Congratulations to Ryan Harkrider,
2009 Austin Song Contest Winner

We challenged local musicians to write and perform the "Ultimate Austin Song" - an original song of their creation that captured the essence of Austin. With a city as diverse as Austin, we knew we would receive submissions from just about all musical genres. From Rock to Country to Rap, the local music scene responded to our call and we received an overwhelming number of entries. The field was narrowed down to five select songs and then it was up to the Austin community to vote online for the winner. The votes were counted and "Nobody Ever Wants to Leave" by Ryan Harkrider was declared the Austin Song Contest Winner!

Ryan's Bio

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, 24-year old Ryan Harkrider has been a part of the Austin music scene for almost a decade, heading up projects in music and film as a performer, songwriter, arranger, and recording artist.

Ryan debuted his talent to Austin as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Hallow. Fascinating audiences at venues such as Stubbs and Antone's, Ryan quickly gained the respect of fans and fellow musicians with his vocal talent and live performances. In 2007, taking advantage of his newfound position in the Austin scene, Ryan began to write songs and pursue a career as a solo performer. In under a year, Ryan wrote the songs that would become his debut album, formed a new band, and began taking his live show to Austin landmark clubs such as The Saxon Pub and Momo's.

In 2009, the Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau chose "Nobody Ever Wants to Leave," a song off of Ryan's debut album Days Like This as the official theme song of his hometown. The song features Austin Chronicle Music Award-winning vocalist and fiddler Phoebe Hunt of the Belleville Outfit. "Nobody Ever Wants to Leave" has garnered air time in Austin on FM 91.7 KVRX and was featured on KVUE 24 News and Fox 7 News' Good Day Austin morning show. The song is the soundtrack for the website austintexas.org and will be placed on the ACVB's annual music compilation album, Austin Music Volume 9.

In the fall of 2009, Ryan Harkrider released his debut solo album entitled, Days Like This. The album, recorded, mixed and produced by A.J. and Omar Vallejo from the band Vallejo, contains 11 songs drawing from Ryan's unique blend of roots rock/americana style. It features singles such as, title track "Days Like This," guitar driven "Never All the Time" and Austin, Texas' theme song, "Nobody Ever Wants to Leave." This collection of songs showcases Ryan's unique voice and captivating talent that resonates in any listener.

For more information, see www.myspace.com/ryanharkrider