Arts and Events Calendar

A native of Illinois, Bird is an accomplished singer-songwriter, violinist and guitarist also known for his other signature talents, from whistling to playing glockenspiel.

He’s what every independent music artist strives to be — a musician with a truly unique sound who has earned the enthusiasm and respect of each fan one at a time.

Trained by the Suzuki method from a young age, Bird released his first solo album, Music of Hair, in 1996. In the midst of the swing craze that swept the U.S. music industry in the mid-1990s, Bird began doing collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He then took on the role of band leader in 1997 with his group Bowl of Fire, which released three albums — Thrills, Oh! The Grandeur and The Swimming Hour — before it disbanded in 2003.

Bird’s early work, which echoed gypsy jazz, blues, swing and traditional folk, has led to his current sound, which mixes rock with more broad compositions. Bird released two solo albums, Weather Systems (2003) and The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005), both distributed through the label Righteous Babe Records. He switched to Fat Possum for 2007’s Armchair Apocrypha and 2009’s Noble Beast.

Bird has performed in a variety of venues, from major music festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo to barns, churches and grand theaters. USC Spectrum welcomes Andrew Bird for his first performance at USC’s Bovard Auditorium.