“…singer-songwriter Bill Scorzari transcends titles like songwriter or poet. He catapults past categories into a dark ruminative and ultimately life-affirming realm where folklore, memories, pain, prayer, and incantation meet.”- Acoustic Guitar Magazine (March/April 2020 Issue)
BIOGRAPHY
Bill Scorzari is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and performer based in New York. He has independently released five studio albums to date, including Just the Same (2014), Through These Waves (2017), Now I’m Free (2019), The Crosswinds of Kansas (2022) and Sidereal Days (Day 1) (2025). Sidereal Days (Day 1) was released on October 17th, 2025 and is the first disc from the new two-album set which also includes Sidereal Days (Day 2). The (Day 2) album will be released and made available for reviews in 2026.
Scorzari's songs explore the depths of the human condition with profound authenticity, offering the listener a cathartic release and life-affirming embrace. The music is captivating and nuanced, the lyrics intimate and compelling, and Scorzari’s voice, uncommon and unmistakable. With a resonance at times akin to spoken word and a delivery which remains melodic even in those extremes, he narrates spellbinding stories that will remind you of your own experiences. Peruse the reviews to date and you will find comparative descriptors such as, "...perhaps Dylan or Townes could go toe to toe...," "...a modern-day Rod McKuen," "...you might want to think about Tom Waits a little...," "...Tom Waits or Malcom Holcombe, Scorzari's voice is in that neighborhood but still stands apart...," "...a little less sandpapery than Dave Van Ronk's..," "...the spoken poetry...that Sam Baker has perfected...," "...Kris Kristofferson...," "...Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young...," "Artists that have this ability are rare—Waits, Dylan, Cohen, and today’s John Moreland and Jason Isbell..."
Bill has fronted two national tours to date (“Through These Waves” in 2017 and “Now I’m Free” in 2019) and has been performing at venues and terrestrial radio stations across the Country since 2014. He has opened for artists including Billy Strings (Nashua, NH - 9/2/2017), Whiskey Myers (NYC - 2017), Big Country (Huntington, NY 2014) and more. Other performances of note include AmericanaFest 2016 and Newport Folk Festival 2019 (for the “For Pete’s Sake” program curated by Chris Funk of The Decemberists).
Play some of Bill’s records and you will hear him accompanied by Chris Scruggs, Kim Richey, Joachim Cooder, Laur Joamets, Marie Tomlinson Lewey and Cindy Richardson Walker a/k/a "The Shoals Sisters," Neilson Hubbard, Matt Menefee, Kyle Tuttle, Will Kimbrough, Eamon McLaughlin, Fats Kaplin, Michael Rinne, Danny Mitchell, Brent Burke, Juan Solorzano, Jonah Tolchin, Danny Roaman, John Estes, Erin Rae, and more.
His music has been premiered by Billboard, The Bluegrass Situation, Americana Highways, and others and has received critical acclaim from No Depression, Acoustic Guitar, Robert Christgau, Tom Hull, Americana UK, and many more as well. His albums have been included on “year-end-best-of” lists by Folk Alley, Making A Scene, Americana Highways, Americana UK and more. In 2024, Robert Christgau ranked Bill’s 2022 release, The Crosswinds of Kansas, at #40 on his “The Best 84 Albums of 2023 (or so)” list. On October 8, 2025, Christgau gave Bill's Sidereal Days (Day 1) album and “A” rating in his “And It Don't Stop- Consumer's Guide: October 2025.”
Bill has charted on The Weekly Top 50 Alternative Folk chart—with a song at #4 and with an album at #8—and on The NACC Folk chart with an album at #15. His fourth release, The Crosswinds of Kansas placed at #71 on the Alt Country Specialty Chart 2022 year-end Top 100 and Through These Waves was #1 on the Americana Music Association’s “Most Added” Radio chart in the first week of its release in 2017.
He also made a number of year end lists for radio as well, including reaching #1 in WXPN’s Saturday Sleepy Hollow host Chuck Elliot’s “Favorite Albums of 2022,” and being listed in 2022 year-end lists by KVMR’s Good Stuff host Kim Rogers, WWSP’s Acoustic Revival’s host Jim Canales, WFPK’s Michael Young, and others. KPFA’s Tim Lynch also added Crosswind of Kansas to his ‘Favorite CDs of 2022,” saying, “The instrumentation and production are superb, while his weather-worn voice embodies the heartbreak and hope in the finely crafted lyrics.”
