Billy Wylder is a band fronted by Avi Salloway (Bombino/Hey Mama) and a cast of singular artists who have performed across five continents including concerts at Coachella, Newport Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Montreal Jazz Fest, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center.
Their music weaves together American folk and rock with sensibilities from the Sahara Desert, exploring a new musical space akin to Devendra Banhart, Beck, and Tinariwen. Billy Wylder’s new recordings evoke musical evolutions built on grooves informed by ancient African rhythms and art-rock textures with expansive guitars, violins, synths, and drum machines. Salloway’s lyrics flow with inspiration from mythical songwriting hero Leonard Cohen, while threading together more abstract imagery reminiscent of Thom Yorke.
The band has toured extensively, performing and collaborating with renowned artists including Jack Johnson, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bombino, The Low Anthem, and Pete Seeger.