Andrew Bird is a Chicago boy and he's got a Chicago sound, but it's the sound of a bygone era, one where the jazz ran hot, the blues were sultry and slow, the entertainers knew how to entertain, and the nights went on until the next morning. Bird mines the styles of New Orleans jazz, Chicago electric blues, gypsy folk, classic swing, Weimar-era German cabaret, and more, to produce a nostalgia-heavy but totally unique sound that's sometimes beautiful and often a hell of a lot of fun. Bird sings and plays the violin. The Bowl of Fire is his sometime backup band, and it features the Squirrel Nut Zippers' Katherine Whalen and James Mathus (Bird returns the favor by touring with the Zippers). The talented young man began his career with a trio of fine albums on Ryko: '98's Thrills, '99's Oh! The Grandeur, and '01's Swimming Hour. Bird the left Ryko and began recording under his name alone (though two members of the Bowl of Fire continue to play with him, eventually landing on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe label for his fourth album, 2003's Weather Systems, on which he continued to broaden his sound. Two years later the prolific musician returned again with Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.