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Andrew Bird

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Singer, songwriter, violinist

Based in the Chicago area, singer, songwriter, and violinist Andrew Bird has attracted a following to his unique blend of swing, jazz, rock, and blues music. Bird performs as a soloist and with his group the Bowl of Fire, as well as with other musicians such as Kristin Hersh and Howe Gelb. Bird got his start with the zany swing band the Squirrel Nut Zippers in the 1990s, and then left that band to produce his own CDs. After releasing three albums and playing on the soundtrack of the 1999 film The Cradle Will Rock, Bird turned to recording more accessible, pop-sounding music with his 2001 release The Swimming Hour. Featuring rock drums and electric guitars, this album achieved critical acclaim and brought the composer to a new level of success. He followed this up with the more experimental Weather Systems in 2003.

Bird grew up in a musical household in the Chicago suburbs of Evanston and Lake Bluff. He grew up listening to classical music, which became his music of choice later in life, although he was also influenced by other styles. At the age of four he learned to play his first instrument, the violin. Although he was later to play many other instruments, the violin remained his primary instrument through high school and college, and in his career as a recording artist.

Bird first learned to play music using the Suzuki Method. Under this style of instruction, students learn to play music without learning to read music. It was only when he got to high school that Bird had to learn to play by reading music. He called this a traumatic, although invigorating, experience. In high school he developed a reputation among his teachers for being musically lazy. He worked hard to overcome this impression. "My teachers always said you have a nice tone and you're very musical, but you don't do the work," Bird explained to National Public Radio's John Schaefer. "I just wanted to get in here and play, I wasn't very patient."

Following high school, Bird attended the music school at Northwestern University in Chicago. There he received rigorous training and developed a strong foundation to his work that was to serve him well in his later career. But he also felt confined by the strict adherence to classical music that marked his training at Northwestern, and he began to seek out other styles of music, including jazz and music from around the world. Bird graduated from Northwestern in 1995.

After his graduation from college, Bird continued his musical explorations, picking up jobs playing in musical theater, in studio sessions, and at renaissance fairs. For a brief time he played with the rock band Charlie Nobody. This period of Bird's musical development culminated with his joining the avant-garde jazz and swing band the Squirrel Nut Zippers. After playing on the Squirrel Nut Zippers' second and third albums, and playing with them in concert, he self-produced and released his first solo CD, Music of Hair.

Bird then teamed up with a couple of his Charlie Nobody band mates, drummer Kevin O'Donnell and bass player Josh Hirsch, to create his own band called Bowl of Fire. The trio was soon joined by two other musicians, guitar player James Mathus and singer Katharine Whalen of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. After cutting some demo tracks, later released as the album Thrills, Bird and his band mates were signed by the Rykodisc record label.

While his new band still focused on the same pre-1940s jazz and swing inspirations of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Bird soon began to branch out in other directions. Much of this new music was inspired by pop music, and culminated in his 2001 album The Swimming Hour. He later explained that the reason he waited so long before turning to pop music for inspiration was because he had never listened to it before. He told Mark Guarino in the Arlington Heights, Illinois, Daily Herald, that until his stint with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, "I was as much in a vacuum as I could have been."

Bird left Rykodisc in 2001, after cutting The Swimming Hour, citing their diverging interests as the reason for the break. Rykodisc sought to appeal to a wide audience, while Bird was more interested in continuing his genre-defying musical explorations. He opted to move to another, smaller label, where this would be more possible.

In 2002 Bird moved from his apartment on the North Side of Chicago to a farm in rural Illinois, near the town of Elizabeth. There, not far from where his parents made their home, he set up his studio in a converted barn, spending the majority of his time letting inspiration come to him from his surroundings. He farmed crops such as soybeans and corn, and raised chickens and cows. His daily routine during this time consisted of getting up in the morning, gathering eggs for his breakfast, and then letting ideas for musical compositions slowly grow like the crops all around him, until they took strong enough hold in his mind for him to commit them to recordings.

