Andrew Bird

Borrow or Rob

Ashburn

A virtuosic violinist, singer, songwriter, composer, actor, and expert whistler, Andrew Bird's career has undergone a variety of stylistic shifts since his early days playing jazz and swing music. While folk and roots music have always played a part in his music, he's also conversant in contemporary pop and indie rock, and has consistently shown a willingness to experiment, even within his more traditionally oriented projects. Bird's third solo album, 2005's Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs, signaled his transformation from a jazz and folk advocate into savvy pop sophisticate and instrumental looping pioneer. Bird broke into film scoring with 2010's Norman, and made his Top Ten debut with his sixth solo effort, 2012's Break It Yourself. 2017's Echolocations: River was the second in a series of instrumental works inspired by -- and recorded in -- the natural world. His aptly named 12th studio LP, 2019's My Finest Work Yet, was nominated for a Grammy Award, and 2024 saw him release two albums: Sunday Morning Put-On, an intimate collection of classic jazz tunes cut live in the studio, and Cunningham Bird, a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:3h9TfIgwhovQELlP2jj4xL">Madison Cunningham</a> paying homage to <a href="spotify:artist:3Dzj993UEz8Z5ovxuirzFO">Lindsay Buckingham</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7crPfGd2k81ekOoSqQKWWz">Stevie Nicks</a>.

A native of Chicago suburb Lake Forest, Illinois, Bird began playing violin at the age of four, eventually earning a violin performance degree from Northwestern University. His hunger to incorporate numerous traditions into his own work manifested itself on his 1996 solo debut, Music of Hair, a largely instrumental set of fiddle work that ranged from Celtic and gypsy styles to swing. His first commercial success arrived that same year via a collaboration with swing revivalists <a href="spotify:artist:0LIll5i3kwo5A3IDpipgkS">Squirrel Nut Zippers</a>, who scored a surprise hit with their album Hot. Eventually forming his own retro-minded band, Bowl of Fire, Bird spent the remainder of the '90s fusing elements of New Orleans jazz, folk, gypsy, swing, and blues on records like Thrills and Oh! The Grandeur. By the time Bowl of Fire released their third and final album, 2001's eclectic The Swimming Hour, Bird's music had already begun to shift in a more pop-oriented direction.

A subsequent move out of the city to a rural Illinois farm prompted a sea change in the singer/songwriter's approach. Acting as a sort of bridge between the Bowl of Fire era and his tentative new solo career, the self-released 2002 EP Fingerlings combined a handful of stark new solo tracks with a scattering of live band cuts. The proper solo LP that followed, 2003's Weather Systems, signaled a new phase for Bird, introducing a more experimental and layered folk-pop style that he explored more fully on his ambitious 2005 breakthrough, Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. With this release, Bird established what would become a signature sound based around elaborately multi-tracked violins and instrumental looping while also introducing fans to his remarkable prowess as a whistler. His 2007 follow-up, Armchair Apocrypha, continued to expand on this eclectic mix, framing his cryptic and highly literate lyrics with increasingly experimental indie rock propelled by a new collaborator, drummer/keyboardist Martin Dosh. The album was his first to reach the Billboard 200, peaking at number 76. 2009's Noble Beast also featured Dosh and, like many of Bird's previous releases, the wealth of extra material from the album sessions yielded a companion release in 2010's instrumental Useless Creatures.

The following year, Bird composed the score for Jonathan Segal's independent coming-of-age film Norman. The film's soundtrack was his first offering for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mom+%2B+Pop%22">Mom + Pop</a> label, which released his sixth studio album, Break It Yourself, in March 2012. Break It Yourself became Bird's highest-charting album to date, debuting at number ten on Billboard's Top 200. A companion EP, Hands of Glory, arrived later that year, followed in 2013 by the seven-song conceptual suite I Want to See Pulaski at Night. 

Newly relocated to Los Angeles and employing the backing band of <a href="spotify:artist:2jL1PBvL0gBZBPk6B38p3z">Tift Merritt</a> (guitar/vocals), <a href="spotify:artist:0D2V0AdCoK1eKTiJR15nzj">Alan Hampton</a> (bass/vocals), Eric Heywood (pedal steel), and Justin Glasco (drums), Bird recorded his seventh album, 2014's Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of..., a collection of cover songs of fellow Chicagoans <a href="spotify:artist:72PnPUc1qv9UjRPaGVZ1jq">the Handsome Family</a>. Bird has had a long association with the husband-and-wife folk duo, first covering their song "Don't Be Scared" in 2003 on his Weather Systems LP, a tune that he again tackled on this tribute album. 2015 brought the first volume, Canyon, of a new environmentally oriented instrumental series called Echolocations, in which the violinist was recorded performing deep inside Utah's Coyote Gulch canyons. His next studio LP, 2016's Are You Serious, featured collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:3g2kUQ6tHLLbmkV7T4GPtL">Fiona Apple</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4LhV33vJvXmFGSM3m5RzUR">Blake Mills</a> and saw Bird writing in a more personal style. It was followed in 2017 by the second Echolocations release, River, recorded under a viaduct on the Los Angeles River. 

