Posted on: December 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Andrew Bird is set to play in select west coast cities this winter in addition to a rare performance at Mexico City’s Teatro de la Ciudad in March. On the heels of a successful run of intimate “Gezelligheid” performances (appropriating a Dutch term that loosely translates to “cozy”) that cap off with three sold-out nights at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church, the west coast shows will all feature Andrew Bird performing solo. Please see below for a list of tour dates.

Bird’s performances come after the release of Useless Creatures. Previously available only with the deluxe edition of Bird’s 2009 album Noble Beast, Useless Creatures is now available as a stand-alone LP and CD for the first time on Fat Possum Records. An instrumental companion piece to Noble Beast, the album features Glenn Kotche on percussion and Todd Sickafoose on double bass. Pitchfork raves that “Useless Creatures has a captivating looseness that finally brings some of the high-wire energy of [Bird’s] unpredictable live shows into the studio,” while MSN notes “this woodsy collection mixes extended, contemplative pieces with fiery occasional outbursts,” and the Dallas Morning News says, “the results are atmospheric and…beguiling.”

Described by Bird as an “ambient experimental record,” Useless Creatures was recorded over the course of a week in Chicago. “The result may be not unlike some electronic dance music only with woody, grainy sounds rather than the perfect sine waves of a synthesizer,” notes Bird. “How to be minimal and repetitive without being insipid is the challenge.”

Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Andrew Bird picked up his first violin at the age of four and spent his formative years soaking up classical repertoire completely by ear. As a teen Bird became interested in a variety of styles including early jazz, country blues and gypsy music, synthesizing them into his unique brand of pop. Since beginning his recording career in 1997 he has released eleven albums, his first solo record Weather Systems coming in 2003. Bird has gone on to record with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Most recently he collaborated with inventor Ian Schneller on Sonic Arboretum, an installation at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and released Fingerlings 4, a collection of solo live recordings from December, 2009.

ANDREW BIRD TOUR

January 15 Largo Los Angeles, CA

January 16 Largo Los Angeles, CA

January 29 Rio Theater Santa Cruz, CA

March 17 Teatro de la Ciudad Mexico City

Leave a Comment