For The Birds: The Birdsong Project Volume III Out Today

July 29, 2002---For the Birds: The Birdsong Project today releases Volume III of its wide-ranging collection of 242 recordings inspired by birdsong and supporting the conservation of birds and their habitats. With its 52 tracks now available for streaming on all platforms, Volume III offers new and original music across the stylistic spectrum by artists including Adrock (Adam Horovitz), Laurie Anderson, Devendra Banhart, Thomas Bartlett, Natalie Bergman, John Cale, Alice Coltrane, Joachim Cooder, Daniel Lanois, Thurston Moore & Wobbly, Sqürl (Jim Jarmusch & Carter Logan), Loudon Wainwright III, Woodkid, Wyldest,and many more. Compelling spoken-word recordings, interspersed among musical contributions, include performances by Greta Gerwig, Lorrie Moore, Conor Oberst, and Michelle Williams, among others.

Today the music video for Natalie Bergman’s “The Little Bird” has been released. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YklGr-sXxQc

And listen to / share Ad-Rock’s “Pasadena Parrots,” Laurie Anderson’s “Before the World” & Woodkid’s “Altamira Oriole” on YouTube. 

The Birdsong Project was produced by Randall Poster, the Grammy Award-winning producer and music supervisor known for his longtime work with Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese. It was conceived and inspired by Executive Producer Rebecca Reagan, who brought a grand creative vision and wisdom to the project. Additional executive producers are Elliot Bergman, Stewart Lerman and Lee Ranaldo. 

Since the May release of Volume I, The Birdsong Project has been featured in the New York Times, The Guardian, New Yorker, CBC, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Apartment Therapy, Cool Hunting, WNYC, Uproxx, Brooklyn Vegan and more.

The remaining two volumes of The Birdsong Project will be released in August (Volume IV) and September (Volume V). The full collection is also available as a limited edition 20-LP deluxe box set, which features a 60-page book including an essay by musician-ornithologist Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater and a package bursting with paintings and illustrations of birds by well-known artists.

“As we release volume three, for the birds… I am overflowing with even more love and gratitude. I listen to these gifts, to the incredible committed reverence for our winged friends, who surf the space between us - interconnecting all. I am humbled by the outpouring of love and support by our incredible community, and of course I am so thankful to my creative partner Randall Poster who believed in my vision for this great project….which had now blossomed into a life of its own.” - Executive Producer Rebecca Reagan 

The project’s expansive collection of 242 recordings represents a remarkable assemblage of diverse talent from across the creative community in support of an important cause, including GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, Pulitzer, Peabody and James Beard Award winners: Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, Beck, Cassandra Jenkins, Dan Deacon, Elvis Costello, Esperanza Spalding, Flaming Lips, Haden Triplets, Jeff Tweedy, Jim James, Julia Holter, Julianna Barwick, Kamasi Washington, Karen O, Kurt Vile, Atlas Sound & L’Rain, Makaya McCraven, Hania Rani, Mark Ronson, Mary Lattimore, Nick Cave, Stephin Merritt, Terry Riley, Tyondai Braxton, UNKLE, Yo-Yo Ma, and many more. The majority of the song recordings were made specifically for this project.

Spoken-word contributions recorded and donated to the project feature an array of writers and actors including Jonathan Franzen, Maggie Smith, Ocean Vuong, Alice Waters, Bette Midler, Florence Welch, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Jelani Cobb, Matthew McConaughey, Natasha Lyonne, John Lithgow, Olivia Wilde, Regina King, Robert Pattinson, Sean Penn, Tilda Swinton, Tim Blake Nelson, Toni Collette, Bobby Cannavale, and more.

All proceeds from The Birdsong Project will be donated to the National Audubon Society, the world’s oldest environmental society dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats. 

In a project partnership, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has mounted a multidisciplinary exhibition and program series in collaboration with exhibition creative director and Birdsong Project producer Randall Poster—running now through October 23. It includes an outdoor exhibition of birdhouses created by international artists and inspired by Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s resident birds as well as The Birdsong Project's recordings. 

https://www.bbg.org/forthebirds.

To help foster an awareness of—and love for—birds in future generations, The Birdsong Project has also partnered with eyewear brand Warby Parker to donate 20,000 limited-edition "Birdoculars" to numerous cultural institutions that support the conservation of the natural world and its avian inhabitants.