Bill’s passion for music began at an early age and it continued to develop as one of many threads which fate wove together to create the tapestry of his formative years and beyond. His mom played classical piano, and he was fascinated by the piano in their home. She, and his dad were both blessed with exceptional singing voices, as well as gifted ears for melody and artful phrasing. And there was always a wide variety of music playing at home and on car trips-songs by Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Roy Clarke, Chet Atkins, Hank Williams, Bill Withers, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, as well as Classical Symphonies, “Big-Band” music, Operas, Luciano Pavarotti, Mario Lanza… and so much more. Among Bill’s most cherished remembrances of his mom are two vinyl records featuring her singing songs from the 1940’s.
Another of Bill’s most significant and earliest musical influences was his older cousin (born on the same date, 10 years apart) who played a Hammond B3 organ in a 1960's rock band based in Queens, NY (the city where Bill was born). Bill would often stay at his cousin's house for days and watch the band rehearsing in the basement. When Bill was just 8 years old, his mom and dad gave him his first guitar. It was a “Classical” nylon-string acoustic, which he still owns to this day. But after hearing and watching his cousin’s band rehearsing classic songs from the 1960’s “live,” during their rehearsals, Bill quickly abandoned the slow pace of formal sight-reading lessons from beginner guitar primers and began down the path of his preferred learning method - listening to and figuring out on his own how to recreate what he was hearing during those rehearsals and on the records and cassettes that his cousin had given to him. Those “first” recordings included the Beatles/Abbey Road, The Who/Live at Leeds, Simon and Garfunkel/Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Rolling Stones/Hot Rocks, Grand Funk Railroad/Closer to Home, Deep Purple/Machine Head, and many others. An electric guitar (made by “Tempo”), a “Marlboro” amplifier and a Sam Ash “Fuzz Box” followed. Bill also had a portable cassette player that he would carry with him so he could listen to those recordings everywhere he went. He eventually formed his own band with some of the older kids in the neighborhood, which in turn led him to playing his first club gig at the age of 13. With that, Bill's journey as a self-taught musician, had begun.
It should also be mentioned that, earlier - in fact, on the very day that Bill was born - his dad (a preeminent New York Trial Attorney) together with the Dean of his dad's law school alma mater, half-jokingly completed a “mock” application for young Bill’s “immediate enrollment” in Law School. Some 20+ years later, following in the footsteps of his proud father and role model, Bill officially matriculated at and graduated from that same law school. After passing the Bar Exam, Bill was admitted to the New York State Bar, and at the age of 27, began his own accomplished career as a New York trial attorney.
He continued to explore various genres of music including Southern Rock, Country, Progressive Rock, Classic Rock, Punk, New Wave, Grunge, Motown, Early Blues greats such as Blind Willie Johnson and Blind Willie McTell, Folk artists such as Neil Young and James Taylor, and so many more. By 1992, Bill was also running his own law firm.
In 1994, still practicing law by day, Bill joined a rock band that began with four members and later transformed into a “power trio" that showcased some of Bill's earliest original songwriting.
Several other band projects followed and in 2008, Bill reunited with some of his friends from his old neighborhood band. They formed a five-piece (sometimes six-piece, sometimes seven-piece) “Classic Rock” group that performed at local venues, festivals and charitable events devoted to raising funds for wounded Veterans and their families.
In 2010, Bill stumbled upon a Live-at-Paste recording of Justin Townes Earle performing “Mama’s Eyes.” It was a life-altering discovery - the kind that you hear people speak of as being “that moment” when “everything changed.” He bought every JTE album and EP that was then available, saw JTE perform live in concert multiple times, and began searching for and listening to as many Artists as he could find within this “newly discovered” “Americana Music” genre. Artists such as Woodie Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Joe Purdy, Gregory Alan Isakov, Mumford and Sons, Sturgill Simpson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Sarah Jarosz, Leonard Cohen, Jack Ingrahm, Sam Baker, Hozier, Nathaniel Rateliff, Iron and Wine, The Lumineers, Frank Fairfield, Del McCoury, John Moreland, Jake Xerxes Fussell, The Tallest Man On Earth, Elephant Revival, Langhorne Slim, and so many more. It was a “newly discovered” genre of sorts, because of the new artists that populated it in 2010 and beyond, but it also includes many Roots and Country artists who Bill had heard and recognized from his childhood years. Brought full circle back home to some of his own earliest influences, through these new artists, he began writing songs again - acoustic songs, folk songs, "Americana" songs -and in doing so, he not only rediscovered and reignited his passion for profoundly meaningful and soul-stirring music, but more so, Bill had rediscovered himself - and there was no turning back.
