Hannah Bingman

Hannah Bingman's car is packed and ready for another road trip to the State College area. The young, gravelly voiced singer-songwriter brings with her the prestige of having recently been awarded an Honorable Mention by the Billboard World Song Contest for her track "Sorry I Am," from her recent disc "Truckload of Philosophers."

In a recent interview, I asked her about one of my favorite philosophies.Centre Daily Times: Not to sound superficial, but I think you judge a person by their shoes.

Hannah Bingman: (Laughs) Yeah. To a certain extent (I would agree).

CDT: Do you think you can judge a person by his or her Web site?

H.B.: To a certain extent, it would depend on who designed it.

CDT: Well, I was visiting your Web site and I noticed most of the links focus on political or social issues and alternative media (Independent Media Center, The Nation, Tom Paine.com(mon sense). What do you think your Web site says about you and the music you play?

H.B.: (Social consciousness) is definitely a common thread throughout my music. Yeah, I'm very into political causes and social issues and such. I'm not a big PETA person, but I'm definitely into the truth, alternative media and stuff like that.

CDT: So how do you try to encourage your audience to seek out the truth?

H.B.: I try to present new ideas in a way so they are not so much in your face, but maybe more of a "Hmm" type of thing and cause someone to reflect and ponder some things than to just walk along.

CDT: What would you be doing if you weren't doing music?

H.B.: That's really heard to say, I don't know, it's my major in college and everything so it's really hard to even think about that. I'd definitely try to educate myself and read the news every day.

CDT: Do you think playing within the folk/singer-songwriter circles is an extension of the folk activists of 35 years ago?

H.B.: I think it's always been around, it just had a very big peak, like 35 years ago. If you look back in the 1920s, people like Woody Guthrie, there's a lot that encompasses folk music. It's related, but it changes with the times like anything else.

CDT: Do you think that folk music is still relevant now?

H.B.: Definitely. It's relevant, but it's not getting any airplay, not that that should matter, because there are still people coming to hear the music. But it's definitely relevant.

CDT: So you're a junior majoring in music management (at Frostburg State University, Maryland). What have you learned so far?

H.B.: I definitely got to understand the inner workings of the industry of music and there's no miracle deal. It's basically talent and perseverance, and if you want to do it, you do it. You don't need to have a contract to do it and make a living out of it.

CDT: How has that helped or even hindered your musical career?

H.B.: (Schoolwork) does affect it and sometimes the school stuff gets in the way.

CDT: You play a lot in central Pennsylvania. What do you make of the audiences up here?

H.B.: They are cool people, friendly and mostly attentive.

CDT: So what shoes will you be wearing at the show?

H.B.: I don't know, sneakers or sandals, Chuck Taylors.

by Heather Longley - Centre Daily Times (State College, PA) 10/1/04

Hannah Bingman
A NAME TO REMEMBER
By: Paul Autry

Some musicians have to work hard to get people to notice what they have to offer. For Hannah Bingman, all she has to do is perform and she’s got your attention. She’s somewhat new in the Pennsylvania scene. But, when you hear “Truckload of Philo- sophers,” you’ll find it exceptionally hard to believe that this is, in fact, her debut release. I’ve had the pleasure of catching a live show or two and I kind of knew what Hannah was all about. When I first heard this release, I was totally blown away. There’s a wisdom and maturity here that other people work their whole life to find. It’s simply amazing. Once you hear this release for yourself, I won’t have to spend another minute writing about it because you’ll already be hooked. Nothing I can ever say will ever do this album justice. The only way to truly appreciate this release and to understand just how exceptional it really is, well, give it a listen. I guarantee you’ll be a fan by the time you get to the second or third song.

I spoke with Hannah a number of times since I got to know her and since this is her debut release, I thought, forget the review because I’d much rather introduce her to you by way of another interview. When I first spoke to her, I had heard a demo she had with some of these tunes on there. It was a cool release, but, it was nothing like what I heard on this album. So, it’s both a pleasure and an honor to introduce you to the one and only, Hannah Bingman.

Paul Autry: How was the recording process for this album? Tell us about your studio experience?