Additional gala and educational events will take place with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (in conjunction with the re-opening of the Hall of Oceanic Birds in 2023).

VOLUME III Track List:

ALBUM #9

SIDE A

1. Turiya (For the Birds remix) - Performed by Alice Coltrane

2. The Bird - Written and read by David Cale

3. Of Mere Being - Performed by Thomas Bartlett

4. Hanover Birds - Performed by Poppy Ackroyd

5. The Day Is Done - Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Read by Chelsie Diane 

SIDE B

1. Hymn for Four Birds - Performed by Paul Cantelon

2. Dawn Chorus - Performed by SQÜRL

3. Sonic Woodland: Dawn Chorus (excerpt) - Performed by Hidden Orchestra feat. Tim Southorn 

4. Wild Swans - Written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Read by Lorrie Moore

5. Birdies for RP - Performed by Emile Haynie

6. To the New Year - Written by W.S. Merwin. Read by Regina King

ALBUM #10

SIDE A

1. The Conditional - Written by Ada Limón. Read by Wendell Pierce

2. Strictly for the Birds - Performed by Hawley & LOZAC'H

3. The Little Bird - Performed by Natalie Bergman 

4. Pinions of a Dove - Performed by Rayna Gellert

5. Little Birdie - Performed by Loudon Wainwright III 

6. Black Cherries - Written by W.S. Merwin. Read by Greta Gerwig

7. my dove, to sleep - Performed by Vanbur 

SIDE B

1. Carolina Turtledove - Performed by Joachim Cooder 

2. The Sandhill Cranes of Nebraska - Written by Billy Collins. Read by Conor Oberst 

3. Thornbird - Performed by Daniel Lanois 

4. Ka - Performed by Devendra Banhart 

5. Highway Psithurism - Performed by Meg Baird 

6. Far Rockaway - Performed by Stuart Bogie 

7. Looking for Mushrooms at Sunrise - Written by W.S. Merwin. Read by Antonio Campos

ALBUM #11

SIDE A

1. Seven in the Woods - Written by Jim Harrison. Read by Jason Schwartzman

2. 136 Syllables at Rocky Mountain Dharma Center - Written by Allen Ginsberg. Read by Larry Ratso Sloman 

3. Perth to Melbourne - Performed by Stella Donnelly

4. Flight to the Sun - Performed by Koa Kalish

5. Skylark - Performed by Wyldest

6. They Ask Me - Written and read by Jorie Graham

7. For Octavia Butler - Performed by Atlas Sound & L’Rain

8. Pasadena Parrots - Performed by Adrock

SIDE B

1. Morning Maggie - Performed by Carla dal Forno

2. Noah's Raven - Written by W.S. Merwin. Read by John Burnham Schwartz 

3. Diamond Dove - Performed by Gyða Valtýsdóttir

4. Kookaburra Boogie - Performed by Thurston Moore & Wobbly

5. Nightbird - Performed by Marcelo Zarvos

6. In May - Written by Adam Zagajewski. Read by Sandor Katz

7. For the Birds - Performed by Makaya McCraven 

ALBUM #12

SIDE A

1. Before the World - Performed by Laurie Anderson 

2. Mr. Sparrow - Performed by John Cale

3. Dawn Revisited - Written and read by Rita Dove

4. Altamira Oriole - Performed by Woodkid 

5. Baepholus - Performed by Ben Lukas Boysen

6. How Many Nights - Written by Galway Kinnell. Read by Michelle Williams

SIDE B

1. Goldfinch Yodel - Performed by Arthur Jeffes 

2. Birds - Performed by Koreless 

3. Feather - Performed by Masayoshi Fujita 

4. Loon Song - Performed by Eluvium 

5. Secret Life - Written by Li-Young Lee. Read by Nana Mensah

6. Arada - Performed by Meara O'Reilly 

ABOUT RANDALL POSTER

Randall Poster is one of the most highly sought-after music supervisors in the film and television industries. Over the last three decades, he has bolstered the work of some of the world’s most innovative film directors.