It was at the barn that he conceived his 2003 album, Weather Systems. Although each piece on Weather Systems is a complete composition in itself, the nine songs on the album blend thematically to create a whole, in which Bird's violins, voice, and other instruments evoke the Midwestern farmlands surrounding his barn. This music follows no conventional musical form; the music is pure artistic creation. "I'm getting away from style now," he told Schaefer in 2003. Just as Bird's compositions defy convention, they also leave interpretation up to the individual listener. With surreal, poetic lyrics, Bird enjoys making his audiences think about what they are listening to, rather than giving them answers.

In addition to his familiar violins, Bird plays the glockenspiel on Weather Systems, and also sings and whistles. Adding a high tech element to his work, he plays an electronic violin that records melodies as he plays them. At key points he has the violin repeat what it has recorded. The effect is as if a small orchestra were playing the music, and not just Bird. He is able to create this effect even while playing the music in concert.

In addition to recording and performing his own music, Bird continues to collaborate in the work of other artists, including Kevin O'Donnell, Kristin Hersh and Howe Gelb, both in concert and in the studio.

Selected discography

Solo
Music of Hair, Andrew Bird, 1996.
Thrills, Rykodisc, 1998.
Oh! The Grandeur, Rykodisc, 1999.
(Contributor) The Cradle Will Rock (soundtrack), RCA, 1999.
The Swimming Hour, Rykodisc, 2001.
Fingerlings (live EP), Andrew Bird, 2002.
Weather Systems, Righteous Babe, 2003.

With Squirrel Nut Zippers
Hot, Mammoth, 1997.
Perennial Favorites, Mammoth, 1998.
Christmas Caravan, Mammoth, 1998.
Bedlam Ballroom, Hollywood, 2000.
Best of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hollywood, 2002.

Sources

Periodicals
Albuquerque Journal, October 26, 2001, p. 18.
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), April 13, 2001, p. 4; April 4, 2003, p. 5.

Online
"Andrew Bird," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (December 8, 2003).
"Andrew Bird," Centerstage Chicago, http://www.centerstage.net/music/whoswho/andrewbird.html (November 11, 2003).
"Andrew Bird," Ekonomisk Management, http://www.ekonomiskmgmt.com/pages/art_ab.html (December 8, 2003).
Additional information was obtained from an interview on National Public Radio's Soundcheck with John Schaefer, August 19, 2003.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Andrew Bird

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  • Genres: Rock

Biography

Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird updates the traditions of small-group swing, German lieder, and New Orleans jazz, mixing Gypsy, folk, and rock elements into his distinctive style. Bird's projects include his group the Bowl of Fire (which also includes drummer Kevin O'Donnell, bassist Josh Hirsch, and guitarist Colin Bunn) and performing as an auxiliary member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers; in turn, the Zippers' Katharine Whalen and James Mathus appeared on the Bowl of Fire albums Thrills and Oh! The Grandeur. Bird has also recorded with artists like Pinetop Seven and Lil' Ed Williams, teaches music at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and performed on the score and soundtrack from the 1999 Tim Robbins film The Cradle Will Rock. His third album, 2001's The Swimming Hour, surprisingly found the Bowl of Fire turning to pop music, and with excellent results. As bandmembers remained active in their various other projects, the group continued, and work on a follow-up began in 2002. To tide fans over, Bird self-released a limited-edition EP, Fingerlings, which documented live performances of some old and new songs by the band and solo. Early 2003 brought the release of another LP, Weather Systems, on the independent Grimsey label. Bird debuted on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe imprint in 2005 with Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. He switched to Fat Possum for 2007's Armchair Apocrypha and 2009's Noble Beast, both of which were ambitious and eclectic albums even by Bird's standards. The latter of the two was also available in a deluxe version that included a bonus CD of instrumental works. The second disc, dubbed Useless Creatures, was released independently from its predecessor in October of 2010. The following year, Bird composed the score for Jonathan Segal's independent coming-of-age film Norman. The film's score was released in October on the Mom + Pop label. Bird's highly anticipated sixth studio album, Break It Yourself, arrived in March of 2012. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Andrew Bird

