Hey!

There are a couple new things up on my website since last I posted anything here on Myspace, so if you're interested pop on over and check out some photos and videos from the Jessie Farrell/Aaron Pritchett/Toby Keith tour last month:

http://rylandhaggis.com

Leave a comment there and let me know what you think!

R.

There's a new blog post on my only slightly less new website:

You can subscribe using the RSS feed.

Let me know what you think of the site so far!

R.

Photo by Lisa Bettany


It's been just about a week and the dust has settled after an exciting weekend at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Winnipeg, MB.



The big stories have already been widely published and probably wouldn't benefit from me writing about them again, but the headlines are essentially as follows: Doc Walker cleaned up, winning every award category in which they were nominated, Johnny Reid won in Male Artist of the Year and Best Selling Album, and Jessie Farrell, whom I refer to affectionately as "boss", won 3 out of her 7 nominations - Best New Female, Rising Star Award, and Female Artist of the Year.



I was watching on a monitor at the side of the stage at MTS Centre with Kylee for the most of the awards ceremony, except for when Jesse Tucker and I performed with Jessie her nominated song "Best Of Me" with the stellar CCMA house band. I was thrilled at Jessie's wins, and even a bit surprised despite my high hopes. Jessie is relatively new to the country music scene and was up against some veterans with dozens of albums under their belts and awards already on their mantles. Awards or no awards, this year's CCMAs clearly indicated that Jessie has made her mark, she has been recognized and welcomed, and that it's now up to her and her team to continue building the momentum.



On the day before and the day of the broadcast we met at MTS to rehearse the tune with the band and so the stage crew and TV crew could rehearse all of their camera moves, lights, and transitions. Working in a venue that size, with the added complexity of a live national broadcast, means that a lot needs to happen in the three-and-a-half minute duration of a song.



Do you know what else happens? A whole lot of waiting around. Now, I accept the fact that my job is not really any different than when we perform the song at other shows. The differences are that I'm dressed a bit nicer, that I'm wearing a bunch of makeup, and that I'm trying harder to not screw anything up. In other words, not really difficult. We went through the song about five times on Sunday, worked out the kinks, and then again once on Monday afternoon at the dress-rehearsal for the broadcast. The rhythm of any soundcheck tends to be a lot of waiting for whoever is before you, waiting for the change-over after they have finished, setting up, waiting for everyone else to set up, making a bit of noise, waiting for other people to make noise, waiting while people fix things that are making noise that aren't supposed to make noise or while they fix things that are supposed to make noise that aren't making any noise at all. And I love every minute of it, in the grand scheme of things. Everybody is doing something and building up to a performance and contributing to a show where musicians get to make music and fans get to experience it, and that's a great thing. The theory that the cream rises to the top is given further corroboration by the fact that the people working on a show as big as the CCMAs are not only really great at their jobs, but really fantastic and helpful people to work with. This fact is enough motivation in and of itself to keep working hard and to get better so that the big shows are the only ones that I do.



To be completely honest, though, the "work" was not the only thing on the agenda for the CCMAs, because when you get a bunch of artists and industry types to together in a room and toss a couple cocktails into the mix, lo and behold, you got a party on your hands. That's actually a bit misleading, because these parties weren't accidents. Record labels and management companies hosted these parties at great expense, showcasing their artists, recognizing and praising their people for significant accomplishment, and generally trying to impress everyone. I was impressed with myself that I was able to keep going given the sleep deprivation and ruined vocal chords from trying to carry on conversations in noisy bars. It was unavoidable, however, because it seemed like somewhat of a luxury to have in my immediate vicinity at once a whole lot of people who I had met in different parts of the country over the last two years, plus a whole lot of interesting and talented people whom I had never met before.



And that is the best part about all the waiting around. Because you're not waiting by yourself, you're waiting around with Emerson Drive, George Canyon, Deric Ruttan and The Wilkinsons. You're talking shop with Dave Cohen and John Dymond and Matty McKay. There are worse things than being in the midst of talented people such as these, even if we glance at our watches and cell phones from time to time.



It's true that I was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, and that Tucker and J-Go were nominated for their instruments as well. It is also true that our egos shall, for now, remain at their current disproportionate, yet not ungainly, size until next year when the possibility of nomination presents itself again. The CCMAs are here in Vancouver next year. The West Coast contingent of country artists, Aaron Pritchett, The Higgins, and Jessie among others will play host to the whirlwind weekend, and that will certainly be something to look forward to.



