Andrew Bird
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| Andrew Bird | |
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 Andrew Bird performing in 2007 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 11, 1973 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genre(s) | Indie, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, guitar, glockenspiel, whistling |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Label(s) | Rykodisc, Righteous Babe, Fat Possum |
| Associated acts | Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, Squirrel Nut Zippers |
| Website | andrewbird.net |
Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Chicago[1] and currently splits his time between Chicago and a farm near the town of Elizabeth in northwest Illinois. His musical proficiency includes violin, whistling, guitar, mandolin, and glockenspiel.
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[edit] History
Trained in the Suzuki method from a young age, Bird first attended Illinois Wesleyan University[citation needed] but graduated from Illinois' Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance in 1996. That same year, he released his first solo album, Music of Hair. Vastly different from his later releases, this first album showcased his violin skills and paid tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues.
His initial commercial exposure was in collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers. Taking on the role of band leader in 1997, he released Thrills with his band Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire. This was followed by Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument.
In 2001, Bird released The Swimming Hour, his third release with the Bowl of Fire and a dramatic departure from previous recordings. The Swimming Hour featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs. He has often referred to this CD as his "jukebox album".
The Bowl of Fire, which unofficially disbanded in 2003, featured many skilled Chicago musicians, including Kevin O'Donnell, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins (a.k.a. Mr. Rudy Day), Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn and Ryan Hembrey.
Bird released two subsequent solo albums distributed through Righteous Babe Records, the label operated by Ani DiFranco. The two albums, 2003's Weather Systems (originally released on Grimsey records) and 2005's The Mysterious Production of Eggs, continue a progression towards an eclectic indie and folk sound. In addition to the guitar, Bird's songs often feature violin, glockenspiel, and his very proficient whistling.
In his live shows, he has been joined by co-collaborator Martin Dosh on drums and keyboard and Jeremy Ylvisaker on bass and backup vocals.
His live performances are highlighted in a series of self-released live compilations, Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, and Fingerlings 3. Each Fingerlings EP was released prior to a studio release and presents live versions of old tracks, cover songs, songs penned by Bird that do not appear on studio albums, and live versions of future tracks. Fingerlings 3, released in October 2006, also features studio outtakes.
In September 2006, Bird was signed to Fat Possum Records. His latest full-length solo album, Armchair Apocrypha, was released in March 2007.[2] The album was recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Martin Dosh. It includes a track by Martin Dosh called "Simple X," with lyrics by Bird. The song first appeared without lyrics as "Simple Exercises" on Dosh's 2004 release, Pure Trash. The album was produced by Ben Durrant, who also worked with Martin Dosh on 2006's The Lost Take. Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey also appear on the album.[3] Armchair Apocrypha leaked to the internet in mid-January 2007.
In January 2007, Andrew Bird made an appearance on the Noggin television network's Jack's Big Music Show. He played character "Dr. Stringz" and sang a brief song written specifically for the episode and not found on any albums, though he often plays it live as an introduction to his song "Fake Palindromes."
On April 10, 2007, Bird made his network television debut, performing "Plasticities" from Armchair Apocrypha on the Late Show with David Letterman. He also made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on June 14, 2007, performing "Imitosis" from the same album.
On May 20, 2007, National Public Radio aired a live concert by Bird from the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.[4]
He worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for his 2007 spring tour.[5]
Five of his songs — "Banking on a Myth" from The Mysterious Production of Eggs, a medley of "I" from Weather Systems and "Imitosis" from Armchair Apocrypha, and "Skin" and "Weather Systems" from Weather Systems — have been licensed for use by Marriott Residence Inn.[6]
[edit] Instrumentation
- In his recent tours, Bird has begun using a vintage Gibson ES-175 guitar; this has replaced his vintage Silvertone guitar.
- During his tour with Ani DiFranco, he used a custom-built horn speaker created by SPECIMEN.[7] In 2007, he began using a custom-built spinning Janus Horn Speaker also created by SPECIMEN.
- Performing live, Bird makes use of two Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler Stompboxes, and uses them to develop the repeating phrases in his music. He also uses a Boss OC3 Super Octave Shifter to give his violin a much deeper sound. His violin distortion comes from a custom-made envelope filter, one of only four ever made.[citation needed]
[edit] Influences
Growing up, Bird was surrounded by classical music. As a child, he was interested in Irish tunes and bluegrass. Some early key musical influences also include Johnny Hodges and Lester Young.[8]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Music of Hair (1996)
- Thrills (1998)
- Oh! The Grandeur (1999)
- The Swimming Hour (2001)
- Fingerlings (2002, Grimsey Records) – live album
- Weather Systems (2003)
- Fingerlings 2 (2004, Grimsey) – live album
- The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
- Fingerlings 3 (2006, Grimsey) – live album
- Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum, 2007)
[edit] EPs and singles
- The Ballad of the Red Shoes (2002)
- Sovay (2005, Fargo Records) – single
- Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival (2006, Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival) – Live EP
- Soldier On (2007) - European tour EP
[edit] Other album appearances
See also: Squirrel Nut Zippers' discography.