In 1996, Poster produced the soundtrack for Larry Clark’s groundbreaking film KIDS, a foray into music supervision that led to high-profile collaborations in independent and commercial cinema. His selective, distinctive ear has been essential to the musical identities of critically acclaimed films including SCHOOL OF ROCK (Richard Linklater), COUNTRY STRONG (Shana Feste), MEET THE PARENTS (Jay Roach), THE HANGOVER PARTS I, II and III (Todd Phillips), and VELVET GOLDMINE (Todd Haynes). Poster has also lent his skills and musical insights to the works of directors Sam Mendes, Olivia Wilde, Danny Boyle, Karyn Kusama, Antonio Campos, Kevin Smith, Harmony Korine, and Sean Penn.

Poster has been an essential participant in shaping the unique aesthetic of all of Wes Anderson’s films; supervising the scores and soundtracks from 1998’s RUSHMORE to 2014’s GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, to the upcoming ASTEROID CITY. Poster has also developed musical identities for many of Martin Scorsese’s biggest recent projects, including films HUGO, THE AVIATOR, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, and the hit HBO series BOARDWALK EMPIRE and VINYL. In 2011, Poster’s work on the BOARDWALK EMPIRE soundtrack earned him a GRAMMY Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Poster won a second GRAMMY for his role in producing the soundtrack to THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.

Poster is currently at work on Mr. Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.

Recent projects of note include THE FRENCH DISPATCH, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, TIGER KING, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, PRETEND IT'S A CITY, and Questlove’s Academy Award-winning, feature documentary debut, SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED). Poster’s work will soon be heard in Olivia Wilde’s DON’T WORRY DARLING, Scott Cooper’s PALE BLUE EYE, and new films by Sam Mendes, Davis Guggenheim, and Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky. 

About The Executive Producers

ELLIOT BERGMAN

Elliot Bergman is a musician and artist living in Chicago and Los Angeles. After studying Jazz, Composition, and Gamelan music at the University of Michigan, he has been an active part of the creative music scenes in Brooklyn and Chicago while touring extensively with his groups Wild Belle and NOMO. He has also performed and recorded with Beck, Iron and Wine, Yeasayer, Cage the Elephant, and His Name is Alive. His musical and visual art practices are uniquely intertwined. His early training in metal work led to experimentation with material and sound and the production of bronze bells and sound sculptures. He has exhibited his work at The Marciano Art Foundation In Los Angeles, The Depaul Art Museum in Chicago, and at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C..

STEWART LERMAN

Stewart Lerman is a Bronx born NY based 2x Grammy winning(3x nominated) music producer and recording/mix engineer who has produced over 100 albums and worked on countless movie and TV soundtracks.

He has worked with such artists as Patti Smith, Loudon Wainwright, Elvis Costello, The Roches, Shawn Colvin, Sharon Van Etten, etc. In the film and TV world he has worked with directors Martin Scorcese, Woody Allen, Barry Levinson, Wes Anderson, Amy Sherman-Palladino, to name a few.    

LEE RANALDO

Musician, visual artist, and writer, Lee Ranaldo co-founded Sonic Youth in 1981, and has been active both in New York and Internationally for 40 years as composer, performer and producer; also exhibiting visual art worldwide and publishing several books of journals, poetry and writings on music. Recent live performances with partner Leah Singer, Contre Jour, have been large scale, multi-projection sound and light events with suspended electric guitar phenomena that challenge the usual performer/audience relationship. 

Most recent album In Virus Times, an instrumental acoustic piece in four parts, was released in November 2021 on Mute Records, A new collaborative quartet album with Jim Jarmusch, Churning of the Ocean, was released by Trost Records in May 2021. Sonic Youth released new compilation IN/OUT/IN in March 2022 on Three Lobed Records. Previous album Names of North End Women – a collaboration with Raul Refree - was released in February 2020 on Mute. Lives and works in New York City

REBECCA REAGAN

Rebecca Reagan is an LA-based executive producer, advisor at Kiss the Ground, and cofounder of the Ecuador non-profit Amazon Healing. 

She is a multidisciplinary creator, who values the potential of global listening, empathy in communities, and accessible education, to support the ecological well-being of our planet and all beings.  

Rebecca is also a mother, meditator, and tea enthusiast/curator.

About The National Audubon Society 

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.

About Warby Parker

Founded in 2010, Warby Parker is an eyewear brand with a mission: to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.

Warby Parker aims to demonstrate that businesses can scale, do well, and do good in the world. Ultimately, the brand believes in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, they distribute a pair to someone in need through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. To date, Warby Parker has worked alongside its nonprofit partners to distribute more than 10 million glasses to people in need. Learn more at warbyparker.com