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Northern Voice is an annual blogging, social software and online communities conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The conference is organized by members of the Vancouver blogging community, and efforts are made to keep the event accessible to as many people as possible. Keynote speakers at Northern Voice have included Anil Dash (then of Six Apart), Matt Mullenweg of WordPress, Nora Young of CBC Radio, Chris Messina (open source advocate), April Smith and Chris Wilson.

Northern Voice events:

• Northern Voice 2005 - February 19, 2005
• Northern Voice 2006 - February 11 and 12, 2006
• Northern Voice 2007 - February 23 and 24, 2007
• Northern Voice 2008 - February 22 and 23, 2008
• Northern Voice 2009 - February 20 and 21, 2009
• Northern Voice 2010 - May 7 and 8, 2010
• Northern Voice 2011 - May 13 and 14, 2011

About Northern Voice[link]

From the Northern Voice 2007 website:

In 2005, the organizers of Canada's first weblogging conference put on an event that was inexpensive, informal, and accessible to techies and newbies alike. From those humble beginnings Northern Voice has been transformed into... well, actually it's still cheap, friendly and open to all. Without question, the event has grown due to the overwhelming community response. It's added a second self-organizing day known as Moose Camp. We expect a few more attendees this year, in part because our space is larger. But the core values remain the same -- we have held the line on costs (fifty Canadian bucks get you the full two days), we try to make the event family-friendly by offering space for parents to establish cooperative child-minding, and we do the main event on Saturday so non-professionals can attend. And although it is a weblog conference, the range of topics may involve anything that webloggers are interested in... that is, just about anything. Previous years have had plenty of geekery mixed with panels on how blogging interacts with family life, education, travel, photography, community building and establishing professional profiles. Speakers range from the big names at the top of the Technorati rankings to first-time presenters with a passion to share.

The idea for a Canadian blogging conference was first mentioned on Darren Barefoot's blog in March, 2004.

Conference organizers include Darren Barefoot, Kris Krug, Brian Lamb, Cyprien Lomas, Boris Mann, James Sherret, Travis Smith, Julie Szabo, Roland Tanglao, Lauren Wood, and Dale McGladdery.

References[link]

• “Companies take online journals to heart”, Vancouver Sun, Feb. 18, 2005 (behind a subscription wall)
• “The Blogosphere’s New World Disorder”, The Tyee, Feb. 21, 2005
• CBC Morning Show Interview, Feb. 18 (MP3)

External links[link]

• Northern Voice 2011 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2010 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2009 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2008 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2007 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2006 Photos on Flickr
• Northern Voice 2005 Photos on Flickr

Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird with violin, 2009
Background information
Born	(1973-07-11) July 11, 1973 (age 38) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, baroque pop
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Voice, whistling, violin, guitar, glockenspiel
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Rykodisc, Righteous Babe, Fat Possum, RCRD LBL, Bella Union, Earwig Music, Waterbug, Carrot Top, Delmark, Mom+Pop
Associated acts	Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six, Dosh
Website	andrewbird.net

Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

History[link]

Early life and the Bowl of Fire (1973–2002)[link]

Trained in the Suzuki method from the age of four,^[1] Bird graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1991 and Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance in 1996. That same year he self-released his first solo album, Music of Hair. Vastly different from his later work, this album showcased his violin skills and paid tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues. Following this, his initial commercial exposure came through collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers, appearing on three of their albums (Hot, Sold Out, and Perennial Favorites) between 1996 and 1998.

Taking on the role of bandleader, Bird released Thrills on Rykodisc in 1997 with his group Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, shortly followed by second album Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz, and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument, as well as providing vocals along with his trademark verbose lyrics. The Bowl of Fire featured musicians from Bird's home town of Chicago, including Kevin O'Donnell, Joshua Hirsch, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins, Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn, and Ryan Hembrey. During this period, Andrew Bird was a member of the jazz group Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six, for which he was the lead singer and violinist and contributed to arrangements and songwriting for the albums Heretic Blues (Delmark 1999) and Control Freak (Delmark 2000) (both Delmark albums were produced by Raymond Salvatore Harmon).