- Kiltartan Road – Joy to the Morning (1995)
- Kat Eggleston – Outside Eden (1996, Waterbug Records)
- Lil Ed and Dave Weld with The Imperial Flames – Keep On Walkin' (1996, Earwig Records)
- Andrew Calhoun – Phoenix Envy (1996, Earwig)
- Charlie Nobody – Soup (1996)
- Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hot (1997, Mammoth Records)
- Squirrel Nut Zippers – Perennial Favorites (1998, Mammoth)
- Rose Polenzani – Dragersville (1998, The Orchard)
- Pinetop Seven – Rigging the Toplights (1998)
- Extra Virgin – Twelve Stories High (1999)
- Kevin O'Donnell – Heretic Blues (1999, Delmark Records)
- Andrew Calhoun – Where Blue Meets Blue (1999, Waterbug)
- Sally Timms – Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos (1999, Bloodshot Records)
- Squirrel Nut Zippers – Bedlam Ballroom (2000, Hollywood Records)
- The Blacks – Just Like Home (2000, Bloodshot)
- The Handsome Family – In the Air (2000, Carrot Top Records)
- Devil in a Woodpile – Division Street (2000, Bloodshot)
- Kevin O'Donnell – Control Freak (2000 · Delmark Records)
- Neko Case – Canadian Amp (2001)
- The Verve Pipe – Underneath (2001, RCA Records)
- Jenny Toomey – Antidote (2001, Misra Records)
- Kelly Hogan – Because It Feel Good (2001, Bloodshot)
- Sinister Luck Ensemble – Anniversary (2002, Perishable Records)
- Abandon Jalopy – Mercy (2002)
- Kristin Hersh – The Grotto (2003)
- The Autumn Defense – Circles (2003, Arena Rock Recording Co.)
- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – Sings Greatest Palace Music (2004, Drag City Records)
- Rufus Wainwright – Live at Neum (2004)
- Bobby Bare, Jr. – From the End of Your Leash (2004, Bloodshot)
- Nora O'Connor – Til the Dawn (2004, Bloodshot)
- Ani DiFranco – Knuckle Down (2005, Righteous Babe Records)
- My Morning Jacket – Z (2005, ATO Records)
- Bobby Bare – The Moon Was Blue (2005, Dualtone Music Group)
- Emily Loizeau – London Town (in French and English) (2006)
- Dosh – The Lost Take (2006, anticon.)
- Candi Staton – His Hands (2006, Astralwerks)
- Magnolia Electric Co. – The Black Ram (2007, Secretly Canadian)
- KFOG Live From the Archives Volume 14 – (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.andrewbird.net/pdf/RBR032_Andrew_Bird_Press_Kit.pdf Andrew Bird Press Kit, Righteous Babe Records]
- ^ Kati Llewellyn. "Andrew Bird Signs to Fat Possum, Titles Record", Pitchfork Media, September 11, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
- ^ Bird Feeling 'Big And Spacious' On New Album
- ^ NPR Music: Andrew Bird in Concert
- ^ | R E V E R B |
- ^ The Daily Swarm - Andrew Bird in Marriott Residence Inn spots
- ^ SPECIMEN Horn Speaker - Custom Speaker Enclosure
- ^ concertlivewire.com -Andrew Bird lets his thought's soar
[edit] External links
- Andrew Bird official website
- The Official Unofficial Andrew Bird Fansite
- Righteous Babe Records
- A great acoustic session for Vox podcast
- A forum dedicated to Andrew Bird, en français and in english
- A fanlisting for Andrew Bird
- Live at SXSW 2007 on 89.3 The Current
- Andrew Bird collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- Tom Lynch, "Bizarre Pop Scientist: Charting Andrew Bird's unconventional path toward rock stardom," Newcity cover story, March 15, 2007
[edit] Listening
- The Mysterious Production of Eggs Streaming Audio at Righteous Babe
- Andrew Bird on National Public Radio Talk of the Nation program, November 17, 2005
- Andrew Bird on Studio 360 program, March 23, 2007
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