Hannah Bingman: First, we (Skip, the producer, Ryan, the engineer and I) laid down the solo acoustic tracks, “Lesson #47” and “You Suck,” to get me acquainted with the atmosphere at Songcrafter’s studio and to see how we wanted to mic my guitar for further overdubs. The bass and drum parts were recorded live with Kevin (drums), Eddie (bass) and I performing together in the studio. Then we re-recorded my guitar to get a more realistic sound instead of the results we got recording direct with the band and I redid the vocals to get rid of any bleeding through from the other instruments when the whole band was there. The organ, piano and additional guitar parts were added later and edited during the mixing process.

Paul Autry: Are you happy with the way it turned out?

Hannah Bingman: At first, I was reluctant to let myself be completely content with the final product. Of course, I’m always going to look back and find things I might have done different if it were completely up to me. But, I really am pleased with the way it turned out. It’s something I’m not ashamed to put out there. It has that professional sound, yet, the tracks don’t stray from the rootsy/folky feel that my songs tend to have. I think it’s a very accurate representation of where I wanted those 11 songs to end up. Not to mention the artwork for the album, which I think really projects a great visual for what this work is about.

Paul Autry: It’s certainly different from what you do live. What’s the reason behind that?

Hannah Bingman: If I had recorded this album on strictly my own budget, which would have been pocket change, the album would probably not have sounded much different from my performances, which include just me and my guitar. However, when an independent artist such as myself finds a producer willing to fund a project like mine without asking for too much in return besides a percentage of the sales, you’re going to let yourself record with the band you always wanted but never could afford. My acoustic guitar and my vocals are at the epicenter and are the focal point of each song and the other instruments fill in the gaps, very efficiently I might add. The idea is to make the record palatable to the average listener while not changing my sound

Paul Autry: Will that change what you do live?

Hannah Bingman: In most cases, no. This is not because I wouldn’t like to play with a band, I certainly do. However, I currently attend college in Maryland and live there most of the year while I still call Pennsylvania my home, which is where I play the majority of my shows. So, it’s hard to keep any kind of permanent band members to regularly rehearse with, not to mention I don’t quite have the funds to adequately support a good band. There are talks of some summer dates with the guys I played with on the record. So, I look forward to that.

Paul Autry: Your lyrics are rather strong. What influences what you decide to write about?

Hannah Bingman: Lyrics are very important to me. Why take the time to write them if they don’t mean anything, which is a question I constantly have to ask when I listen to the fodder on the radio. It’s not all bad. I think my political influences are very apparent and blatant. It’s an influential force that’s hard for me to suppress and why should I try to? I think we, as people - Rock Bottom Magazine

She’s from Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania. She goes to Frostburg State University. And she’s getting a degree in music and is almost on her way to the album charts! Go Hannah! This music is very inspirational and is good for just about any mood.
From the time Hannah Bingman picked up a guitar at age 13, she eventually began writing her own lyrical melodies that would then take her into a recording studio, and make her creative talent become a “Truckload of Philosophers”. This album, done by “Back 9 Records” was produced by Skip Kline and released in 2003.

The album seems to capture a mellow, yet uplifting impression to some songs, with a folk music atmosphere. There could be room for future albums to add rock ‘n roll to her music as well as some potential for new age music like Enya to come out of Bingman’s rich tone. Her voice seems versatile, which is an excellent quality to have. A talent like this is great for an artist because they can appeal a larger audience, going from one extreme to another.

Hannah sounds similar to Ani DiFranco, Norah Jones, The Corrs, Natalie Merchant and even a hint of Jewel. Her blending of acoustic guitar and melodies, soulful voice, and great back up band make her music unique.

The tracks on the CD to watch out for include; number two, “The Towering Two”; number five, “Uncle Sam”; and number eleven, “Fading Spotlight”. These are tremendously enticing beats, and they make you want to sing along. Any one of these is ready to be captured in a movie on the big screen (I’m thinking more a of chick flick, but hey, that’s a start).

Currently, Hannah plays live throughout central Pennsylvania at King St. Coffeehouse, Kind Café, Front St. Station, and the Coffee and Tea Room. Hannah will be playing at Frostburg State University on Monday April 26, 2004, for Earth Day, time (TBA) and also on Saturday May 1, 2004, for Spring Fest at 12:00pm. For more information on Hannah, check out her website at: http://www.hannahbingman.com/ or you can find out more on Bingman at: www.songcraftersrecordings.com

- The Bottom Line (Frostburg, MD)

For a little girl, she sure can sing big.
Talking to folky acoustic singer/songwriter Hannah Bingman, you wouldn’t think to match the petite woman, with her girlish looks and dark brown dreadlocks, to the voice on the album Truckload of Philosophers.

