well, not magical as that's not a masculine enough word for it, but the male, cowboy equivalent of a magical prom night. Bingham was every bit the cowboy he sounded - from Texas, Bingham spent a good amount of time traveling the rodeo circuit and picked up some of his guitar skills from his Mexican neighbor (as can be heard on "Boracho.") Tall and slim, he wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and could likely be found outside smoking what I'm sure were Marlboro Reds, which, when combined with whisky gave his voice a gravely depth much more than his twenty something years.
Much as I love the album I think "Southside of Heaven" was really what stood out and sold me. He is completely genuine, growling heartfelt lyrics about life on the road which, though they have nothing to do with me, are touching in their earnestness and sense of yearning which always sounds a bit more honest set to country. In addition to a lot of heart, there is some serious talent backing this song. Nothing electronic, just some excellent guitar picking, harmonica, and cheeky banjos with the well placed whine of the sadly underused slide guitar.
So if you have a chance to catch this desperado under the open sky of the Indio desert, I would highly recommend it. Shy of going to Texas, it's as authentic as you can get and likely just as rewarding.

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Sepia toned video of Ryan and his git-tar that couldn't be more perfect.