Ryder was invited by Erin Benjamin (then the president of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals) to perform in Winnipeg at a regional music conference. There her manager, Bonnici, met the CBC radio host Avril Benoit during one of Ryder's showcases. They later arranged an interview for Ryder on CBC's "Here and Now", which caught the attention of the musician Hawksley Workman and Sandy Pandya, who was then his manager. After initial meetings with Workman and Pandya, Ryder was invited to record on Workman's Isadora label. Shortly thereafter, Ryder and Bonnici amicably parted ways, and Ryder began working with Pandya in 2004.