One last thing: I am an idiot and didn't take any decent pictures last weekend at all. So there's that.



Also, next month we're doing six dates with Aaron Pritchett and Toby Keith, so I'll have something to say about that sometime soon.

Well, Jessie Farrell and her band sure have racked up a hefty set of nominations for the upcoming Canadian Country Music Awards.

Jessie has been nominated in 7 categories:

Single of the Year (Best of Me)

Album of the Year (Nothing Fancy)

Songwriter of the Year (Best of Me - Jessie Farrell/Jesse Tucker/Jared Kuemper)

CMT Video of the Year (Best of Me)

Female Artist of the Year

Top New Talent of the Year - Female

Top Selling Canadian Album (Nothing Fancy)

Not only that, her band has been recognized for their respective instruments and nominated accordingly: Jesse Godin (Drummer of the Year), Jesse Tucker (Guitar Player of the Year, in addition to his Songwriter of the Year nomination for co-writing "Best of Me"), and yours truly for Bass Player of the Year.

A very good showing, and one that hopefully will not simply be chalked up to beginner's luck, because lord knows not single one of us are beginners -- it just takes a while to get noticed!

As far as my nomination is concerned, it's in the hands of the voting CCMA members, but you can give Jessie a hand by voting for her for the Fans' Choice Award.

Ironically, in the same week that I find out I'm nominated for Bass Player of the Year, I'm off to Mission where I'll fumble my way through a set with Jessie not as a bass player, but as a barely adequate acoustic guitar player while Jessie Tucker is away at another gig. Then it's off to Victoria for BC's 150th birthday bash and Penticton Speedway the day after that.

If any of you are in those parts, I hope to see you.

R.

Tomorrow evening Jessie Farrell and the band will hop on an honest-to-God tour bus and drive through the Rockies to meet up with Brooks, Dunn, and Jackson -- who, according to what I just wrote, don't require first names.

The goal is to "support" them on their tour -- at least that's the term that's bandied about when talking about such things -- but, let's be honest: This is a terrific opportunity for Jessie to reach the audience that might have escaped the extensive radio play, music videos, and past tours with Emerson Drive, Shane Yellowbird, Aaron Pritchett, Johnny Reid, and a Jamaican holiday that happened to end up on CMT in the form of CMT On The Beach.

So, to summarize the things I'm excited about:

1. The bus.

The prospect of getting to travel in something larger than a Dodge Caravan (with Stow-n-Go seats, our saving grace) and not having to drive ourselves -- this is a major improvement. Stress levels will be lower, hours of sleep will be greater, guitar cases falling on top of people in the back seat will be neutralized -- all these things contribute to days and nights being way more rad.

2. Big shows

These will be our biggest shows to date in a number of ways: biggest audience, biggest venues, biggest stages, biggest sound systems, biggest number of people on our team (11 in our bus!). It won't be like this from now on, of course, but certainly good (and entirely necessary) experience for me as a musician and motivation to keep working towards playing with a certain calibre of artists in these types of contexts. Let's call it a carrot in front of a bass-playing donkey. Actually, in country music, a bass-playing donkey would probably have more gigs than me -- that's a really good shtick.

I could go on, but I really do have other stuff to do before tomorrow.

I'll make an effort to post from the road in one form or another.

Until then,

R.

So, it turns out that I've turned into one of those people who blogs for a little while, intending to keep it up only to let it slide until, lo and behold, it's been six months and nothing posted.

Let me see what I can do to rectify this a bit:

I've been touring with Jessie Farrell, so anyone that is the on top of it will have kept up to our band activities through her blog and website and Facebook. In short, great fall tours with Aaron Pritchett, lots of stops to radio stations in BC, Alberta and Ontario, hooked up again for two shows with Emerson Drive and the Wilkinsons (lovely meeting them), and most recently spent a week at Sandals in Jamaica for CMT's Fall Fling '07, along with Johnny Reid (accompanied by the inimitable Yvan Petit and fiddling phenom, Benny Rutz), and Paul Brandt (accompanied by his guitar and lovely wife).

Aside from the musicians, there was a great crew from Country 105, 95.3, CISN Country, and of course CMT.