Inspired partly by the day's sociopolitical climate, his next collection of songs, 2019's My Finest Work Yet, was his second for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Loma+Vista%22">Loma Vista</a> and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. 2020 saw Bird make his acting debut on the fourth season of the acclaimed anthology television series Fargo, as well as release his first full-length holiday LP, Hark! Bird and former <a href="spotify:artist:0LIll5i3kwo5A3IDpipgkS">Squirrel Nut Zippers</a> instrumentalist <a href="spotify:artist:4KGeE0Un8kmgFiF2cxZ0xR">Jimbo Mathus</a> joined forces to record 2021's These 13, a rootsy and primarily acoustic set with the two artists writing all the songs and playing all the instruments. That same year, Bird sat in on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:2wwMTLM2da1sa2JcJslf8W">Heartless Bastards</a> (A Beautiful Life), <a href="spotify:artist:1lxXzKilF9VKIaLGnJpnna">Karen Marguth</a> (Until), and <a href="spotify:artist:4LhV33vJvXmFGSM3m5RzUR">Blake Mills</a> & <a href="spotify:artist:5vjTuHApbJQOo9L3Ro2KM8">Pino Palladino</a> (Notes with Attachments), and scored the award-winning documentary feature Storm Lake, about a small town newspaper struggling to stay in business. He scored a somewhat bigger project in 2022, the Judd Apatow comedy The Bubble, while also releasing a new studio album that same year, Inside Problems. Recorded live in the studio, it was an LP informed by Bird's lyrical take on the kind of ideas that trouble folks as they struggle to get to sleep. Bird continued to sit in with other artists, performing on <a href="spotify:artist:1ph6inW1HWQbwPSzoD1y0e">Gabriel Kahane</a>'s 2022 LP Magnificent Bird (Bird was also one of the engineers on the sessions), and <a href="spotify:artist:2PfBzriIMRsCXPDtSy9vg8">Rufus Wainwright</a>'s 2023's covers set Folkocracy. Bird put his own stamp on a set of a set of jazz and pop standards on 2024's Sunday Morning Put-On. Recorded live at Valentine Recording Studios, a vintage analog recording facility in California's San Fernando Valley, the sessions included bassist <a href="spotify:artist:0D2V0AdCoK1eKTiJR15nzj">Alan Hampton</a> and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5Stfdr5cRd6Gg9OMYmLR9Y">Ted Poor</a>, performing acoustically to enhance the intimate feel of the music and the interplay between the musicians. 2024 also found Bird collaborating with vocalist and songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:3h9TfIgwhovQELlP2jj4xL">Madison Cunningham</a> on Cunningham Bird, a project where they covered all ten songs from the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks, which <a href="spotify:artist:3Dzj993UEz8Z5ovxuirzFO">Lindsay Buckingham</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7crPfGd2k81ekOoSqQKWWz">Stevie Nicks</a> recorded as a duo two years before they joined <a href="spotify:artist:08GQAI4eElDnROBrJRGE0X">Fleetwood Mac</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:3h9TfIgwhovQELlP2jj4xL">Cunningham</a> and Bird's interpretations stayed true to the original melodies but transformed the arrangements with a small studio rhythm section sweetening Bird's string parts.~ Timothy Monger & Mark Deming

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Andrew Bird - The Complete Discography

MFPY

Bloodless playlist, curated by Andrew Bird.

Bloodless

Outside Problems Tour Playlist

Andrew Bird's Greatest Hits

Writing a good protest song is not an easy task, but with assaults on human dignity more and more brazen in this country and abroad we need them more than ever.

How to Write a Protest Song

Music from Andrew Bird's holiday album, + a handful of Andrew's favorite holiday picks.

HARK!

