In a city that’s seen everything, Ken Hyland has found a way to stand out in Los Angeles.  It’s not so much when Hyland takes the stage with his acoustic guitar when they begin to turn their heads, but rather when they cast their eyes on his backing band – a vintage 1982 Conion C-100F Boom Box – a relic from his days as a hip-hop obsessed dj.

While Hyland’s east coast musical roots include hip-hop, the roots of his family tree are firmly intrenched in Irish soil and include country music superstar Eddie Rabbitt.  Best known for 1980′s “Drivin’ my Life Away,” and 1981′s “I Love a Rainy Night,” Rabbitt is a cousin of Hyland’s.

Hyland’s first studio release, Self Portrait, debuted at #12 on the FMQB singles charts and remained in the top 25 albums, and many best-of-2008 lists for legions of internet fans worldwide.  Built on a solid foundation of folk/rock and sprinkled with a dash of hip-hop backbeat and indie rock attitude, Self Portrait is a great listen for those looking for something a bit different then the current paint-by-number Top 40 offers.

A prolific songwriter, Self Portrait was a mere drop in the bucket from the always-busy Hyland, who moved to the west coast from his South Jersey home at the advice of Grammy-winning mix engineer Ted Greenberg (G-love and Special Sauce, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, The Devil Came on Horseback) – Greenberg mixed and mastered Hyland’s studio recordings of “Ava the Sheep,” “Time for My Medicine,” “I Will Die a Poor Man,” “Confession,” and “Arrowhead.”

Hyland has since completed two more solo albums (currently unreleased), remixed and released three albums from his back catalogue, an all-cover songs album, four singles, and scored the music for the independent short film “A Moment in Purgatory.”

Hyland is currently filming a series of youtube video performances and plans to perform locally in his newly-adopted hometown of Los Angeles.

Biography by Terry Mullins, Thrill Magazine