Bill was devastated when his dad passed in 2012. Confronted head-on with how unpredictable and fleeting life is, he marshalled his existing obligations, and in the four years that followed, completed all things that one must, to make a “career” (and life) change. With the encouragement of a local recording studio owner/engineer/friend, Bill began recording his debut album, titled, Just the Same. While the album was being written and recorded, Bill performed as a solo artist in a local song-writing contest. He won the contest by popular vote and was chosen to be the opening act for "Big Country" at The Paramount Theater - a 1500-capacity concert venue in Huntington, New York. He joined forces with some local “Americana/Roots” musicians and formed a band for the Paramount show.
The show was a great success and Bill continued performing his original songs, both with the new band and as a solo-artist at venues throughout New York City and Long Island, NY. He was later recommended to and became a member of the Board of Directors of his home-town's Arts Council.
In 2014, Bill independently released his debut album, Just the Same, to critical acclaim.
In 2015, he attended AmericanaFest in Nashville, TN and was introduced to then Yep Roc recording artist, Jonah Tolchin. They became friends, performed together on occasion and later agreed that Tolchin would produce Bill's second album, Through These Waves.
Bill would later perform at AmericanaFest in September of 2016.
He began recording Through These Waves in November of 2016 at the famed Bomb Shelter in East Nashville, TN, together with Tolchin, engineer Billy Bennett and musicians Chris Scruggs, Kim Richey, Joachim Cooder, Laur Joamets, Eamon Mclaughlin, Will Kimbrough, Brent Burke and more. Through These Waves was recorded, mixed and mastered there in just 14 days. The album was released on March 10, 2017.
After the release, Bill began his first 10,000-mile cross-country, National tour and Through These Waves jumped straight to #1 on the Americana Music Association’s Top 50 “Most Added” radio chart, in its first week.
The album later also landed on many Top-Albums-of-2017 lists, including Folk Alley and Elmore Magazine.
No Depression said, "Bill Scorzari is a force. His songwriting is stellar, his picking above par and his voice fits his songs perfectly." “Tom Waits or Malcolm Holcombe... Scorzari’s voice is in that neighborhood but still stands apart. …thoughtful, cinematically shaped songs that continue to resonate after repeated listens. Yes, this is a 'must hear' for singer-songwriter aficionados." - Elmore Magazine. One such 'aficionado,' WFUV's John Platt, said, "Bill Scorzari has a lived-in voice that says, 'Listen to these songs. They spring from the earth and the ocean with an open heart and the wisdom of experience.’" “Artists that have this ability are rare—Waits, Dylan, Cohen, and today’s John Moreland and Jason Isbell….” -Lonesome Banjo Chronicles.
The following year, in early 2018, Artist/Producer Joe Henry, signed on to produce Bill's third release, Now I'm Free. They planned to start recording before year's end in 2018, and an 11,000-mile national tour was booked, beginning with Bill's landmark performance at Newport Folk Festival in late-July of 2019. Then came the terrible news that Joe had been diagnosed with cancer. Upon that and the later news that the cancer had gone into remission after rigorous treatment, the recording sessions were cancelled and rescheduled several times through the early months of 2019. When the first of the scheduled tour dates was rapidly approaching, and Joe’s need for further treatment and healing was apparent, Joe graciously offered to assist in finding a replacement Producer. The offer was above and beyond. Not wishing to burden Joe, Bill reached out to Artist/Producer Neilson Hubbard directly.
Bill’s third album, Now I'm Free, was recorded with Hubbard and Engineer Dylan Alldredge at Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville, Tennessee, in April and May of 2019. It includes performances by Will Kimbrough, Eamon McLoughlin, Michael Rinne, Juan Solorzano, Erin Rae, Hubbard and more. The album was Mastered by Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studios in Nashville, in June of 2019.
On July 26th, 2019, Bill's “Now I'm Free” tour began with his landmark performance at Newport Folk Festival in the "For Pete's Sake" program hosted and curated by Chris Funk of The Decemberists. Guitarist, Solorzano (who can be heard on the album), Cellist/fellow “Long Islander”, Jonathan Preddice, and Upright Bass player, Charlie Meunsch accompanied Bill for the performance. At the end of Bill's 40-minute set, the audience stood for an encore.
The 15-song, Now I'm Free album was Premiered by Billboard, with an exclusive interview on September 16, 2019. It was released mid-tour, on September 20, 2019 and singles from Now I'm Free were Premiered by The Bluegrass Situation (“Treat Me Kind”) and Americana Highways (“It All Matters”). Billboard’s Gary Graff says, “Now I’m Free,” is “delicately nuanced” with “detailed arrangements.” "...Scorzari had good reason to enjoy the recording process this time around." Bill's album reached #15 on the NACC Folk Chart and #8 on the Weekly Top 50 Alternative Folk Album Chart, with the single "Over Again" reaching #4 on the Weekly Top 50 Alternative Folk Song Chart. It later made its way onto many "Best of 2019" lists, including Americana Highways and Making a Scene. Producer, Neilson Hubbard said, “Bill tears himself open on these 15 songs… He is an open book delivering a record of astonishing intimacy... the gravel and whispers in his voice carry a true knockout punch.” Multi-instrumentalist, Will Kimbrough, who appears on the record, said, "... This is a fine record indeed."