Andrew's Top Picks For Jazz Appreciation Month 2024

Speaking of Jazz

Live

Celebrating 20 years of Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.
Pre-order the deluxe boxset: https://andrewbird.merchtable.com/

Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs 20th Anniversary

The upcoming album from Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham, out 10.18.24: https://i.andrewbird.net/CunninghamBird

Cunningham Bird

Andrew Bird Trio's Sunday Morning Put-On, out now everywhere: https://i.andrewbird.net/SMPO

Sunday Morning Put-On

ANDREW BIRD'S OUTSIDE PROBLEMS

Make A Picture

Stream & buy the new album, out now: https://found.ee/AB_InsideProblems

ANDREW BIRD'S INSIDE PROBLEMS

Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird - "These 13"

Andrew Bird - Hark!

Andrew Bird Barefoot Sessions

1ON1 Series

Andrew Bird - Sisyphus

Andrew Bird #coverseries

Music Videos

Andrew Bird's Live From The Great Room is an intimate live series of performances & conversations held in Andrew's home.

Stay tuned to this space as he invites musicians of all backgrounds into the Great Room!

Listen & buy the album, My Finest Work Yet: https://found.ee/AB_MFWY

Follow Andrew Bird on socials:
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http://www.andrewbird.net

#stayhome listen to Andrew Bird #withme

Andrews Bird's Live From The Great Room

Andrew Bird Presents: Live From The Great Room
Featuring: Jim James, Chris Thile, John C Reilly, Tom Brosseau, Blake Mills, Reggie Watts and more

Live From The Great Room (Select Recordings)

Andrew Bird has a new album and it's called 'Are You Serious,' out now. 

iTunes: http://found.ee/AreYouSerious_iTDLX
Vinyl/CD/Merch: http://found.ee/AreYouSerious_Store
Amazon: http://found.ee/AreYouSerious_Ama
GooglePlay: http://found.ee/AreYouSerious_GDLX

New Album 'Are You Serious' | Out Now

My Top Videos

My Vlog

Three White Horses, filmed + recorded at The Barn. #andrewbird

“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” - Andrew Bird Jazz Trio (Live from The Green Mill)
From the album "Sunday Morning Put-On" - Listen at https://i.andrewbird.net/SMPO

Originally by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart

Watch the full show on Substack
https://andrewbirdmusic.substack.com/p/the-andrew-bird-jazz-trio-live-at

------
May 29th, 2024

Credits:
Band: Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton, & Ted Poor
Recorded + Engineered by Tito Hagler
Audio Mixing: Alan Hampton
Production Manager: Jon Blazek
Lighting: Luke Zimmer
Tour Manager: Katy Baker
Directed by Alec Basse - https://alecbasse.com/
Camera Operators - Max Moore, Chris Owsiany, Ted Holmwood, Jackson James, Kai Reinhard
Edit - Emily Tolan
Color - Tom Conway
Management: Andrea Troolin & Victoria Roe
Special Thanks to Dave Jemilo / The Green Mill staff and Jam Productions
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Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs with Orchestra on tour:
https://www.andrewbird.net/home#tour


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#andrewbird #singersongwriter #violin #whistler #songwriter

“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” - Andrew Bird Jazz Trio (Live from The Green Mill)

The Mysterious Production of Eggs Orchestral Tour resumes next week. #tour #livemusic

“Need Someone” live from Deadline Sound + Screen. #andrewbird #thepitt #orchestra

"Need Someone" by Andrew Bird, as heard on the MAX Original Series The Pitt: https://fm.andrewbird.net/needsomeone

Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs 20th anniversary edition: https://wegawam.lnk.to/borroworrob

Subscribe to YouTube:  @andrewbirdmusic  

Follow Andrew Bird
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewbirdmusic 
Website: https://www.andrewbird.net
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/andrewbirdmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4uSftVc3FPWe6RJuMZNEe9?si=22cEcjbgQiKRxUT6gDtraA

#andrewbird #newmusic #singersongwriter #violin #whistler #songwriter #recordcollector #themysteriousproductionofeggs #eggs #therewillbesnacks

Andrew Bird

Cunningham Bird

Sunday Morning Put-On

Outside Problems

Inside Problems

These 13

HARK!

My Finest Work Yet

Echolocations: River

Are We Not Burning: The Devolution Of Capsized

Are You Serious (Deluxe Edition)

Borrow or Rob

Need Someone

Sometimes You Need (with Andrew Bird)

Time Spent in Los Angeles (for Altadena)

Don't Let Me Down Again

Without A Leg To Stand On

Crying In The Night

I Cover the Waterfront

I Fall in Love Too Easily

Harvest (feat. Andrew Bird & Chris Stills)

The Muppets (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)

Los Muppets (Banda Sonora Original)

Muppets: The Green Album

This Is Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird Radio

Fresh Folk

Best of The Muppets