Bird3 On DVD

18-Jan-02

ìI donít ever want to get away from making my music,î says singer and songwriter Bird, front man for the Long Beach, CA rock band known as Bird3.ìI feel like the hardest part of this whole process is waiting to do something, either to be in the studio or to be on the road. I just love it all,î he says. ìIf I could, I would make music every single day of my life.îAnd thatís just the kind of unrestrained enthusiasm and dedication that makes Bird3ís first album ñ released in June, 2001, CD and DVD by immergent Records - such an unexpected, yet altogether rewarding, pleasure.The 13-song (plus bonus track) album was recorded in late 2000 and early 2001 at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, and at producer Nick DiDiaís own Monkeyboy home studio near Atlanta. DiDia (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots) also mixed the album, at nearby Southern Tracks. Richard Dashut and the band share co-producing credit with Mark Mazzetti serving as executive producer.ìWe have such a great rapport with them, and so much respect,î says Bird. ìWe seem to see eye to eye on everything, and they are such a talented team. We couldnít have asked for a better creative situation.îThe bandís self-named collection is a vibrant breath of fresh rock ëní roll air that smartly combines the contemporary drama and edge of bands like Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins with the timeless energy and spirit of classic artists like The Who and Neil Young, as heard on such standout songs as the optimistic opening track ìFitî and the memorable ìForgot Your Nameî and ìMess.îBird the singer was born in Argentina but moved to England when he was just one year old, and he says music has always been an integral part of his life.ìMy dad started playing me the radio in England when I was a kid,î Bird recalls. ìAnd I wouldnít be happy, I wouldnít shut up, unless he put me in front of the stereo with my headphones on. I guess that was the first clue that music was going to be a big part of my life. The feeling that you get from listening to good records, and knowing how powerful music can be in somebodyís life, has always been irresistible to me.îAfter a move with his family to the U.S. in 1987, Bird ñ who had aspired as a youngster to be a tennis pro - suddenly quit the game and picked up the classical guitar that his father had given him. ìI just picked it up the next day and started learning the five basic chords on the guitar, and then just started writing my own songs,î he says.Bird was in a couple Midwest bands in the mid-90s, including a group known as Hummer, which included future members of Material Issue. (Thatís when I started getting crazy on stage,î he remembers. ìI wouldnít wear wings yet, but I would run around jumping on PAs and kicking shit over. Thatís when I first started getting really crazy, finding who I can be on stage.î)A late-90s move to L.A. saw the formation of the promising band Lint, but fate and fortune was not on their side and they broke up. Then, in June of 1999, with assistance from a couple industry friends, Bird connected with the two musicians who could finally help him realize his ambitious artistic visions, and Bird3 the band was off and soaring.ìMe and Greg met, and then he brought his friend Miley, and the three of us jammed for like two hours and that was it,î recalls Bird of the bandís genesis. ìWe all knew it was right from the first time, that it was just magic. It was like they were me on those different instruments. They play exactly how I would play. My songs sound the same now as they always have, but they now have a fire. These guys bring an awesome fire and energy and power to my music.îìI went up to L.A. and met Bird and listened to his music, and I was likeíwowí,î recalls bass player Greg Coates.ìWe ended up jamming and it was really great, right from the start,î he says. ìI did want some say in who was going to be playing drums with me, because I needed someone who is really versatile as a musician, and immediately I thought of Miley. He and I had a pact to join a band together, and to play on a more permanent basis. So I gave him a call one day and talked him out of a $250 studio gig to come up and check out Birdís music, and the rest is history.îìGreg and I were pretty frustrated with a lot of the people we played with, there just wasnít a lot of direction,î Miley says. ìBut we knew that the two of us played so well together, and that we just needed to wait for the right project to come along. And I was just so impressed with Birdís songs. There wasnít any song that I didnít like, they all just blew me away. I could see that Bird really believed in his music.îThe trioís first show was in June of 2000 at the Whisky on L.A.ís Sunset Strip, and the band was immediately met with praise and enthusiasm from both fans and the local record companies, particularly immergent Records, which began an exciting collaboration with Bird thatís resulted in the bandís impressive new debut album.ìWe always knew that weíd stay with immergent,î Bird states ìWe like the feeling of family, and starting from scratch. And working with people who have a strong vision, just like we do.îThe beautiful and powerful songs that Bird writes come straight from his heart and soul, though heís not sure how or from where his inspiration originates.ìIíll just be out with my friends, or out with the guys in the band, and all of a sudden Iíll feel like I need to write,î he says. ìAnd then Iíll just do three or four days of non-stop writing. I donít know how I got to be a writer, I canít really explain how it happened. I donít consciously think about how or where the music comes from, itís a completely sub-conscious thing for me.îOh, and what about the wings, Bird? ìI can understand people having a reaction to seeing me perform with my wings on,î he says. ìBut it makes sense after youíve heard the music and after youíve seen us play. And I canít play without them on. I tried to do it one time and I totally screwed up. I felt totally self-conscious on stage and I couldnít play at all. I was in cold sweats. Itís my thing, I guess. I turn into Bird onstage.îBird - vocals, guitarGreg Coates - bass, backing vocalsMichael Miley - drums, vocals