I remember seeing Bingham years back at some shows he played at the Topanga Roadhouse with his then band the Dead Horses. The Roadhouse was essentially a place that you could drive right past without even noticing, save for the line of cars that would accumulate along the side of the road whenever there was a word of a show passed around via an “in the know” email list. I saw a few bands up there, but Bingham’s were the best. It was BYOW (Your Own Whatever the hell you want), there was a keg and a bonfire outside, my buddy Jay once got past the bouncer’s claim of “at capacity” by saying “we’re with the band.” Our camera-man/editor, Dave, climbed the rafters of that old shack during one of Bingham’s shows and hung from them like a wild man. There wasn’t any security, it was built to rage.
Sadly, as happens with a lot of cool things, the man brought the Roadhouse down. Some shit about legalities, codes, laws, stuff that you can read over and over and still not understand. It was a bummer, but things pass, and I remember it, and apparently so did Ryan Bingham, who lit up the same way I do when we talked about those shows at that awesome spot. It’s a vegetable stand now, the Roadhouse, and Bingham’s a big star, and me, well I’ve got a colorful van that’s seen it’s own fair share of good shows, but hell, we’d both go right back to the Roadhouse if ever given the chance to party again.
For now though, that place is memory. The type of memory that details escape, but feelings remain. I just remember that it was a damn good time, I remember that I was younger, dumber, and that the music was excellent.
Same as it was on this “Winter” afternoon in southern California when we met Ryan Bingham and he played us three songs off of his newest project. There was no party, no band, just Ryan and his guitar, us, our mics and cameras. It was a straight set, save for a needed cigarette break to quit from laughing after the that’s what she said joke’s on account of his final song, “Too Deep to Fill.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’d still party pretty good up at the Roadhouse. So here’s to hopin’…