In June of 2024, Del McCoury recorded and released a cover of “Treat Me Kind” from Bill's 2019 Now I'm Free album, on The Del McCoury Band's album, Songs of Love and Life.
Excerpts from the many press reviews of Bill's Now I'm Free album, include the following:
"I love this album. I’m going on record and naming 'Now I’m Free' as the best album of 2019 and I’ll stand on anyone’s coffee table and say it. ...There are poets, there are songwriters, there are painters of fine art, and there’s Bill Scorzari. The new album, 'Now I’m Free' is a bold and delicate balance of each. To say it is a thing of beauty is an understatement. ...Perhaps Dylan or Townes could go toe to toe, but my money’s on Scorzari." - Making A Scene, By Viola Krouse.
"Bill Scorzari scores one of 2019's finest... There may be a handful of songwriters as good as Scorzari but no one else could deliver these stunning songs. It’s even deeper and every bit as good as his last one. Bigger names will get more recognition but Scorzari’s getting there. He did play the Newport Folk Festival this year. He has my vote for Americana Album of the Year." Glide Magazine - By Jim Hynes.
"Once or twice a year, an album rolls onto the scene that is quickly and widely hailed as a game-changer...musically, the real standout feature on 'Now I'm Free' is Scorzari's voice. His gruff, halting style gives his singing the kind of authentic old-timer crackliness that some male C & W and Americana artists spend half their lifetime trying to acquire--and Scorzari has it in spades... given how heart-wrenchingly sincere, complex, painstakingly crafted an album like 'Now I'm Free' is, it's definitely worth a listen... 'Now I'm Free' is not to be taken lightly. Americana-uk.com
“This new album simply blows me away, I must say…. The lyrics are extremely important and the voice, that gritty kind of a voice… there’s not many people that have this voice and evoke this kind of emotion. The lyrics themselves, when you listen to the lyrics… yeah." Mostly Folk Podcast with Artie Martello - From the 8/25/2019 WIOX FM Radio Catskill's Cafe' Interview and Live Performance.
Now I’m Free should be nominated for awards this year with its depth of grace and innovative tones; Scorzari taps into a nexus between the familiar and the uncanny.” --Americana Highways by Melissa Clarke -- Song Premiere of the single, “It All Matters."
“Like singer-songwriters, Kris Kristofferson, Leonard Cohen, and Tom Waits, Bill’s raspy baritone snarls, hisses, and whispers through his heartfelt lyrics. Sometimes leaving the melody and just speaking the words, he comes off like a modern-day Rod McKuen, sweeping us up in his narratives and wringing out their plaintive content." --WTCA 106.1 FM & 1050 AM, South Bend Tribune, Kathy Bottorf.
Scorzari sings, but his version of singing is more of the spoken poetry…that Sam Baker has perfected over the course of four albums and innumerable gigs. ... You listen and think, Yes—I’ve felt that…” Fervor Coulee. “
"Fans of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and anyone who likes quality song writing will dig this” --Live Music News and Review, Phil Simon.
“…That voice will make you pay attention to lyrics… make you thankful that there’s someone out there to relate to.” Medium. “
“Like the songs on his last CD... the ones here are all original, deeply personal and affecting…With any luck, this guy is going places, and chances are, you’ll want to follow along for the ride.” --The Morton Report, Americana Highways, Jeff Burger.
Towards the end of the 2019 tour, the health of Bill's elderly mother took an unexpected downturn. After speaking with her on the phone while in California, he made arrangements for her immediate 24-hour care with the help of a friend in New York, cancelled his remaining scheduled performances, and began his drive back home.
As his mom's health continued to improve, Bill settled in at his home in New York and returned to writing while continuing to care for his mom. He started with the songs he had already begun creating while on the road. Ultimately, his plan was to write enough songs for a new album and eventually return to Nashville to record them. He spent the first few months of 2020 continuing to write music with that goal in mind.
When news of the Covid pandemic began to circulate in early 2020, Bill adjusted his focus, and added to his list of immediate goals, the new task of finishing the construction of his New York recording studio, which he had been working on from time to time in prior years. Bill completed the construction of what is now known as, “First Thunder Recording Studios" during the first few months of the pandemic lock-down, and then began to self-record his fourth album, The Crosswinds of Kansas, there in May of 2020.
