Artwork by ANGELA RIZZA
Folks, we are pleased to announce this last minute offer of a pair of tickets to see critically-acclaimed Wonka-esque indie-folker Andrew Bird at the Electric Factory tonight. What’s that you say? You don’t know what an Andrew Bird is? Hey, there is is no such thing as a stupid question. Although ‘who is Andrew Bird?’ comes close. Let’s ask around and study it out. Quoth Salon:
Despite going through conservatory and getting a degree in violin performance, Andrew Bird has always felt like an outsider in the world of classical music. Yet, as alternative acts were blooming around him in 1990s Chicago, he quickly realized he also didn’t belong in the world of confessional music that emphasized emotion over technical songcraft. Rather than give up, Bird built property on this seeming no-man’s land — a career based on his trademark violin, whistling and witty lyrics. With those career hallmarks in place, Bird is setting out now on his new record, “Are You Serious,” to deliver a sound that is more consciously polished and produced. Along the way, he’s finding that he has a bit more in common with the confessional cadre than he once thought — and that he’s more worried about democracy and guns than ever before. MORE
Quoth The Guardian:
Reinvention is too clumsy a word for Andrew Bird, whose music has always sparkled with musical and lyrical ingenuity. But in the four years since
his last full-length collection of songs, he has married and had a child, and his new album seems committed to a more earnest process of self-reflection. This being Bird, the knowing album title and title track poke fun at the idea, and elsewhere the introspection is leavened with deft wordplay and his usual twinkle-toed indie-folk. But generally, these songs set out to strip away some of the artistry and leave Bird more exposed, and as the heart-swelling sentiments of the closing song Bellevue show, it suits him well. MORE
Quoth National Public Radio:
In concert, Andrew Bird attracts intense adulation — screaming fans, mass sing-alongs, the whole bit — but his records have grown subtler over time. Always a thoughtful songwriter, prone to impeccably chosen words and pristine arrangements, Bird has still found a way to mature and open up in a long career that spans more than a dozen studio albums. For his most recent official release, 2012’s Break It Yourself, Bird crafted a sublime headphone record that was perfectly suited for contemplation and concentration. Four years later, with Are You Serious, he sets aside a few more songs for muted but memorable ruminations on love and chemistry; this is, after all, his first album since getting married and having a baby, and “Chemical Switches” and “Saints Preservus” possess the tender gravity to show for it. But even in the slowest songs on Are You Serious, Bird’s approach still includes a few key leavening agents, from springy strings to whistling so deft he was once hired to ghost-whistle for a character in a Muppets movie. MORE
To qualify to win a pair of tix to see Andrew Bird @ Electric Factory tonight, all you have to do is sign up for our mailing list (see right, below the masthead). Trust us, this is something you want to do. In addition to breaking news alerts and Phawker updates, you also get advanced warning about groovy concert ticket giveaways and other free swag opportunities like this one! After signing up, send us an email at PHAWKER66@GMAIL.COM telling us a much, with the words THE BIRD IS THE WORD in the subject line. The 13th Phawker reader to email wins! Good luck and godspeed!
ANDREW BIRD PERFORMS @ THE ELECTRIC FACTORY MONDAY APRIL 4TH