Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #1: Bill Ryder-Jones

Being #1 has it’s privileges. Meet the best artist of 2013 Bill Ryder-Jones

Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #1: Bill Ryder-Jones

My heart always fall for the silky voices that sing about love lost. Especially when they come out of the shadows. Much like Diane Coffee’s falsetto or our #1 Best New Artist Bill Ryder-Jones. Where Diane Coffee’s day job is the drummer for Foxygen, Bill Ryder-Jones played second fiddle, or lead guitar, for the Coral. Who knew what love skeletons hid in Ryder-Jones’ gut as he was plucking away on “Pass It On”, my favorite Coral track. He barely qualifies for our best NEW artist, with several solo scores and a 2011 LP If…, but gliding along the fog of obscurity shouldn’t punish his hard work and tenacity. He kept writing and in early 2013, he recorded an LP of perfection A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart. His deep passion for Nick Drake sweetens the sound of the record and a depth of music know-how really shines through as he orchestrates his way across 11 beautiful tracks. We may not find Ryder-Jones on the Top 40 lists like that of other bands on our Hummingbird list, but you will find this record on my shelf, empty sleeve, with record spinning over and over again sharing it amongst all my friends. This surely isn’t our first singer songwriter earning the #1 Hummingbird Award. Not sure who I would prefer on a cold wintry night Bill Ryder-Jones or Kristian Mattson’s Tallest Man on Earth. Either way this is what makes music great. One man, one guitar and a pain in his heart.

We love the music and we hope you do too.

Founded: 2011
Hometown: West Kirby, Merseryside, England
Members: Bill Ryder-Jones
Sonic Soulmates™: Nick Drake, Badly Drawn Boy, Midlake, Leonard Cohen
Trackables™: The LP released in 2013A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart<
Listen to “Bad Wind Blows in My Heart” & “Hanging Song” <— this might be my song of the year!