Andrew Bird - "Dark Matter / Sweetbreads" at Grimey's Too, 3/7/2013

In the 1:30 before the medley starts, Bird explains how the group came to perform in their current in-the-round configuration. Here are "Dark Matter" and "Sweetbreads," both from Bird's early-2000s Fingerlings EPs.

On his way to McMinnville's Cumberland Caverns for a taping of Bluegrass Underground, Andrew Bird, singing/songwriting neighbor Tift Merritt (difficult to see here due to lack of space), and their band (guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker and bassman Alan Hampton) visited Grimey's Too. The busy evening also featured a set from Caitlin Rose and band - man was it crowded, but well worth the trip! Check my channel for video from that set, as well.

When one of the first things that comes to mind about a performer is his impeccable whistling ability, you might think he's easy to write off as a novelty. Not so of Andrew Bird; discovering this unique talent is a gateway to his incredible intuition for melody and arrangement, polished to a fine glow by nearly 20 years of brewing distinctive pan-genre concoctions. Bird's latest record, 2012's Hands of Glory, focuses on performance; his hand-picked chamber folk orchestra played the entire record in front of a single (stereo) microphone.