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Andrew Bird

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Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Illinois and resides in the Chicago area. Bird's musical expertise encompasses proficiency in violin, whistling, voice and guitar, amongst others.

Contents

[edit] History

Trained in the Suzuki method from a young age, Bird graduated from Illinois' Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance, Bird released his first solo album, Music of Hair, in 1996. Vastly different from his later releases, this first album showcases his violin skills and pays 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. He quickly was associated with the swing revival that swept the US music industry in the mid '90s, an affiliation that he is still working to shed.

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".

Image:Andrew Bird live 20051028.jpg

The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded in 2003, but featured many skilled Chicago musicians including Kevin O'Donnell, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins (aka Mr. Rudy Day ), Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn and Ryan Hembrey.

Bird has released two subsequent solo albums distributed through the label operated by Ani DiFranco, Righteous Babe Records. The two CDs, 2003's Weather Systems (originally released on Grimsey records) and 2005's The Mysterious Production of Eggs continue a progression towards an eclectic indie/folk sound that is challenging to classify. In addition to the guitar, which he has been playing since 2004, Bird's songs often feature violin, glockenspiel, and his own whistling as a flute-like sound.

He was often pegged by critics as a musical chameleon early in his career, displaying his varied musical influences without, perhaps, adding anything new. His years of solo song-craft have now enabled him to produce a sound that is uniquely his own.

The artist's live solo shows have been notable in that he uses a multi-track system to sample and loop his own performance. For example, he may record a snippet of his performance on violin, then play a "loop" of that sound. This provides a more full-bodied sound and aurally suggests a band performance, rather than the sound of a solo artist.

His live performances are highlighted in a series of self-released live compilations, Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, and Fingerlings 3. Each Fingerlings album 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. The most recent Fingerlings album, released in October of 2006, also features studio outtakes.

In September 2006, Bird was signed to Fat Possum Records. His next full-length solo album, Armchair Apocrypha, will be released in spring 2007.<ref name="Pitchfork">Kati Llewellyn. "Andrew Bird Signs to Fat Possum, Titles Record", Pitchfork Media, September 11, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.</ref> The album was recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Martin Dosh. It will include a track by Martin Dosh called "Simple Exercises," with lyrics by Bird. Dosh's song appeared without lyrics on his 2004 release, Pure Trash.

[edit] Instrumentation

  • Bird uses a vintage Silvertone guitar in his live performances
  • During his tour with Ani DiFranco, he used a custom-built horn speaker created by SPECIMEN. [1]
  • He uses a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler as a phrase sampler

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] EPs and Singles

[edit] Other album appearances

see also albums by Squirrel Nut Zippers.

[edit] References

<references />

[edit] External links

[edit] Listening

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