Bird and Energy

I saw Andrew Bird in concert tonight. I hadn't really heard all that much of his music, aside from what my roommate played from time to time, and I was very impressed by his live performance. He plays solo violin, guitar, and whistling, and he loops his playing to create an intensely layered, vibrant, and ultimately beautiful landscape of sound.

Unlike a lot of musicians (read: DJs) who use laptops or turntables to loop sound more or less statically with additions or modifications piled on top, his method is far more organic. One of two foot pedals starts recording either a 13 or 26 second track; the shorter length means the looped sample is taken down an octave, giving a deep bass sound from a violin. The loops keep recording over one another, and older tracks gradually fade away, leading to a sound that gradually morphs from one feel to another. As he put it, the system allows him to see the melody "hanging" in front of him, so he can intuitively sculpt it with each iteration of the loop.

Add to that a pair of the most bad-ass speakers you will ever see, and he really has his act together. Most of his recordings are with a band, but seeing him solo was really incredible. And the dude is a freaking incredible whistler. That sentence sounds really weird, but he hits notes I didn't think were possible.

As loathe as I am to link myspace, there are some tracks on there I'm sure everyone can agree are choice.


On a completely unrelated note, never drink Radioactive Energy. I got a can of it for free, and I still feel ripped off. Seriously, it tastes like rotting apricots. It's not like other energy drinks are setting the taste bar exceptionally high; I usually refer to Monster Energy as "cough syrupy," and that is honestly a compliment.