On Christmas Day, 2020, Bill's mom passed away at her home at the age of 95, with her family at her bedside. It wasn't until July of 2021, that Bill completed recording the basic tracks for The Crosswinds of Kansas album, and in August and September of 2021, Bill once again drove to Nashville TN to finish the recordings there.
With Dylan Alldredge again assuming the recording duties at Skinny Elephant Recording, the performances of guest artists Fats Kaplin (John Prine), Matt Menefee (Mumford & Sons), Michael Rinne (Miranda Lambert), Danny Mitchell (Miranda Lambert), Will Kimbrough (Emmylou Harris), Kyle Tuttle (Molly Tuttle and The Golden Highway), Juan Solorzano, Neilson Hubbard and more, were added to the recordings that Bill had started in New York. The final Nashville recording session was completed in 2022 and included performances by Vocalists Marie Lewey and Cindy Richarson Walker (a/k/a “The Shoals Sisters”) and Ryman Staff Fiddle Player, Eamon McLoughlin. The Crosswinds of Kansas, album was coproduced by Scorzari and Hubbard (2020 - 2022), Recorded and Mixed by Scorzari and Alldredge in NY and Nashville, TN (2020 -2022), Mastered by Jim Demain at Yes Master Studio in Nashville, TN, (2022) and was released on Friday, August 19, 2022.
Through a series of events that began when Bill met a Navajo man while traveling through the Moab Desert in Salt Wash, Utah, during his “Now I'm Free” tour in 2019, two years later Bill was befriended by three Navajo men, Ty Allison, Caleb Bydone and Dave Bydone, who taught Bill to speak his lyrics for the final track on the album, in Navajo. Ty also built two Native American Flutes for Bill, which Bill played on the final track, and is heard chanting in Navajo at the end of the track as well. A Cherokee man, the late Mac Gomez, and Macario Lopez, built a third flute for Bill to play on another song on the album.
One of the latest reviews of the album was by Robert Christgau, in 2023, who said, “Bill Scorzari: The Crosswinds of Kansas (self-released) …is packaged as a 70-minute double-fold CD complete with a 16-page lyric booklet. So, I strongly suggest you follow along while you listen, which I even more strongly suggest. …Sadly, but also rather brilliantly, most [of the tracks] describe or ponder failed relationships… A MINUS” -And It Don’t Stop. Consumer Guide: July, 2023, by Robert Christgau / July 12, 2023.
Later that year, Tom Hull added the album to his November 1, 2023, "On The Web" list of The Best Non-Jazz Albums Of 2023, saying, "…(self-released '22) …Christgau suggests reading along with the lyric sheet, but he has one and would do that. … Seems like the surest way to a high grade around here is to remind me of John Prine, which happens when his usual Dylan gets off on a story." The following year, on February 5, 2024, Christgau returned to The Crosswinds of Kansas, album once again, nearly eighteen months after its release, and added it to his “The best 84 albums of 2023 (or so)” ranked list, at # 40 (And It Don't Stop Dean's List: 2023, by Robert Christgau / February 5, 2024). The Album also made its way up the Alt Country Chart.
Here are some of the many earlier reviews:
"Singer, songwriter, Americana hypnotist Bill Scorzari effortlessly captivates with his forthcoming 'The Crosswinds of Kansas'... If you're familiar with his work at all, this will come as no surprise." “ ...Scorzari’s vocals immediately grab hold of your attention with this or any of his previous work, bleeding with honesty and conviction... The mixed textures of Crosswinds spellbind ...will have you diving into the lyrics, the assemblies, and contributions of each of the thirteen tracks. ...in a testament to the collective artistry and vision of Scorzari and supporting fifteen musicians. ...Bill Scorzari is more than Americana or some offshoot of country. ...He is a songwriter, years from now the next mainstream rock success will reference as a turning point discovery in their life. To review Bill Scorzari seems counter-intuitive. Scorzari’s music reflects against your own experiences... It makes sense to the roads you’ve travelled and the emotions you’ve felt. It is precisely that connection that makes Bill Scorzari more than a singer-songwriter, he is a modern gem and deserves to [be] recognized as such. The Crosswinds of Kansas is no exception, it is yet another exhibit to reinforce the sentiment. ...” -NANOBOT ROCK / August 12, 2022
“The Crosswinds of Kansas… from New York–based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bill Scorzari… may be his best yet. That’s saying plenty given the excellence of such earlier efforts as 2017’s Through These Waves and 2019’s Now I’m Free. Scorzari’s raspy vocals... add weight to his wise, poetic lyrics and contrast beautifully with the album’s frequently sweet-sounding music… Songs like “All Behind Me Now” and “Inside My Heart” will have you hanging on every word and wondering why Scorzari isn’t famous yet.” -AMERICANA HIGHWAYS by Jeff Burger / August 12, 2022
