For as soothing as Andrew Bird’s music can be, the title to his next effort is delightfully aggressive. The Chicago bard’s next effort “Break It Yourself” will be out on March 6 next year through Mom + Pop.
And it will presumably have some singing on it. Bird’s last effort was the score and soundtrack for Jonathan Segal-directed “Norman,” which was mostly instrumental. There was also “Useless Creatures,” the 2010 all-instrumental companion set to his last traditional studio set “Noble Creatures,” out in 2009.
And if you’ve seen “The Muppets” this past month, then you heard his whistling workmanship in the “Whistling Caruso” bit.
Below is a short teaser for the set, his second for Mom + Pop. That label has done a helluva job adding established artists to its roster — those who’ve paved their own way label-less (Ingrid Michaelson) or have earned their keep through previous label deals (Metric).
Bird has announced some spring tour dates in support, and has added a stable of acts like Patrick Watson, Laura Marling and comedian Eugene Mirman on as openers, bless him. (Music junkie Mirman is performing at an eye-popping 826NYC event this week with Sarah Vowell, They Might Be Giants, Fred Armisen,John Wesley Harding, Mike Birbiglia and “special surprise guests,” oh my! My 2010 fave Marling will be showing up on my top singles list later this month…)
Those who buy a concert ticket will get free downloads from Bird: a five-song live EP “Fake Conversations,” from his fall tour; “Break It Yourself”; and a five-song “souvenir” live EP from the spring tour itself. Christmas in March. General onsale for these shows are up on Dec. 9 and 10.
Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself from Mom+Pop on Vimeo.
Here are Andrew Bird’s tour dates:
December 21 Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, IL*
December 22 Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, IL*
January 12 Hawaii Theatre Honolulu, HI
March 15 Majestic Theatre Dallas, TX†
March 16 The Howlin” Wolf New Orleans, LA†
March 17 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA†
March 19 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN†
March 20 Southern Theatre Columbus, OH†
March 22 The Pageant St. Louis, MO†
March 23 The Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO†
March 24 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI†
April 9 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA‡
April 10 The Vogue Vancouver, BC‡
April 11 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Portland, OR‡
April 13 Fox Theater Oakland, CA‡
April 18 Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center Mesa, AZ‡
April 19 Lensic Performing Arts Center Santa Fe, NM‡
April 20 Rialto Theater Tucson, AZ‡
May 3 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA§
May 4 Beacon Theatre New York, NY§
May 5 Beacon Theatre New York, NY**
May 6 House of Blues Boston, MA§
May 8 9:30 Club Washington, DC§
May 9 Ramshead Live Baltimore, MD§
May 10 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI††
May 12 Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL††
* Andrew Bird and Ian Schneller”s “Sonic Arboretum”
† with Eugene Mirman
‡ with Laura Marling
§ with Patrick Watson
** with Tift Merritt
†† with Mucca Pazza