Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, along with several live albums and EPs, including different types of music such as swing, indie rock, and folk. He is best known for his special way of playing the violin, using loop and effect pedals, whistling, and singing. In the 1990s, he sang and played violin in several jazz groups, including Squirrel Nut Zippers and Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six. He later formed his own swing group, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Weather Systems (2003) was his first solo album after Bowl of Fire ended, and it showed a shift from jazz to indie music. Bird's 2019 album My Finest Work Yet was nominated for "Best Folk Album" at the 2020 Grammy Awards. In addition to his own music, he has worked with other artists, including The Handsome Family, Dosh, Fiona Apple, Madison Cunningham, and Nora O'Connor.

Besides his music career, Bird has also worked in film. He appeared as "Dr. Stringz" in a 2007 episode of Jack's Big Music Show. In 2010, he performed his music during a TED Talk. He wrote and performed "The Whistling Caruso" for the 2011 movie The Muppets and created the music for the television series Baskets, which aired in 2016. In 2019, Andrew Bird was cast in the fourth season of Fargo, playing the character Thurman Smutny.

Biography

Andrew Bird was raised in the Catholic Church and attended the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest, Illinois. He also went to Sunday school until he was no longer allowed to attend because he made jokes about God. He later said he was misunderstood and did not mean to cause trouble; he only liked to daydream. Today, he no longer practices Catholicism.

He began learning music through the Suzuki method at age four. He graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1991 and from Northwestern University in 1996, where he earned a degree in violin performance. That same year, he released his first solo album, Music of Hair. This album showed his violin skills and reflected his interest in American and European folk music, jazz, and blues. His first major recognition came through work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers, where he appeared on three of their albums between 1996 and 1998.

As a bandleader, Bird released Thrills in 1998 with his group Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire. A second album, Oh! The Grandeur, followed in 1999. Both albums were influenced by traditional folk music, pre-war jazz, and swing. Bird used the violin as his main instrument and also sang, writing detailed lyrics. The Bowl of Fire included musicians from his hometown of Chicago, such as Kevin O'Donnell, Joshua Hirsch, and others. During this time, Bird was also part of Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six, where he sang, played the violin, and helped write songs for two albums.

In 2001, the Bowl of Fire released their third album, The Swimming Hour. This album mixed many different musical styles, including zydeco and rock. Bird called it his "jukebox album" because it included so many varied sounds. Though critics praised the album, it did not become popular, and the band played to small audiences. In 2002, Bird performed a solo show in Chicago after his band members could not attend an event. This performance surprised people and hinted at new directions for his music.

The Bowl of Fire unofficially ended in 2003, and Bird began making music as a solo artist. His next two albums were released on Ani Difranco's Righteous Babe Records label. Weather Systems (2003) had a simpler sound and included early versions of songs that later appeared on other albums. In 2004, Bird performed songs from Weather Systems on a radio show and demonstrated how he used looping technology to create full sounds while performing alone.

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) continued Bird's move toward an eclectic indie-folk style. These albums marked a big change from his earlier work, as he used multitrack recorders and loop pedals to create layered sounds instead of relying on a full band. He began using guitar, glockenspiel, and whistling more often in his music.

Bird is known for changing his songs during live performances. He released several live recordings called Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, Fingerlings 3, and Fingerlings 4. These collections included live versions of old songs, covers, and new tracks. Fingerlings 2 gained attention in 2004 when it was named album of the month by Mojo.

In 2005, Martin Dosh joined Bird's group, adding percussion and keyboards. Later, Jeremy Ylvisaker joined as a bassist and backup vocalist.

In 2006, Bird signed with Fat Possum Records. He released Armchair Apocrypha in 2007, which he made with Martin Dosh. The album included a song written by Dosh and lyrics by Bird. It sold over 100,000 copies. To promote the album, Bird performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He also toured, ending with sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles.

In 2007, Bird appeared on the Jack's Big Music Show on the Noggin network, playing the character Dr. Stringz. He sang a song called "Dr. Stringz" for the show, which he now performs live.

