Hi, I'm Ryland Haggis. I'm a musician from Vancouver, British Columbia.
I began my music career at age 10, playing drums in my father's band. I continued through high school playing drums, percussion, string bass, and electric bass in every band that the school had to offer. Outside of school I kept busy with blues, rock, and funk groups. It was standard practice for me duck in through the back door of the bars in order to play gigs while I was still underage, and by the time I was of age the guys working the door all knew me anyway.
After high school I worked to expand my musical palette. I got into jazz and performed onstage and in-studio with singers, songwriters, and artists performing diverse genres from bluegrass to hip-hop and most points in between. I've had the pleasure of performing with artists like Hugh Fraser, Bill Runge, Stephen Franke, Jon & Roy, Kia Kadiri, Noah Becker, Rebecca Everett, and many others.
In 2004 I received a B.A. in Music from the University of British Columbia where I focused on Jazz, Latin American music, Film Music, and arranging/orchestration. During that time I also played bass in the UBC Jazz Orchestra 'A' Band under director Fred Stride.
After university I toured Canada with various groups until 2006 when I joined the band for a new Canadian country artist, Jessie Farrell, as she prepared to release her first album, Nothing Fancy (2007). Since then, I have continued to tour back and forth across Canada in Jessie's band, and to perform with her on numerous national radio and TV broadcasts. I recorded bass for the single "Heart Of Gold" from her album Good, Bad, And Pretty Things (2009), and all of the bass and some background vocals on her latest album, Love Letter (2011) . As a member of Jessie's band, I have shared the stage with country music legends like Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, and Brooks & Dunn, as well as superstars like Miranda Lambert and Sugarland.
I've been nominated for Canadian Country Music Association Bass Player Of The Year for 2008, 2009, and 2010, and as well as for the British Columbia Country Music Association Bass Player Of The Year in 2009 and 2010. I have recorded and performed with some great country artists like AJ Woodworth, Melissa Rae Barrie, The Higgins, Robyn & Ryleigh, Kylee Epp, Aaron Pritchett, and Jason Blaine.
I endorse Lakland Basses and Mono cases. Both of these companies are just awesome and the best at what they do.
In addition to playing the bass I write and produce music for Vancouver-based creative agency and production studio, Giant Ant Media. More about my commercial music work can be found here.
I've been a musical director/arranger in a number of live and studio projects and I'm always up for working with talented artists and producers. Contact me if you have a project you would like me to be involved in.
I'll be touring and playing gigs all over the place, so check the blog and the list of upcoming shows for updates.