Andrew BirdClient Information
17 December, 2024Print
Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham Celebrate Physical Release of Cunningham Bird, Collaborative Album Reimagining Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks' Buckingham Nicks
Hear The Duo's Take On The Long Out-Of-Print Record, Available Via LP, CD & All Digital Platforms: LISTEN
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Today, Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham celebrate the physical release of Cunningham Bird. Out now via Loma Vista Recordings / Verve Forecast, the album finds two close friends, longtime collaborators and virtuosic solo artists embodying the creative spirit of a young Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. As a full-length cover of the legendary pair's eponymous LP, Buckingham Nicks – a rare, cult record that has yet to ever be released on digital platforms or CD, or reissued on vinyl since its 1973 debut –Cunningham Bird "works as a piece of music that will stand on its own, and surely will reach audiences that Lindsey and Stevie's buried classic never has" (Variety).
"You can take the bones of all these songs and strip them back — as we say, pull up the shag-rug carpeting — and kind of see what kind of space there is," says Bird, in a recent interview with Vulture's Switched on Pop. "I heard things come out in Madison's voice that I hadn't heard before." Cunningham adds, "The first song that really grabbed my attention was 'Long Distance Winner.' It sounded immediately like something Andrew and I would have written, especially the first three chords…I think working on this record reminded me of what I love so much about music, which is simplicity. I'm really getting to a place where I listen to music so differently than what it was even two years ago."
Listen to Cunningham Bird, now available on limited edition vinyl LP, CD and all digital platforms: HERE
Since first premiering the project with a surprise performance at Newport Folk Festival this summer, Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have brought their rendition of Buckingham Nicks to The Hollywood Bowl, Bumbershoot, Infinite Dreams, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and a sold-out, one-night-only underplay at The Troubadour – the same Hollywood venue that Lindsey and Stevie first headlined together in fall 1973. Backed by drummer Griffin Goldsmith, and keyboardist Mike Viola, who produced Cunningham Bird, "the audience listened in rapt attention," writes the LA Daily News. Audio from that magical release show can be heard on Acoustic Café this week, as Bird and Cunningham discuss the album in their debut radio appearance together.
Watch "Races Are Run" live from The Troubadour, and check out the Acoustic Café session online, and syndicated on-air via 125+ radio stations nationwide: https://www.acafe.com/blog/cunninghambird2024
Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham will reunite for another special Cunningham Bird performance on January 24th, at Austin's Hi, How Are You Day. In the meantime, Bird is including some of the music in his current run of annual Gezelligheid concerts at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church, while Cunningham will return to the GRAMMY Awards® in early 2025, where she is nominated for Best Americana Performance ("Subtitles").
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Photo by Jacob Boll |
Praise For Cunningham Bird
"The pair's reimagining of this pivotal album offers fresh insight into both Fleetwood Mac's enduring influence and the rocky romance that sparked the band's success"
Vulture
"It's an 'exercise,' to be sure, but it also works as a piece of music that will stand on its own, and surely will reach audiences that Lindsey and Stevie's buried classic never has"
Variety
"In its finest moments, Cunningham Bird will find listeners rushing to YouTube, where they can cue up Buckingham Nicks and compare the duos' performances. As majestic as the original may be, listeners will no doubt be pleased to discover that Cunningham Bird can not only stand, but flourish on its own merits"
Salon
"The original record delivered a dozen diverse songs, most of which stand the test of time. In the hands of Cunningham and Bird, it's even more beautiful as new arrangements, harmonies and instrumentation deliver gorgeous takes on forgotten would-be classics"
LA Daily News
"'Crying in the Night' sees the pair comfortably stepping into the shoes of the legendary duo, softening the edges of the original with their jazzy, classical-leaning folk twist. It's a different energy from two friends rather than two lovers, but Bird and Cunningham perfected a dreamy interpretation of the nostalgic track"
Paste
"Cunningham and Bird are able to capture the soft yet powerful nature of Buckingham and Nicks, while also giving their own fresh take on the songs. With its excellent craftsmanship and faithful recreations, here's hoping Cunningham and Bird collaborate more in the future"
Consequence
"There's a delicate loveliness to Bird and Cunningham's tribute lacking on the original LP...some new arrangements, however, glisten with strings and harmonies not found in Buckingham Nicks' 'Without a Leg to Stand On,' 'Long Distance Winner' and others"
Ultimate Classic Rock
"If the original album and its inaccessibility serve as a snapshot of the combustibility of the Buckingham-Nicks relationship, Cunningham and Birds' replaces that tension by highlighting their own prodigious abilities and underscore the ambition and possibilities of the classic rock totems' first project"
No Depression
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Photo by Jacob Boll |
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