In 2007, Bird performed a live concert in Washington, D.C., which was broadcast by National Public Radio. He also worked with Reverb, an environmental organization, during his 2007 spring tour.

Five of Bird's songs have been used by Marriott Residence Inn in their advertising.

Since 2008, Bird has written about his songwriting process for the New York Times blog Measure for Measure. He shared details about songs like "Oh No" and "Natural Disaster" from his 2009 album Noble Beast.

In 2008, Bird appeared on Nigel Godrich's From the Basement alongside Radiohead and Fleet Foxes. He previewed a new song called "Section 8 City."

Bird's fifth solo album, Noble Beast, was released in 2009. It included 14 new songs and bonus tracks available for download. A limited edition of the album also included additional content.

Influences

As a child, Bird was exposed to classical music. He enjoyed Irish tunes and bluegrass music. He also mentions English and Scottish folk music as early influences. His early jazz influences included musicians like Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, and Fats Waller. He was also influenced by classical composers such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Béla Bartók. Other influences included jazz, swing, calypso, and folk music. Bird said that at age 22, he found indie rock and pop music repetitive and boring, but now understands it better.

Andrew Bird has a close connection with The Handsome Family, an Americana band from Illinois. Songs by The Handsome Family appear on several of his albums, including "When The Helicopter Comes" from Hands of Glory, "Tin Foiled" from Fingerlings 3, and "Don't Be Scared" from Weather Systems. His album Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of… is a ten-song cover album with a strong country style.

The album’s liner notes include a message from Rennie Sparks, the band’s lyricist and singer: "Hearing Andrew’s version of our songs feels like discovering a new and bright doorway in a room I have lived in my whole life. It is like finding a path in the forest that leads upward to the sky. His way of performing our songs helps me understand my own songs better."

Instruments and gear

Andrew Bird’s main instrument is a violin that he received when he was 16 years old. His first serious violin was custom-built by a Polish craftsman in Chicago. To earn the right to play it, Bird had to perform to show he was skilled enough. In 2017, after releasing the album Are You Serious, he asked Peter Seman to create a 5-string violin. This special instrument includes a lower C string, which allows it to play notes similar to a viola, a scroll that curves backward, and no sharp corners.

For looping, Bird uses two Line 6 DL4 delay pedals. One pedal is used for rhythmic plucking, and the other is used for creating ambient sounds from bowed strings. The DL4 pedal can not only loop sounds but also change the speed of loops, which alters the pitch of a recording by one octave. This feature appears in many of Bird’s songs and live performances. He also uses an octave pedal to make the violin sound like a bass.

Bird started using loop pedals to help him perform alone on stage. Later, he discovered that looping helped him use repeated sounds in his music. This allowed him to write songs in a simpler way, as he felt his earlier style was too complex.

Band members and associated acts

Andrew Bird does not have a permanent band that he plays with. Instead, different musicians join him for each album. Over his career, he has worked with many different musicians. Some of these musicians have appeared on multiple albums and performed with Andrew Bird on several tours.

• Martin Dosh – drums, electric piano. Dosh has played drums, keyboards, and used loops for the albums Armchair Apocrypha and Noble Beast. He also used samples from his own music in songs like "Simple X" (2007), "Not A Robot, But A Ghost" (2009), and "Take Courage" (2009).

• Alan Hampton – bass guitar, standup bass, guitar, and backup vocals. Hampton first joined Andrew Bird's band Hands of Glory in 2012. He later performed with Bird on the albums Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of…, Are You Serious, My Finest Work Yet, and Sunday Morning Put-On. He also played bass for the Bowl of Fire reunion concert in 2018.

• Tift Merritt – vocals and guitar in Hands of Glory and on the album Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of….

• Nora O'Connor – backing vocals between the albums The Swimming Hour (2001) and Break It Yourself (2012).

