Andrew Bird at Richard's on Richard's - Sept. 1, 8pm.

Chicago singer-songwriter Andrew Bird has been making lush, brilliant music for far too long to still be languishing in partial obscurity. In a career as varied as it is lengthy (including a stint with 90's swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers), he has produced 8 full-length EP's and 3 live albums, free-wheeling through musical genres from stomping zydeco to Civil War-era folk to settle somewhat uncomfortably with other indie-rock fairy-tailing linguists such as The Decemberists. Unlike the standard awkward-boy rockers of our day, however, he's mastered the violin and glockenspiel and mixes these with his breath-taking whistling skills and warbly vocals, which he records and loops all together during his live shows to create a modern version of the one-man band. When I saw him on my tiny college stage last November, he was jet-lagged and spent most of the performance looking completely bewildered. Absent was the witty banter of many live performers, but he compensated with startling musicality and sprawling lyrics that went straight to my heartstrings. We invited him to an after-party later; he graciously accepted and spent the entirety of the night standing wide-eyed and silent in a corner. I fell deeply in love.

Bird plays at Richards on Richards this Saturday, September 1st at 8:00pm in support of his latest album, Armchair Apocrypha (listen to "Scythian Empires" off this record and just try telling me you don't want to see him - I dare you). Presented by Sealed With A Kiss.

Photo coutesy of Kyle Dean Reinford on Flickr.