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Back in 2006, I was asked to contribute some string arrangements for a record Bonnie “Prince” Billy was putting together in Iceland called The Letting Go. It was the first writing work I did that was recorded beautifully and listened to seriously, and marked the beginning of a very rewarding collaboration with Will that has continued on and off over the years. Some of my favorite arrangements can be heard in “Cursed Sleep”, “Love Comes To Me” and “The Seedling” - but the whole record is gorgeous and haunting.
Now twenty years later, on March 6 you can hear Bonnie Prince Billy’s latest LP, We Are Together Again, and I’m psyched to share I’ve written a handful of string parts for this one too. It’s a beautiful collection of songs and features a number of wonderful musicians. Grateful to have been a part of it.
Strings arranged by Ryder McNair
Sound design by Ryder McNair
ABOUT
Ryder McNair is a versatile and collaborative film composer and musician. He has scored numerous feature and short films that have screened at international film festivals including South By Southwest, Tribeca, Slamdance, Seattle, Santa Barbara and Mill Valley. In the past few years he has written music for Gladiator 2, HBO’s period drama The Gilded Age, The Meg 2, Retribution, Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, the upcoming Andy Kaufman documentary Andy Kaufman Is Me, Disney Nature’s Polar Bear and more. Most recently, he co-scored the Bob Odenkirk action comedy Normal.
Ryder grew up in Toronto, Canada. A multi-instrumentalist, studying piano since he was five and learning guitar when he was a teenager, Ryder received his BA in film scoring from Berklee College of Music and a Music Masters at USC Thornton’s Screen Scoring Program in 2018. Shortly after graduating he was hired by Harry Gregson-Williams to take over for his long-time assistant at Wavecrest Studios. Ryder’s first work there was overseeing technical operations while scoring Mulan, and following that he transitioned into composing full-time and running the studio.
Ryder lives in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker/director Heather Jack, their daughters Winnie and Maisie, and two gray cats.
Contact me! ryder.mcnair@gmail.com