Andrew Bird Biography
11 July 1973, Chicago, Illinois, USA. A classically trained violinist, Bird studied music at Illinois' Northwestern University, graduating in 1995. His early work was as a session musician for various acts in and around Chicago and he formed funk rock band Charlie Nobody, which was made up of Bird and fellow Northwestern University graduates. He was soon approached by Chicago swing revivalists Squirrel Nut Zippers for collaboration, and subsequently appeared on two of their albums as a violinist. Bird released his first solo effort, Music Of Hair in 1996. The album was very much centred around Bird's violin, incorporating a virtuosic classical playing style tinged with gypsy folk characteristics and accompanied by guitar. In 1998 after signing to Rykodisc Records, he released Thrills with his newly formed band, Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire. This was followed by Oh! The Grandeur. In a similar vein to Music Of Hair, both these albums featured heavy use of the violin and drew on folk, blues and jazz. 2001's The Swimming Hour, referred to by Bird as his "Jukebox Album," showed a departure of sorts, moving further into the realms of folk rock whilst maintaining the band's characteristically wide stylistic range. Bird returned to recording as a solo artist in 2003, releasing Weather Systems, which introduced a more accessible guitar-based sound than the majority of his previous work, although at the price of reducing its overall diversity. The Mysterious Production Of Eggs was released in early 2005 and was hailed by critics as his breakthrough recording. Dark lyrics coupled with uplifting music created an overall feeling of a powerful and accomplished record. Particularly successful tracks included "Fake Palindromes" and the beautifully melancholic "Sovay". Bird has also released two limited edition live mini-albums, Fingerlings and Fingerlings 2. Showcasing his talent as a live performer, these two recordings documented seven years of shows. In his live work, Bird makes extensive use of samplers, recording and looping intertwining violin parts, building songs up into multilayered live masterpieces.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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