“Bill Scorzari has done it again. This writer finds it remarkable that the New York-based singer-songwriter and former trial lawyer could produce works as strong as his 2017 Through These Waves and 2019 Now I’m Free but his Crosswinds of Kansas is every bit their equal and maybe just a tad better. We throw around terms like a “songwriter’s songwriter” and Scorzari fits that to a tee. ...a blend of prose and poetry put to music, a Walt Whitman of sorts for our times. …” -Glide Magazine BY JIM HYNES / August 18, 2022
"A writer’s record for sure, the most singular thing about it is Scorzari’s… voice, full of tenderness and clarity as well as character. …an artful study of a constant explorer, full of little anecdotes and not-quite-jokes… Best American road music since Harpoons-era Ezra Furman. …” Semipop Life, by Bradley Luen / August 20, 2023
"...The Crosswinds of Kansas? Another level. ...Each song envelops the listener, sharing its secrets and truths... Man, to have been gifted such concise wisdom... I’ve not discovered many albums the quality of The Crosswinds of Kansas this year. I think that speaks more about Bill Scorzari than it does to what I’ve been listening to. A masterful creation…” - Fervor Coulee by Donald Teplyske / August 4, 2022
“From New York Trial Attorney to full-time musician, Bill Scorzari makes the seemingly 180-degree transition to a new life look natural. The captivating folk n’ roots songwriter recently released his latest track, “The Broken Heart Side of the Road”, which is his second single from his forthcoming album, The Crosswinds of Kansas, set to drop later this month. …goosebump-inducing… the whole package resonates with deep down-home fervor.” - Music Mecca by Morgan Brady / August 2, 2022
"...Scorzari’s message is powerful and profound. The raspy, emotive voice and the chanting ruminations throughout are a joy… this listener cannot get enough of “All Behind Me Now”, “Try, Try Again” and the eleven-minute glorious, meditative opus “Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin'”. Oh, and “Patience and Time” might well be the most tender and loving song I’ve heard this year. ...The Crosswinds of Kansas is an indisputable triumph and presented in a lavish, detailed CD package, which was an utter joy to review." - Listening Through The Lens - by Rob Dickens / July 20, 2022
"...His voice is the essential heart of his music and of this album as it delivers his thoughtful, crafted lyrics in a way very few others could… It is the kind of music that envelopes you. ...something that tends to bring you closer to its heart with frequent listening." - Lonesome Highway - by Stephen Rapid / July 24, 2022
After releasing The Crosswinds of Kansas, Bill began recording his fifth release at his New York studio, First Thunder Recording, on July 2, 2022, and he continued recording there for the following nearly two years, through June of 2024. In August of 2024, he brought the 20 original songs that he had recorded at First Thunder, to Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville, where engineer Dylan Alldredge and a cast of 12 additional musicians completed the recordings with Bill and Neilson Hubbard co-producing. Later that year, Bill recorded a final track for the new release, back at First Thunder. Engineer Nic Coolidge mixed the 21 tracks at Dead Pop Studios in Providence, RI, in early 2025, and engineer Hallie Melton completed the mastering in April of 2025, in Nashville, TN. The 21 songs filled two albums. The first album, Sidereal Days (Day 1), includes 10 of those tracks and was released on October 17, 2025. Below are excerpts from some of the reviews.
Robert Christgau, a.k.a "The Dean of American Rock Critics," – who gave Bill Scorzari's 2022 album, The Crosswinds of Kansas, an “A Minus” rating, and later added it to his ranked list of “The best 84 albums of 2023 (or so)” at #40 – gives Bill's latest album, Sidereal Days (Day 1) an “A” rating in his “And It Don't Stop - Consumer Guide: October 2025."
In The Cry of the Coyote Chronicles: September 30, 2025, Sam Pierre writes: [Translated to English from the original French] “…Bill emphasizes the lyrics, which are perfectly conveyed by his distinctive, forward-mixed voice. …The musicians are all excellent. … the rich and inventive arrangements provide the perfect backdrop. …Grace reaches an almost religious dimension. …I don't like superlatives, but I can describe this album as a masterpiece (or a minor masterpiece, as they say across the Atlantic), as it is one of those albums where you are sure to discover new subtleties with each listen, and for a long time to come.”