Bingman, 19, of Beaver Springs, sings the 11 songs on the album with conviction, as her voice flows up and down with each emotion. Some of the songs, like "Uncle Sam" and "The Towering Two," are purely political. For a 19-year-old, Bingman sure is savvy about the many layers of politics and policy. Listening to some of these songs brings the 60s antiwar movement to mind.

"I got a truckload of philosophers and experts who can’t quite understand/And it frightens me to think that they’re making a big dollar off this degradable war," Bingman sings in "The Towering Two."

"I try to break that whole stereotype down, that young people aren’t interested in politics. I try to read up on it as much as I can," Bingman said.

But politics is not what all of Bingman’s songs are about. Anything that happens in her life can be material in a song, she said. The ordinary events, the loves and relationships in her life — things Bingman calls "a universal folky thing" — are reflected in Truckload of Philosophers.

One artist Bingman has been compared to time and time again is Ani DiFranco. Not that Bingman resents this, but she said there are many, many artists who influenced her. She is a fan of 60s folk musician Woody Guthrie, The Beatles, blues master Robert Johnson, jazz singer Billy Holiday and current musician John Mayer.

But it is the local scene that Bingman said has been the greatest influence, including Valley acoustic singer/songwriter Bruce Barr, who introduced her to the coffeehouse circuit.

"Bruce has been my mentor and he was the one who really introduced me to the local circuit by having me open for him," Bingman said.

For all her worldliness, Bingman seems to be a confident artist. But three years ago, her nerves were evident when she started playing out at 16. She went to open mike nights. She played sets in between punk bands. She played at local coffeehouses. Each time she played she gained a little more confidence. Though the first gigs were nerve-wracking, she just "bit the bullet and did it."

"For a little 16-year-old girl with an acoustic guitar that’s bigger than her to walk in and then there’s all these 50-some year-old guys with ponytails, they’re there with their acoustic guitars and then I play and they’re just sitting there grinning," Bingman said.

For the next few years Bingman played the punk scene and the coffeehouse circuit with many of the songs that now appear on the album. Bingman said she was surprised that she was asked to play at punk shows, but that the crowd seemed to like her.

"They put me like third on the bill with five other punk bands," Bingman said.

"There wasn’t a lot of people like me around here," Bingman said, adding that the only other women into the acoustic singer/songwriter thing in this area are older.

Bingman’s live performance schedule in the area has slowed down in the past year since she started going to Frostburg State University in Maryland. But music is still her life’s ambition. She still writes songs and plays guitar everyday. She’s even studying music management. Bingman is hoping after graduation in 2006 to make a living involving music. For now, she would like to make another album, preferably a live one based on recorded performances from the Kind Cafe in Selinsgrove.

Bingman could probably study other things in college. She could give up music all together and take one of the more traditional occupations in life that won’t leave her living "hand to mouth" as she imagines she will. But then again, that just wouldn’t be her style. How else would she be able to reach her fellow man, to soothe with words when times are tough.

"Instead of me physically shaking someone by the shoulders, I’m emotionally shaking someone by the shoulders. I like the fact that I can do that, that I can touch people like that," Bingman said.

by Melissa Brown - The Daily Item (Sunbury, PA) 1/3/04

She’s from Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania. She goes to Frostburg State University. And she’s getting a degree in music and is almost on her way to the album charts! Go Hannah! This music is very inspirational and is good for just about any mood.
From the time Hannah Bingman picked up a guitar at age 13, she eventually began writing her own lyrical melodies that would then take her into a recording studio, and make her creative talent become a “Truckload of Philosophers”. This album, done by “Back 9 Records” was produced by Skip Kline and released in 2003.

The album seems to capture a mellow, yet uplifting impression to some songs, with a folk music atmosphere. There could be room for future albums to add rock ‘n roll to her music as well as some potential for new age music like Enya to come out of Bingman’s rich tone. Her voice seems versatile, which is an excellent quality to have. A talent like this is great for an artist because they can appeal a larger audience, going from one extreme to another.

Hannah sounds similar to Ani DiFranco, Norah Jones, The Corrs, Natalie Merchant and even a hint of Jewel. Her blending of acoustic guitar and melodies, soulful voice, and great back up band make her music unique.