• Kevin O'Donnell – drums, percussion, electric piano. O'Donnell met Bird in college at Northwestern University. He played drums in Bird's first band, Charlie Nobody, and was the only musician who stayed with Bowl of Fire through all its changes. He played on all of Andrew Bird's albums from 1996's Music of Hair through 2005's Mysterious Production of Eggs, including one track on Armchair Apocrypha. After leaving as a full-time drummer, O'Donnell performed with Bird on the Hands of Glory and Are You Serious tours. He also worked on the scores for the film Norman and the TV show Baskets. Bird also performed with O'Donnell in his jazz groups, "Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six" and "Kevin O'Donnell's National Quartet".

• Ted Poor – drums on the albums Are You Serious, My Finest Work Yet, and Sunday Morning Put-On.

• Jeremy Ylvisaker – guitar and vocals between 2007 and 2012.

The band Hands of Glory was originally meant to be a fun side project between albums. It started in 2012 and released an album with the same name. In 2014, the band also released an album of covers of songs by The Handsome Family titled Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of….

• Andrew Bird – vocals, violin, guitar, whistling, glockenspiel, loops
• Tift Merritt – vocals, guitar
• Alan Hampton – bass, guitar, vocals
• Eric Heywood – Pedal Steel
• Kevin O'Donnell – drums

Personal life

Andrew Bird lives in Los Angeles with his wife, fashion designer Katherine Tsina Bird, and their son.

Discography

• Useless Creatures (2010) (Re-release of a bonus disc from the 2009 album Noble Beast)
• Fingerlings (2002, Grimsey Records)
• Fingerlings 2 (2004, Grimsey)
• Fingerlings 3 (2006, Grimsey)
• Live at the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007 by Andrew Bird (2007, Austin City Limits Music Festival)
• Live in Montreal (2008, Bella Union)
• Fingerlings 4 (2010, Wegawam Music Co.)

• The Ballad of the Red Shoes (2002)
• Live at the Bonnaroo Music Festival (2006, Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival)
• Soldier On (2007) – European tour EP
• Fitz and the Dizzy Spells (2009)
• Fake Conversations (2012) – 2011 Tour Live EP
• Northwest Passage (2012) – 2012 Tour Live EP
• I Want to See Pulaski at Night (2013)
• Panthology Songs I (2020)
• Panthology Songs II (2020)
• Panthology Songs III (2020)

• 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 Music)
• Andrew Calhoun – Phoenix Envy (1996, Earwig Music)
• Charlie Nobody – Soup (1996)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hot (1996, 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 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)
• WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 – On Air Performances – "Core and Rind" (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)
• Bobby Bare, Jr. – From the End of Your Leash (2004, Bloodshot Records)
• 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 – "Imitosis" (2007)
• Song of America – "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm" (2007, Split Rock Records/Thirty One Tigers)
• Charlie Louvin – "Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs" (2008, Tompkins Square)
• Todd Sickafoose – "Tiny Resistors" (2008, Cryptogramophone)
• Dosh – Wolves and Wishes (2008, Anticon)
• Final Fantasy – Plays to Please (2008, Blocks Recording Club)
• Dianogah – Qhnnnl (2008, Southern Records)
• Loney, Dear – Dear John (2009)
• Dark Was the Night – "The Giant of Illinois" (Red Hot Organization, 2009)
• Live at KEXP Vol.5 – Oh No (2009)
• Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster (2009, Kill Rock Stars)
• Dosh – Tommy
• Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein – The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns (2010, Sugar Hill Records)
• Muppets: The Green Album – "Bein' Green" (2011, Walt Disney Records)
• Norman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2011, Mom + Pop Music)
• The Muppets: Original Soundtrack – "The Whistling Caruso" (2011, Walt Disney Records)
• Holidays Rule – "Auld Lang Syne" (2012, Hear Music / Concord Music Group)
• Boris Grebenshchikov – Salt (2014, SoLyd Records)
• The Best of Bluegrass Underground 2 – Danse Caribe (2015, PBS Distribution)
• Esperanza Spalding – "