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This article is about the musician. For the New Zealand rowing cox, see Andrew Bird (rowing). For the film editor, see Andrew Bird (editor).
Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird with violin, 2009
Background information
Born (1973-07-11) July 11, 1973 (age 38)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, baroque pop
Occupations Musician, songwriter
Instruments Voice, whistling, violin, guitar, glockenspiel
Years active 1996–present
Labels Rykodisc, Righteous Babe, Fat Possum, RCRD LBL, Bella Union, Earwig Music, Waterbug, Carrot Top, Delmark, Mom+Pop
Associated acts Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six, Dosh
Website andrewbird.net

Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

Contents

History

Early life and the Bowl of Fire (1973–2002)

Trained in the Suzuki method from the age of four,[1] Bird graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1991 and Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance in 1996. That same year he self-released his first solo album, Music of Hair. Vastly different from his later work, this album showcased his violin skills and paid tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues. Following this, his initial commercial exposure came through collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers, appearing on three of their albums (Hot, Sold Out, and Perennial Favorites) between 1996 and 1998.

Taking on the role of bandleader, Bird released Thrills on Rykodisc in 1997 with his group Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, shortly followed by second album 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, as well as providing vocals along with his trademark verbose lyrics. The Bowl of Fire featured musicians from Bird's home town of Chicago, including Kevin O'Donnell, Joshua Hirsch, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins, Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn, and Ryan Hembrey. During this period, Andrew Bird was a member of the jazz group Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six, for which he was the lead singer and violinist and contributed to arrangements and songwriting for the albums Heretic Blues (Delmark 1999) and Control Freak (Delmark 2000) (both Delmark albums were produced by Raymond Salvatore Harmon).

In 2001, the Bowl of Fire released their third album, The Swimming Hour, a dramatic departure from their previous recordings. It featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs such as "11:11". Due to this eclectic nature, Bird has often referred to it as his "jukebox album". Although gaining critical praise (The Swimming Hour received a 9.0 from indie music website Pitchfork[2]), the band failed to attain commercial success or recognition, playing to audiences as small as 40 people.[3] In 2002, Bird was asked to open for a band in his hometown of Chicago, but fellow Bowl of Fire members were unavailable for the date. The reluctant Bird performed the gig alone, and the surprising success of this solo show suggested potential new directions for his music.[3]

Early solo career (2003–2005)

Andrew Bird in concert 2005

The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded in 2003, and Bird went on to radically re-invent himself as a solo artist. His two subsequent albums were released on Ani Difranco's Righteous Babe Records label. 2003's Weather Systems (originally released on Grimsey Records) was a sparse record with a dramatic change in musical direction. It featured the tracks "Skin" and "I", proto-versions of songs that would later become "Skin Is, My" (The Mysterious Production of Eggs) and "Imitosis" (Armchair Apocrypha).

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) continued a progression towards an eclectic indie–folk sound, and both records formed a stark stylistic break with Bird's earlier work, swapping the lush backing of a full band for carefully layered samples of sound constructed using multitrack recorders and loop pedals. As his sound changed, Bird made increasing use of guitar, glockenspiel, and whistling in his songwriting, in addition to his traditional violin and vocals.

Bird is noted for improvising and reworking his songs during live performance, as can be seen in his series of self-released live compilations entitled Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, and Fingerlings 3, the first of which was released in 2002. Each Fingerlings EP was released prior to a studio album, and presented a mixture of live performances from different shows, including old tracks, covers, and previously unreleased songs, some of which have since appeared on studio albums. Fingerlings 3, released in October 2006, also featured studio outtakes. Fingerlings 2 provided Bird with an unexpected boost in recognition in 2004 when it was named album of the month by Mojo.[1]

In 2005, co-collaborator Martin Dosh joined Bird's line-up, adding percussion and keyboards to his sound.[1] Jeremy Ylvisaker was later added to the group on bass and backup vocals.

