Eric Rigler, and his band Bad Haggis, performs at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the Main Stage on West Indiana Avenue, De Land, FL.
- Bagpiper ready for DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts
Staff report
Last update: November 18, 2005
DELAND – Webster’s dictionary defines haggis as a Scottish food dish made of the heart, lungs and other parts of a sheep or calf, which are mixed with suet, oatmeal and seasonings, then boiled in the animal’s stomach.
For Los Angeles native and musician Eric Rigler, Bad Haggis is the tongue-in-cheek name he gave his band – since that band features him on bagpipes amid a lineup of guitars, bass, drums and percussion – a musical potpourri the quintet uses to conjure rock and pop with healthy doses of world music vibes ranging from Celtic and African to Latin and reggae.
Bad Haggis is one of more than 20 bands that will perform Saturday and Sunday as part of the 13th Annual DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts. The festival, which will be held downtown and along Woodland Boulevard from Wisconsin to Howry avenues, also will feature more than 200 artists from across the nation offering their art for sale. The event also will include a children’s hands-on art program, food vendors, and tours of the historic Volusia County Courthouse as part of its grand reopening.
Though music fans may not have tasted Bad Haggis, movie fans likely have heard Rigler’s work. Rigler, who plays both the Scottish highland bagpipes and the Irish uilleann bagpipes, has performed on more than 50 film soundtracks, including
“Braveheart,” “Titanic,” “Million Dollar Baby” (in which he also appeared) and “Cinderella Man” (for which he composed and performed original closing credits music). He also played at the burial of President Ronald Reagan.
Bad Haggis’ new CD, “Wine Dark Sea,” includes “The Rocky Road to Dublin,” a traditional pipe tune of the same name combined with Rigler’s “Cinderella Man.” The song “Sleepy Maggie” combines three traditional tunes with the song “Hot! Hot! Hot!” by the '80s rock band The Cure. Three tracks feature vocals in Portuguese and/or Spanish: “Ventania” (Gale Wind), “Beijo” (Kiss) and “Barcos” (Ships). Bad Haggis performs at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the Main Stage on West Indiana Avenue.
Music artists performing Saturday on the Main Stage or the Acoustic Stage include: the Stetson Big Band Jazz Ensemble, Magda Hiller, the Cook Trio, the Mark Hodgson Blues Band, the Daniel Joiner Trio, folk duo Tammerlin, Laura Chandler and U.S. 1. Sunday’s lineup includes AcoustiCon, Bad Haggis, Seven Nations, Ragtime Rascals, The What Thing, Valla Turner Williamson and folk guitarist Sam Pacetti, and Aydin de Istanbul and Ritmo Gitano.
Music artists performing at various times “on the street” include Paul Zimmer, harpist Lisa Lynn and flutist George Tortorelli, Russell Dunnellon, Julian Lambertson, and Kevin Stever and Jeff Pattishall.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts.
WHEN: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Woodland Boulevard and downtown DeLand.
ADMISSION: Free.
INFORMATION: (386) 738-0649. -[u]article[/u]