bad Haggis

Bad Haggis delivers some truly incredible sonorities, fusing the most cutting-edge of Celtic with World Beat, Funk, Jazz, Rock and instrumental soundscapes, often-transcending stylistic boundaries.  The band’s unique sound stems from its unusual mixture of instrumentation: Irish uilleann pipes, highland bagpipes, whistles, acoustic & electric guitar, bass, drums & percussion.  Always taking a different path than one might expect, Bad Haggis has created its own vocabulary and new hybrid of sound. 

Formed in 1998 in Los Angeles, the initial vision of Bad Haggis comes from Eric Rigler, undoubtedly the most recorded piper of all time.  His credits encompass hundreds of CD’s, television and film scores, from featured soloist on the soundtracks of the Oscar-Winning films BRAVEHEART, TITANIC and MILLION DOLLAR BABY, television's LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, OUTLANDER, THE SIMPSONS and SOUTH PARK, to recordings for JOSH GROBAN, PHIL COLLINS, ROD STEWART, WHITNEY HOUSTON and MARIAH CAREY. 

The wildly imaginative guitar playing of Mike Hoffmann expands Bad Haggis’ signature melody sound, a hearing-is-believing sonic experience the band jokingly refer to as the bagtar (lead bagpipes/lead guitar).  Mike’s credits include recordings and tours with Jazz Legends JOHN HANDY (Charlie Mingus), TONY WILLIAMS (Miles Davis), and ED MANN (Frank Zappa). 

In addition to the two lead instruments, much of the hybrid sound Bad Haggis has created exudes from the multi-genre styling of bassist and vocalist Mick Linden.  Mick’s playing in the Celtic supergroup, SKYEDANCE (with Eric Rigler and Alasdair Fraser), has earned him the highest critical respect, much the same as it has in the African tradition with such luminaries as Cameroon artist, PRINCE EYANGO. 

On the underside of things, the World Beat-Jazz-Funk-Rock vibe of drummer/vocalist Bryon Holley has shaped the rhythmic pulse of the band since the earliest recordings.  An extremely talented all-round musician, Bryon's playing and singing is constantly in demand around the stages and studios of Los Angeles, performing with such legendary bass players as ARMAND SABAL-LECCO (Peter Gabriel) and LEE SKLAR (Phil Collins).

Stunning playing...visionary recordings...energized live performances.  For 25 years, Bad Haggis continues to carve a new groove in its sonic voyage.