Signed to Fat Possum Records (2006–2011)

Bird performing at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

In September 2006, Bird signed to Fat Possum Records, and in March 2007 he released his third post-Bowl of Fire album, Armchair Apocrypha.[4] The album was recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Martin Dosh, and includes a track composed by Dosh (with lyrics by Bird) entitled "Simple X". This song first appeared without Bird's lyrics as "Simple Exercises" on Dosh's 2004 release Pure Trash. The album was produced by Ben Durrant (who had worked on Dosh's The Lost Take), and also featured Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey.[5] In advance of the March release date, Armchair Apocrypha was leaked to the Internet in January 2007. The album went on to sell over 100,000 copies.[1]

As publicity for Armchair Apocrypha, Bird made his network television debut on April 10, 2007, performing "Plasticities" (from the new album) on the Late Show with David Letterman. He also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on June 14, 2007, performing "Imitosis" from the same album. In April 2007, he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon. These appearances were accompanied by an extensive tour, which ended with sell-out performances at the Beacon Theater, New York and the Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles.[1]

In January 2007, Andrew Bird made an appearance on the Noggin television network's Jack's Big Music Show, playing the part of Dr. Stringz and appearing in order to mend a character's broken dulcimer. Bird sang a brief song called "Dr. Stringz", written specially for the show. He now often plays it live as an introduction to the song "Fake Palindromes".[6][7]

On May 20, 2007, National Public Radio aired a live concert by Bird from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club[8] He also worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for his 2007 spring tour.[9]

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.[10]

Since March 2008, Bird has contributed to "Measure for Measure,"[11] a New York Times blog in which musicians write about their songwriting process. In it, he has charted the development of the song "Oh No," previewing samples at various stages of development through to the finished album recording. He also discussed the conception of the song "Natural Disaster," the recording of instrumental piece "Hot Math," and previewed "Master Sigh." The first two songs were later released on Bird's 2009 album "Noble Beast," whilst the latter two appeared on its bonus disc "Useless Creatures."[12]

In December 2008, Bird appeared in the second series of Nigel Godrich's From the Basement alongside Radiohead and Fleet Foxes. His performance included a preview of new song "Section 8 City," a ten minute re-imagining of "Sectionate City," which originally appeared on the "Soldier On EP."[13]

Bird's fifth solo album, "Noble Beast," was released on January 20, 2009, and contained fourteen new songs, with bonus tracks available for download from iTunes and eMusic. "The Privateers" is a re-imagining of a very early song entitled "The Confession" from 1999's "Oh! The Grandeur."[1] A limited deluxe edition of the album included alternate packaging and artwork, as well as an all-instrumental companion disc entitled "Useless Creatures." The entirety of "Useless Creatures" was made available via Bird's website during the run-up to the release. "Noble Beast" has been met with generally favourable reviews, receiving a score of 79 out of 100 from review collation site Metacritic.[14]

In 2009, Bird contributed a cover of the song "The Giant of Illinois" to the HIV and AIDS benefit album "Dark Was the Night" produced by the Red Hot Organization. On May 11, 2009, Bird released the EP "Fitz and the Dizzy Spells." It contains "Fitz and the Dizzyspells" from "Noble Beast," as well as other songs from that album's recording sessions. Some of the songs on the EP were previously available for download from iTunes and eMusic as bonus tracks to "Noble Beast."

In 2010, Bird recorded with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, contributing vocals and violin on a cover of "Shake It and Break It" on "Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program."

