New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Jimbo Mathus and
Andrew Bird release "Poor Lost Souls," the latest preview and perhaps the most poignant moment of their forthcoming album, These 13. Out March 5th on Thirty Tigers, These 13 marks the first time in more than two decades that Mathus and Bird have joined forces for a collection of music. As former collaborators in Squirrel Nut Zippers they've known each other for over 25 years, but since the turn of the century they've grown accustomed to working apart, cultivating separate careers as solo artists and prolific songwriters. "Poor Lost Souls" shows how old friends bring new perspective and possibility.
Mathus and Bird co-wrote every song on These 13 through an exchange of voice memos and verses, completing each other's words and ideas in ways neither of them had ever experienced. Recorded live on opposite sides of a single microphone, the result is a raw and intimate conversation, and on "Poor Lost Souls" they open the album by addressing Hollywood's homelessness crisis through two distinct points of view. Mathus begins by offering the impressions of a visitor, stunned by the situation; Bird answers from the outlook of a local, before they both come together in heartfelt harmony.
Watch Jimbo Mathus and
Andrew Bird perform the song for the first time, live from a rooftop in Los Angeles: https://found.ee/PoorLostSoulsVideo
On "Poor Lost Souls," Mathus and Bird say, "Look down and see the stars, look up and see the gold. Here's a broken song for broken times...but there's hope in it."
Created over the course of 2018-2020, These 13 is about the special type of human connection that can survive any distance of time or geography. Mathus and Bird have lived many musical lives since meeting at a folk festival in the summer of 1994 - Bird working as the medieval fiddler at a midwestern renaissance fair, Mathus just beginning the whirlwind, platinum-selling ascent of Squirrel Nut Zippers. But after all this time, These 13 proves "just how seamless the two work together" (Consequence of Sound).
Watch the video for lead single, "Sweet Oblivion": https://found.ee/SweetOblivionVideo
These 13 was produced by Mike Viola at Hollywood Sound and Barebones Studio, and the accompanying album artwork was handmade by Jared Spears. "It's been my dream for years now to make this record with Jimbo," Andrew says. "Just guitar, fiddle and our very different voices."
Pre-order These 13 here: https://orcd.co/these13
Andrew Bird is an internationally acclaimed musician, songwriter and composer who has released sixteen records to date. Recording and touring extensively, Bird has performed around the world at festivals and renowned institutions including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and Walt Disney Concert Hall. A TED Talks presenter, a New Yorker Festival guest, and an op-ed contributor for the New York Times, Bird also made his professional acting debut in the cast of Fargo's fourth installment, which premiered on FX in the fall of 2020. Bird's 2019 album, My Finest Work Yet, was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Jimbo Mathus is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work with the Gold and Platinum-certified swing revival band, Squirrel Nut Zippers. The group toured extensively throughout the 1990s, including performances for the 1996 Summer Olympics, The
Tonight Show, Late Night with
David Letterman, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and more. Since the early 2000s, Mathus' career has included work for
Buddy Guy and Elvis Costello, and a vast collection of solo projects that have led to his music being heard on Shameless, Ray Donovan and far beyond.
