I’m a packrat; there is no denying it! Fortunately, throughout most of my adult life, I’ve changed houses often, and that inevitably entails culling possessions down to those it is worth moving. But now it has been more than a decade since I’ve moved house, and I’m feeling a bit claustrophobic as my belongings crowd in around me. Of course, I’m exaggerating, but it is time for me to go through some stuff and throw it out, even if only because I am running out of space for new stuff! There is really no reason for me to keep my phone bills from the late 1990s, is there!

I’ve been a Ryan Bingham fan since the release of Mescalito (2007), but I didn’t see him live until two years later, and he blew my socks off! I’ve loved every album he’s done, and have been thrilled at how his sound has evolved, so it’s not suprise I love this one. Like the others, it’s not easily classifiable, with songs that sound very bluesy, straight-forward Rock and Roll, and some softer, more Western Country type tunes. Also like his previous releases, some songs seem more personal, others politically engaged, which is always a winning strategy as far as I’m concerned. At the same time, it’s not like anything he’s done before, which also scores points with me. But this is not a music review, so I’ll leave it at that.

As is evidenced by the contents of this blog, I love live music! That and live theater are the things I miss most from pre-Corona days! I collect autographed CDs and LPs, posters, and other concert memorabilia, and I have a lot of it. I’ll never get rid of my CDs and LPs, especially not those that are personalized, because they have I have at least 4-5 drawers full of concert Ts, and it’s a bit out of control. Something needs to be done! I’ve just started going through them to decide which to keep, which I can donate, and which are so worn that they just need to go in the trash.

I’ve decided to say goodbye to some of them that I’m really only holding on to for sentimental reasons, and I will use this blog to do so in an occasional series of posts showing me wearing those shirts, and sometimes a ball cap, too. I’m happy to say most still fit, although a bit more snugly. (At least we’ll see. Many of them I haven’t tried on since the start of the pandemic, so…) Why post those photos here and not on Instagram, a Pinterest board, or some other social media? The answer is simple. These shirts have a great deal of sentimental value to me and are connected to stories that I’d like to tell in the space this site allows me.

One important caveat: I don’t plan to throw out all the shirts you will see here. I’m making decisions as I go, so I would love to hear your feedback on which you think I should keep.

I’m posting these either as I actually wear them, or when I try them on, so some are quite new and definitely keepers. That includes this enigmatic star and heart design. I got that one as part of a pre-order for Ryan Bingham‘s newest album American Love Song.

This is definitely a keeper because it is comfortable, new, and I like the design. The star and heart are the logo on the top right of the very retro album cover, which is also very cool! It shows Bingham leaning on a vintage Buick convertible that’s pulling a horse trailer. I don’t know what year the car is. I wouldn’t have known it was a Buick if it didn’t have emblazoned across the front. The album looks like it is straight out of the 1970s, and the songs on it have a retro vibe to them, as well.

Like everyone else, he’s not touring right now, but check out the Cantina Sessions on his YouTube channel to hear him recorded live and solo. They are fun!

The hat is one of my HeadCount hats that I wore when I was out registering voters for them. HeadCount gets young people involved in politics using several different strategies, one of which is voter registration drives at concerts and festivals. I registered a lot of voters for them, and in exchange saw some amazing shows. More on them in subsequent posts. You will definitely see that logo again.