Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire

Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird refreshes the legacies of small-group swing, German lieder, and New Orleans jazz by weaving gypsy, folk, and rock textures into a signature sound. Among his endeavors are fronting the Bowl of Fire—whose lineup features drummer Kevin O'Donnell, bassist Josh Hirsch, and guitarist Colin Bunn—and serving as an occasional player with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, whose members Katharine Whalen and James Mathus later guested on the Bowl of Fire releases Thrills and Oh! The Grandeur. Additional collaborations include sessions with Pinetop Seven and Lil' Ed Williams, while Bird also instructs at the Old Town School of Folk Music and contributed to the score and soundtrack of Tim Robbins’s 1999 film The Cradle Will Rock. The Bowl of Fire’s third album, 2001’s The Swimming Hour, saw the group shift toward pop with striking success. Even as members pursued separate commitments, the ensemble persisted, and sessions for a subsequent recording commenced in 2002.