There was a lot of partying and dancing and drinking out by the hot tub and in the hot tub and away from the hot tub. Ben Rutz had a birthday down there, so there was a little get together in Johnny Reid's room where the guitars came out and were passed around for a bit of a sing-song. Joel Stewart playing guitar and singing Springstein tunes with as much soul as any singer I've seen was a definite highlight, Johnny singing Radiohead's "Creep" which gave everyone goosebumps, yakking to Paul McGuire about Ridley Scott movies, yakking to Johnny about songwriting, and then everyone heading to the disco to get crunked...not too shabby.

We had a volleyball match with the contest winners, taped for CMT, where the Farrellizers dominated with a 2-1 result over Paul McGuire's team. My vertical jump had been previously compromised by the fact that I had and continued to stuff my face while at the resort. We still won.

Next up for Farrell and Co. is New Year's Eve in Saskatoon opening for Charlie Major. Looking forward to it.

More recently I had the pleasure of moonlighting in a trio with Paul Laine for a two-nighter playing covers at Ceili's here in Vancouver. We covered everything from the Killers to Bon Jovi and it was a blast. Paul can sing like a banshee and both nights rocked. And i don't feel the least bit sorry for the people there who wanted their birthdays announced and instead had really dirty songs made up about them on the spot, as only Mr. Laine can do. Hilarious.

I believe that the footage from Jamaica will be on CMT sometime in February. In the meantime, check out Jessie's website for links to Facebook, etc., to see photos and stuff. Or, head over to mostlylisa.com for her photo diary of Fall Fling '07.

Until next time,

R.

I probably should have written something about the Calgary Stampede, but i think the videos about it, Parts 1,2 and 3 sum it all up quite nicely.

What you didn't see was our two sets and Ranahan's, the "high-rollers'" lounge above and behind the Grandstand on the Stampede grounds. it was a little ironic to be playing background music through the speaker's in the ceiling for people just having some drinks and getting a dose of air-conditioning, considering Jessie had just hours before sung the national anthem for 30,000 people in the stands. Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that the project "has arrived" and that we should be getting any superstar treatment -- we have a long way to go and a lot to prove before that happens -- just drastic shift, the kind that can only really happen in the entertainment industry. We had some fun and messed around a bit with the songs because we figured no one was listening (except perhaps for my family members who were there, who were at least half-listening). It was acoustic. J-Go didn't play, so he shot some video of us, had a drink, smoked 34 cigarettes and solved another Rubik's Cube.

Nashville North, as anyone who was there will know, had over the week of the Stampede achieved the most sickly-sweet smell of stale beer, sour feet, vomit, and sweat, slow-baked in the huge tent at 55 degrees celsius. It was in effect, a drunk human greenhouse. We got used to it. It was part of the fun. The band Hey Romeo was a highlight.

It was nice to see some familiar faces from our previous shows in Alberta. Hopefully people that have seen the show a few times already enjoyed the addition of Chris on keyboards. Chris is an old friend of mine who lives in Sydney, BC. I played in a bunch of other bands with him when I lived in Victoria. He is the only guy I know who could have played all that music with one rehearsal and a quick cram session listening to mp3s on the plane. Incredible player. He's a busy man, but we expect to have him back for more shows in the future.

On Sunday we head to Tumbler Ridge for GrizFest. I have to say it's been a lot quieter this summer than I thought in terms of how many gigs we've played. The album release has been pushed back a bit to October, but starting in September things are going to really start to cook with a big show in Moncton with Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, rolling right into the CCMAs. I just found out yesterday that Jessie has been nominated for a Rising Star award, or something to that effect, and Female Artist of the Year. Do they know that her album isn't even out yet? I guess they know a good thing when they hear it, but what cool way to start a career, just months after the first little tour with Emerson Drive. The band is excited, too. Maybe we'll get a bus.

R.

Cool cool cool.

News in brief:

Jessie's first video, the one for her single "Let's Talk About Love" is finished and will be on CMT literally any moment now, so stay glued to the tube for that one. I'm serious, it could be on right now. The band is in the video -- whether that helps or hinders it is for you to decide. It was fun to be a part of it, and to Jessie's credit she really fought for us to all be in there. I think that a solo artist with a new video that features the band instead of only her (the singer) is a rarity, so thanks Jess for letting us come and wear makeup and goof around and eat catered food.

We played a show with Aaron Pritchett in Creston on May 19. That was a blast. A whole bunch of Aaron's family lives there, so they made a big home-cooked buffet-style meal for both bands and we all hung out before the show. That's a classy move. Everyone was so nice and the concert was really well-organized by some people who hadn't necessarily planned an event like that before. In fact, there are many "professional" promoters who would have been put to shame by how well this one was put together (although I haven't come across any of those tossers while in Jessie's band, thank you very much).