In the September 17, 2025 issue, Listening Through The Lens - Top 6 Album Releases of September 2025, Rob Dickens says, “New York-based Bill Scorzari … has a hypnotic way with searing lyrics and gruffly emotive vocals. Lying here are human emotions writ large on a canvas, both dark and ponderous. (I liked his 2022 album Crosswinds of Kansas, too…)”
“This is the fifth and best album to date from New York–based Bill Scorzari, whose first four releases were all terrific. ...the set features 10 self-penned, lyrically rich songs. ...Scorzari plays piano and acoustic, baritone, tenor, and electric guitars, but his most arresting instrument is his voice. …Scorzari’s vocals convey authenticity and emotion. They also perfectly complement his gentle melodies and an instrumental mix that emphasizes cello and violin while also incorporating mandolin, pedal steel, dobro, and more. After hearing this album, lots of people will be cheering the news that it represents just the first half of a two-part series. Scorzari plans to release Sidereal Days (Day 2) in early 2026.” -Americana Highways: Music Review by Jeff Burger
"Voice of the Road: Bill Scorzari’s ‘Sidereal Days (Day 1)’ is Raw, Resilient Americana …Release: October 17, 2025 Genre: Folk, Americana, Singer-Songwriter. Bill Scorzari is not a musician you listen to casually; he is an experience you absorb. Known for a voice as rugged and textured as aged leather—a sound that has earned him comparisons to Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen—Scorzari has consistently carved out a space in modern Americana reserved for true journeymen. His latest offering, “Sidereal Days (Day 1),” is the first part of a double-album project and the fifth full-length chapter in his intensely narrative career, featuring ten tracks that collectively run over 53 minutes. … “Sidereal Days (Day 1)” is another essential entry in Bill Scorzari’s catalog. It’s uncompromisingly honest, impeccably structured, and beautifully flawed in all the right ways. …with profound emotional and lyrical depth. This album confirms Scorzari’s status as one of Americana’s most necessary and genuine voices. A superb example of narrative folk that is as much literature as it is music."-By Christian Lamitschka for Country Musinc News International Magazine November 1, 2025
“Three years ago, Bill Scorzari blew me away with The Crosswinds of Kansas... This time he's doing it again with his new album, Sidereal Days (Day 1) (self-released). …I'm normally not easily impressed by a typical singer-songwriter album. But phew! …The New York ex-lawyer with a raspy voice (think Sam Baker and Bill Morrissey) once again delivers beautiful lyrics about love and life. He sings and talks, and sometimes something in between. It's clever and intriguing. Gorgeous melodies that draw you into the songs. Guitars, piano, pedal steel, and strings create an enchanting atmosphere, with co-producer Neilson Hubbard cautiously adding some drums. Scorzari is also a more than decent guitarist… 5 stars, and there's a part 2 coming!" -AltCountryNL (Netherlands) by Hugo Vogel October 28, 2025 [Translated from the original Dutch]
“Ever since I reviewed the early single ‘All This Time’ from this album I had been (patiently?) waiting for my pre-ordered copy to arrive. It finally did show up last week and I have been happily listening to it since then. One of the best things about Sidereal Days (Day 1) is that it sounds awesome. …Making a record that has such great quality and depth of sound across all instruments and vocals takes a lot of patient planning, careful execution and talented production work – much appreciation to the group of people that brought this album together. There are ten tracks including three extended play selections …they incorporate diverse instrumentation, engaging composition and Scorzari’s simple yet so very real-to-life lyrics to create these interesting and evocative short stories. I have hit repeat on the CD player multiple times after each of these comes to an end just to go through that experience again. … get those good headphones on if you have them, sit back and just let this one come alive for you.…” Jack Mesenbourg October 23, 2025
"Those acquainted with Scorzari’s previous work will be familiar with his grizzled and raspy, gravel hewn voice, which is always placed above a well thought out and pleasing set of arrangements that are cinematic in outlook. Scorzari’s often poetic lyrics deal with acute observations from a personal perspective, that are in context both often painful but also true-to-life affirmations of the positive. ...For the uninitiated perhaps think of Sam Baker… or perhaps consider a touch of Leonard Cohen at times, a not so melodic voice placed against a detailed and revealing set of arrangements...…it is the overall combination of lyric, voice and musical accompaniment that creates his vision and attraction for the listener. Each of the songs has an individual story to impart,... It is another prodigious release that will find its fans - both old and new - and demonstrates that Scorzari is among a group of artists who have produced lasting work and will continue to do so while staying well away from the fickle mainstream spotlight...."