Andrew Bird currently uses custom-made Schroeder amplifiers.[15]

Break It Yourself (2011–present)

In late 2011 Bird signed to the record label Mom+Pop. Andrew Bird's first release for the label was the soundtrack to the film Norman, which included his original score as well as songs by other artists.[16] Bird sequenced the soundtrack to flow as a stand-alone album rather than a compilation of music from the film.[16] Its music supervisor, Peymon Maskan, told HitQuarters: "The best compliment I've heard is that without having seen the film, you can imagine it by listening to the soundtrack. The sequence is a big part of that effect."[16]

On December 6 Bird announced a new album Break it Yourself, the follow up to 2009's Noble Beast.[17]

Influences

Growing up, Bird was surrounded by classical music. As a child, he was interested in Irish tunes and bluegrass. He also cites English and Scottish folk music as an early influence.[18] His early jazz influences were Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, and Fats Waller.[19][20] He has also had a number of classical influences such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Bela Bartok.[21] Other influences included jazz, swing, calypso, and folk. Bird has stated that, at 22, he found a lot of indie rock and pop music repetitive and boring, but now understands it better.[22]

Discography

Bowl of Fire albums

Solo albums

Companion album

Live albums

  • Fingerlings (2002, Grimsey Records)
  • Fingerlings 2 (2004, Grimsey)
  • Fingerlings 3 (2006, Grimsey)
  • Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007: Andrew Bird (2007, Austin City Limits Music Festival)
  • Live In Montreal (2008, Bella Union)
  • Fingerlings 4 (2010, Wegawam Music Co.)

EPs and singles

Other album appearances

See also: Squirrel Nut Zippers' discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Andrew Bird. "Andrew Bird – Biography". http://www.andrewbird.net/bio/index.php. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
  2. ^ Joe Tangari (December 31, 1999). "Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire: The Swimming Hour". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/712-the-swimming-hour/. Retrieved 2009-01-13. 
  3. ^ a b Jonathan Mahler (January 2, 2009). "Andrew Bird Discovers his Inner Operatic Folkie". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04bird-t.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-01-13. 
  4. ^ Kati Llewellyn (September 11, 2006). "Andrew Bird Signs to Fat Possum, Titles Record". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/38474/Andrew_Bird_Signs_to_Fat_Possum_Titles_Record. Retrieved 2006-09-11. 
  5. ^ Bird Feeling 'Big And Spacious' On New Album
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ NPR Music: Andrew Bird in Concert
  9. ^ R E V E R B |
  10. ^ The Daily Swarm – Andrew Bird in Marriott Residence Inn spots
  11. ^ "Posts published by Andrew Bird". The New York Times. http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/author/abird/. 
  12. ^ "Natural History". The New York Times. April 8, 2008. http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/natural-history/. 
  13. ^ http://blogs.myspace.com/andrewbird
  14. ^ "Andrew Bird: Noble Beast (2009):Reviews". MetaCritic.com. February 11, 2009. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/birdandrew/noblebeast. Retrieved 2009-02-11. 
  15. ^ http://www.schroederaudioinc.com/media/
  16. ^ a b c "Q&A on the music supervision for award-winning film ‘Norman’ with Peymon Maskan". HitQuarters. 10 January 2012. http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_PMQA.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012. 
  17. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/44818-andrew-bird-announces-new-album/
  18. ^ BBC News – Andrew Bird in Scotland interview
  19. ^ concertlivewire.com – Andrew Bird lets his thought's soar
  20. ^ [3]
  21. ^ [4]
  22. ^ Jessica Curry (February 18, 2009). "Ornithology: An Interview with Andrew Bird". Chicago Life. http://www.chicagolife.net/content/interview/Ornithology_An_Interview_with_Andrew_Bird. 
  23. ^ http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/loney-dear/dear-john/24628/

External links

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Andrew Bird
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Nora O'Connor (Rock Artist, '90s, 2000s)
Oh! The Grandeur (1999 Album by Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire)
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The Swimming Hour (2001 Album by Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire)
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