Me and Jesse and Jesse were going to sneak out in the middle of the night and jump in the outdoor pull like we did in Duncan, but there was no water in it. What little common sense we possess was enough to dissuade us of any head-wound inducing swan dives.

Last night we made a quick jaunt out to Langley to play the Cascade Casino opening for George Canyon. Great room, great crowd, everything was great. There was a healthy little entourage due to our close proximity to home and therefore friends. Dave, Adam and Rene came out for a little Pocket Vortex comp in the alley. Jessie's manager Jonathan Simkin was there with Jim Cressman, Jessie's kick-ass booking agent, and 604 Records co-owner Chad Kroeger came to see the show with his lovely fiancee and totally hung out in the casino afterwards, mostly talking shop with George. Totally awesome, interesting, entertaining people -- each and every one. One of the people I just mentioned had a lot more stories about Hollywood celebs than the others. Take a wild guess.

And I totally won $94.50 at the slots. Drinks were on me. Well, like four drinks because they are freakin' expensive at casinos.

That's it. That might even be the most Farrell news until Stampede. I'll just have to make something up. Something about a torrid love affair between two band members that goes awry and then there's a huge fight with spitting and hair-pulling. That's just a sneak-preview. Of what I will make up. Actually, that's probably good just on it's own right there. Use your imagination for the rest.

If anyone sees the video, please post sometihng here and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear back from anyone.

R.

(Please note that I started writing this on Thursday May 3. I only ever type with my toes so it takes a little longer than other people.)

Holy crap.

A lot has been going on with Jessie Farrell and her band, of which I have been a part.

I know that she's been doing a better job of keeping up with the news bulletins. As a matter of fact she just finished one on this very laptop sitting beside me on a couch backstage at the Great Northern Casino in Grande Prairie, AB. Johnny Reid and the boys are onstage now and gettin' a bit funky.

We've been touring as the opening act for Johnny Reid since April 12. It's sort of been a weird one in the sense that the dates haven't been solidly booked, so we've been doing three or four days here and there with maybe a day or two at home. In a way, it's easier just to be on the road for a straight stretch of time because you get into a rhythm and a routine. And when you're back home for such a short time, you don't necessarily have a chance to do anything productive except maybe a bit of laundry and catching up on some sleep. On the other hand, it's great to not be away from home for too long when there are people there that you would miss otherwise.

Johnny is a class act -- a superb fellow who is not only a phenomenal singer and performer, but also a guy who is so great to his fans, taking time to chat and sign stuff no matter how many people are hanging around after the show. Of course, his band is wicked too, and we've gotten to know them a bit better over the last couple weeks even though one band is usually on the way in when the other is on the way out. Another couple dates with JR and them we're back home, but it's been a gooder.

On Sunday April 29 we shot Jessie's first music video for the single "Let's Talk About Love", which incidentally is now #9 on the country radio charts, or thereabouts. It was directed by Ante Kovacs, a guy from Toronto who has directed a bunch of videos including some for artists like Sarah Harmer and the Tragically Hip. He is a really cool guy, and even after a ridiculously long day he never got cranky or fatigued and it was such a pleasure to have a character like him calling the shots. I've worked on film sets before as part of the crew, but being in front of the camera is a different story and an experience I had not had previously. It is so important to have someone at the helm whom you trust, especially for the star, in this case Jessie, who is putting so much faith in his ability to create and deliver something that will set the stage for this early part of her career.

Speaking of Jessie, she was amazing. I've been in her band for about a year and a half, and in that time I thought I might have seen the breadth and depth of her skills as a performer. No way. She was on fire for 16 hours straight -- she looked incredible and she slayed it, she hit her marks, she nailed her steps, and she really worked the camera like a pro. I was so impressed. It's going to be awesome, so look for it on CMT sometime in the next two weeks.

I have to say a big thanks as well to the crew who all made it look easy. We had lots of fun.

When the video comes out, you might see some faces in the band that you won't see at any live shows (on the stage, anyway). My girlfriend Lisa and our friend Andrew were enlisted to play the part of the fiddle player and keyboard player, respectively. I wish they could be in the band all the time, but we're still working up to bigger budget tours where we can have more musicians with talents as unique as Lisa and Andy's.

More next time about the rest of the Johnny Reid tour…I'm trying to catch up, I swear.