The tracks on the CD to watch out for include; number two, “The Towering Two”; number five, “Uncle Sam”; and number eleven, “Fading Spotlight”. These are tremendously enticing beats, and they make you want to sing along. Any one of these is ready to be captured in a movie on the big screen (I’m thinking more a of chick flick, but hey, that’s a start).

Currently, Hannah plays live throughout central Pennsylvania at King St. Coffeehouse, Kind Café, Front St. Station, and the Coffee and Tea Room. Hannah will be playing at Frostburg State University on Monday April 26, 2004, for Earth Day, time (TBA) and also on Saturday May 1, 2004, for Spring Fest at 12:00pm. For more information on Hannah, check out her website at: http://www.hannahbingman.com/ or you can find out more on Bingman at: www.songcraftersrecordings.com

- The Bottom Line (Frostburg, MD)

Recordings

Right, Right Now
“With instrumentations and vocal stylings that are varied and compelling, and lyrics that often belie her youth, Bingman’s songs are a nice mix of break-up angst, navel-gazing, storytelling, youthful protest, and sing-along lines”
- Mel Goldsipe, CoffeeHouseTour.com

“Hannah is right on point with this CD (Right, Right Now)...it flows easily in and out of my ears and makes me happy to be alive in this age of new music”
- Crystal Senter Brown, organizer of Gumbo Live, Chicopee, MA

Truckload of Philosophers
“When I first heard this release, I was totally blown away. There’s a wisdom and maturity here that other people work their whole life to find. It’s simply amazing. Once you hear this release for yourself, I won’t have to spend another minute writing about it because you’ll already be hooked.”
- Paul Autry, Rock Bottom Magazine, Shamokin, PA

“Bingman sings with conviction… her voice flows up and down with each emotion.”
- Melissa Brown, The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA




Live

“I've had the pleasure of seeing Hannah perform on many occasions and even have had the honor of having her as a featured performer at the PA Singer Songwriter Festival 3 years straight.
Hannah, still small in size, and still with the dry humor at the microphone that gives her an appearance of being shy has grown into a very well respected member of the singer songwriter community.”
- Dave Blackledge, co-producer of the PA Singer-Songwriter Festival

“Hannah is a polished performer who always presents a great show. In addition to always putting on an outstanding performance, Hannah is easy to work with and a true professional.”
- Tammi Wiley, Director of Student Activities, Frostburg State University, MD


“Her blending of acoustic guitar and melodies and her soulful voice make her music unique.”
- Meredith A., The Bottom Line, Frostburg State University, MD
- compiled

Recordings

Right, Right Now
“With instrumentations and vocal stylings that are varied and compelling, and lyrics that often belie her youth, Bingman’s songs are a nice mix of break-up angst, navel-gazing, storytelling, youthful protest, and sing-along lines”
- Mel Goldsipe, CoffeeHouseTour.com

“Hannah is right on point with this CD (Right, Right Now)...it flows easily in and out of my ears and makes me happy to be alive in this age of new music”
- Crystal Senter Brown, organizer of Gumbo Live, Chicopee, MA

Truckload of Philosophers
“When I first heard this release, I was totally blown away. There’s a wisdom and maturity here that other people work their whole life to find. It’s simply amazing. Once you hear this release for yourself, I won’t have to spend another minute writing about it because you’ll already be hooked.”
- Paul Autry, Rock Bottom Magazine, Shamokin, PA

“Bingman sings with conviction… her voice flows up and down with each emotion.”
- Melissa Brown, The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA




Live

“I've had the pleasure of seeing Hannah perform on many occasions and even have had the honor of having her as a featured performer at the PA Singer Songwriter Festival 3 years straight.
Hannah, still small in size, and still with the dry humor at the microphone that gives her an appearance of being shy has grown into a very well respected member of the singer songwriter community.”
- Dave Blackledge, co-producer of the PA Singer-Songwriter Festival

“Hannah is a polished performer who always presents a great show. In addition to always putting on an outstanding performance, Hannah is easy to work with and a true professional.”
- Tammi Wiley, Director of Student Activities, Frostburg State University, MD


“Her blending of acoustic guitar and melodies and her soulful voice make her music unique.”
- Meredith A., The Bottom Line, Frostburg State University, MD
- compiled