A.V. Club: Best of the Decade

Recap: Andrew Bird at The Current's UBS Forum

Andrew Bird
by Carl Atiya Swanson, photos by Stacy Schwartz April 13, 2009

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Before his sold-out show at The State Theater on Saturday night, Andrew Bird swung by 89.3 FM The Current’s UBS Forum earlier in the afternoon to record a special in-studio session for a small crowd of music critics and lucky ticket-winners. Things got started a little later than anticipated due to a longer-than-usual sound check, and even once things began, Bird was determined to get the sound right, stopping and re-starting a couple songs to fine-tune. But the audience was more than willing to let him take his time.
Andrew Bird And Band
89.3's Steve Seel89.3's Steve SeelInterviewed by Current DJ Steve Seel, Bird talked briefly about Noble Beast, his fifth full-length record, and the experience of guest-blogging for The New York Times' Measure For Measure, a column in which musicians weigh in on the art of songwriting. He remarked that writing the column had been both interesting and difficult. Since he doesn't make any distinction to separate his music from the rest of his life, Bird said some of the negative online comments felt like personal attacks.
If the blogosphere is sometimes unfriendly, though, the Twin Cities are a safe space for Bird. (And he said as much later in concert at the State, noting that although he's from Chicago, "this feels like home.") His backing band is all-Minneapolis: Martin Dosh on drums, Michael Lewis (of Happy Apple) on bass and Jeremy Ylvisaker (of Alpha Consumer) on guitar. Together in the studio, they played a short set of gorgeous material full of lush, soaring melodies and polished structure. Bird's complex yet playful songwriting masterfully drew on his unusual, kaleidoscopic instrumentation—including whistling, loops, guitar, and violin—to will his own beautiful worlds into existence, bloggers be damned.
Set List:
"Fitz And The Dizzyspells"
"Anonanimal"
"Oh No"
"Effigy"
"Imitosis"
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird And Jeremy Ylvisaker
Andrew Bird And Michael Lewis
Andrew Bird's Gear
Andrew Bird's Gear
Jeremy Ylvisaker
Jeremy Ylvisaker
Jeremy Ylvisaker
Martin Dosh
Martin Dosh And Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis

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