Music
Bird is often compared to singer-songwriters such as Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple or the young Janis Joplin. In her songs she fuses elements of traditional folk music, blues and funk with an energetic handmade rock sound. Her exceptional voice allows for a huge repertoire from soft folk ballads to rousing power songs.
Accompanied by her band colleagues, the brothers Christian and Michael Vinne and Aoife O'Sullivan, she frequently tours throughout Europe. In April 2006 her debut EP "Branches Untangle" was independently released both Germany by her own label "Bird Records".
In October 2006, Bird signed a worldwide recording contract with Island Records Group UK. The "Moodsets EP" was released for download and on vinyl on 30 July 2007, with her debut album Spoons following on 18 September 2007 in Germany. Her song "Counting to Sleep" was chosen by iTunes as their 'Single of the Week' and the digital release of her album Spoons subsequently reached the Top 10 in the UK Album Download Chart. In the UK, her single, "Blossoms in the Street" was released on 15 October 2007, with the physical release of Spoons following 22 October 2007.
In February 2008, Bird toured the UK as support act for soul star Gabrielle, and later that year with Billy Bragg.
In 2009 (Ireland/UK) and 2010 (Rest of Europe), Bird released her second album New Boots, which entered the Irish album charts on No. 11, played over 80 headlining shows through Europe and supported over 20 shows in Europe of Rodrigo y Gabriella. During the festival summer she played over 15 festivals in Europe, including Montreux Jazz Festival, Oxegen Festival, Frequency Festival, Rock En Seine, Lowlands and Pukkelpop.
In January 2011, Bird toured with Anaïs Mitchell's performance of her album Hadestown, providing opening support whilst also taking part in the main production of the show. In November 2011, Bird released a special limited edition sole acoustic album (limited to 1000 copies) called The Mistakes are Intentional. Bird recorded the solo versions in her home in London during the summer of 2011. The CD is packaged in a wallet which has been hand-stitched by Bird herself. Bird made this album in anticipation of the release of her third album.
Bird performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 2012 when Ireland was the "Spotlight Country".
Read more about this topic: Wallis Bird
Famous quotes containing the word music:
“I cannot say what poetry is; I know that our sufferings and our concentrated joy, our states of plunging far and dark and turning to come back to the world—so that the moment of intense turning seems still and universal—all are here, in a music like the music of our time, like the hero and like the anonymous forgotten; and there is an exchange here in which our lives are met, and created.”
—Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)
“During the cattle drives, Texas cowboy music came into national significance. Its practical purpose is well known—it was used primarily to keep the herds quiet at night, for often a ballad sung loudly and continuously enough might prevent a stampede. However, the cowboy also sang because he liked to sing.... In this music of the range and trail is “the grayness of the prairies, the mournful minor note of a Texas norther, and a rhythm that fits the gait of the cowboy’s pony.””
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Hell is full of musical amateurs: music is the brandy of the damned.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)