-Lonesome Highway by Stephen Rapid October 19, 2025
"…if you enjoy the sincerity, authenticity & growl of a good troubadour, Bill Scorzari is the chocolate piece among the peanuts. …a lived-in body, an experienced balladeer & unpolished vocal is indeed matte-shined by soul. Not soul as in R&B, but soul as in tenderness, with expressive lyrics, distilled from decades of broken-hearted melodies, loneliness in a last cigarette, gulp of late-night whisky & memories that don’t leave sadness but thrive in a gentle recollective smile... Bill offers melodies with poetic narratives. Some might not be easy to digest, but others will taste familiar because Bill says what many feel. His songs, like his CD art, sepia-toned, earth colors, pastel pristine & all deliciously delivered in a black-coffee voice. …The Bob Dylan-Leonard Cohen-Rod Stewart gruffness is well-oiled, & the material is well sculptured if not contemplative. Each song is short story quality. In many respects, more moving, & powerful than the most exceptional vocalist who often lacks soul in their interpretations. Bill obviously understands what he’s singing about & is not going through the motions of just providing a good rendition.... If a listener can get by some of the wordier lyrics & absorb the music & performance that is woven around the words, the appreciation will become evident. - Americana Highways by John Apice October 18, 2025
"…A musician with a poet’s heart—and ear—Scorzari has assembled a collection of what have been called “songs of love and regret.” Close listening is rewarded by the use of subtle internal rhyme, repetition, and imagery throughout the songs. ... Scorzari is less concerned with algorithms and radio constraints… Instead, he fleshes out the songs to accomplish his personal vision. The musical arrangements of the tracks measure up to the poetry of the lyrics. ...Scorzari’s raspy vocals juxtaposed against the musical accompaniment produce a unique experience that entices one to listen around the lyrics after letting the words sink in. In one of the more complex tracks 'Grace,' he speaks through much of the song. ...'Grace' leads into the closing track, 'Breathe,' which feels like an Irish blessing, providing a perfect close to the album, with the promise of its Day 2 counterpart to come."
-Music City Music Magazine by Nancy Posey October 17, 2025
"To a casual listener, and like Sam Baker and Townes Van Zandt, experiencing Bill Scorzari is a lot. His voice isn’t made for popularity charts, and his songs aren’t destined for ninety second FlikToks. But damn—for those who lean in—each of his word-heavy creations feels like it is created by a master. Because they are. Sidereal Days (Day 1) is New York-based Bill Scorzari’s fifth album and the fourth to make its way to me for consideration, and darned if it isn’t the best thing I’ve heard recently. And that is saying a lot considering the albums that I’ve encountered this autumn. ...The album contains a few songs of epic length and bearing with each pulling us closer toward Scorzari’s charismatic, engaging manner of relationship-based, philosophical poetry. ...These are intensely personal songs, whether written and performed from lived experience or vivid imagination and are not soon forgotten. Working again with co-producer Neilson Hubbard, Scorzari’s songs are again augmented by musicians and backing singers who absolutely ‘get him’ and his version of modern, roots music. ...The cover art and album packaging by Anna Berman is impressive. ...I can’t wait to hear what comes next from Bill Scorzari, one of America’s great contemporary singer-songwriters." Fervor Coulee- Roots Music Opinion Music Reviews and Thoughts @FervorCoulee by Donald Teplyske 2025 October 15
Robert Christgau has the Sidereal Days (Day 1) album at #43 in his May 07, 2026, "And It Don't Stop / Dean's List: 2025 - The 61 best albums of last year (or so) and Tom Hull placed the album at #11 on his November 17, 2025 list of the 85 “Best Non-Jazz Albums for 2025” The album also was included in the Alt. Country Specialty Chart. and moved up from #31 to #26 on 11/19/25 edition.
The remaining 11 of the 21 tracks make up the second album, Sidereal Days (Day 2), which will be released on September 25, 2026
Accompanying the release of the two new albums are official music videos filmed in Nashville and Kentucky, several in-studio performance videos and multiple “behind the scenes" documentary videos as well, filmed during the Nashville recording sessions. Watch for more from the Sidereal Days duology in 2026 and keep an ear out for Bill's seventh, presently untitled album, which he started recording in early 2026.
You can find more information about Bill Scorzari’s music on his website at www.billscorzari.com
And, the journey continues….
Contacts
Bill Scorzari is available for performances, interviews, studio sessions and other media opportunities.
Management and Bookings:
booking@billscorzari.com
Publicist:
DreamSpider Publicity
Erin Scholze
828-776-6248
erin@dreamspider.net
www.dreamspider.net
Radio Promoter:
Brad Paul // Brad Paul Media
bradpaul56@gmail.com
Web, Social Media and Music Links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
THREADS
BLUESKY
SPOTIFY
APPLEMUSIC
ITUNES
AMAZON MUSIC
YOUTUBE
SOUNDCLOUD
BANDSINTOWN
BANDCAMP