In 2001, the Bowl of Fire released their third album, The Swimming Hour, a dramatic departure from their previous recordings. It featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs such as "11:11". Due to this eclectic nature, Bird has often referred to it as his "jukebox album". Although gaining critical praise (The Swimming Hour received a 9.0 from indie music website Pitchfork^[2]), the band failed to attain commercial success or recognition, playing to audiences as small as 40 people.^[3] In 2002, Bird was asked to open for a band in his hometown of Chicago, but fellow Bowl of Fire members were unavailable for the date. The reluctant Bird performed the gig alone, and the surprising success of this solo show suggested potential new directions for his music.^[3]

Early solo career (2003–2005)[link]

Andrew Bird in concert 2005

The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded in 2003, and Bird went on to radically re-invent himself as a solo artist. His two subsequent albums were released on Ani Difranco's Righteous Babe Records label. 2003's Weather Systems (originally released on Grimsey Records) was a sparse record with a dramatic change in musical direction. It featured the tracks "Skin" and "I", proto-versions of songs that would later become "Skin Is, My" (The Mysterious Production of Eggs) and "Imitosis" (Armchair Apocrypha).

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) continued a progression towards an eclectic indie–folk sound, and both records formed a stark stylistic break with Bird's earlier work, swapping the lush backing of a full band for carefully layered samples of sound constructed using multitrack recorders and loop pedals. As his sound changed, Bird made increasing use of guitar, glockenspiel, and whistling in his songwriting, in addition to his traditional violin and vocals.

Bird is noted for improvising and reworking his songs during live performance, as can be seen in his series of self-released live compilations entitled Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, and Fingerlings 3, the first of which was released in 2002. Each Fingerlings EP was released prior to a studio album, and presented a mixture of live performances from different shows, including old tracks, covers, and previously unreleased songs, some of which have since appeared on studio albums. Fingerlings 3, released in October 2006, also featured studio outtakes. Fingerlings 2 provided Bird with an unexpected boost in recognition in 2004 when it was named album of the month by Mojo.^[1]

In 2005, co-collaborator Martin Dosh joined Bird's line-up, adding percussion and keyboards to his sound.^[1] Jeremy Ylvisaker was later added to the group on bass and backup vocals.

Signed to Fat Possum Records (2006–2011)[link]

Bird performing at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

In September 2006, Bird signed to Fat Possum Records, and in March 2007 he released his third post-Bowl of Fire album, Armchair Apocrypha.^[4] The album was recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Martin Dosh, and includes a track composed by Dosh (with lyrics by Bird) entitled "Simple X". This song first appeared without Bird's lyrics as "Simple Exercises" on Dosh's 2004 release Pure Trash. The album was produced by Ben Durrant (who had worked on Dosh's The Lost Take), and also featured Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey.^[5] In advance of the March release date, Armchair Apocrypha was leaked to the Internet in January 2007. The album went on to sell over 100,000 copies.^[1]

As publicity for Armchair Apocrypha, Bird made his network television debut on April 10, 2007, performing "Plasticities" (from the new album) on the Late Show with David Letterman. He also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on June 14, 2007, performing "Imitosis" from the same album. In April 2007, he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon. These appearances were accompanied by an extensive tour, which ended with sell-out performances at the Beacon Theater, New York and the Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles.^[1]

In January 2007, Andrew Bird made an appearance on the Noggin television network's Jack's Big Music Show, playing the part of Dr. Stringz and appearing in order to mend a character's broken dulcimer. Bird sang a brief song called "Dr. Stringz", written specially for the show. He now often plays it live as an introduction to the song "Fake Palindromes".^[6][7]

On May 20, 2007, National Public Radio aired a live concert by Bird from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club^[8] He also worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for his 2007 spring tour.^[9]

Five of his songs – "Banking on a Myth" from "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," a medley of "I" from Weather Systems and "Imitosis" from "Armchair Apocrypha," and "Skin" and "Weather Systems" from Weather Systems – have been licensed for use by Marriott Residence Inn.^[10]

Since March 2008, Bird has contributed to "Measure for Measure,"^[11] a New York Times blog in which musicians write about their songwriting process. In it, he has charted the development of the song "Oh No," previewing samples at various stages of development through to the finished album recording. He also discussed the conception of the song "Natural Disaster," the recording of instrumental piece "Hot Math," and previewed "Master Sigh." The first two songs were later released on Bird's 2009 album "Noble Beast," whilst the latter two appeared on its bonus disc "Useless Creatures."^[12]

In December 2008, Bird appeared in the second series of Nigel Godrich's From the Basement alongside Radiohead and Fleet Foxes. His performance included a preview of new song "Section 8 City," a ten minute re-imagining of "Sectionate City," which originally appeared on the "Soldier On EP."^[13]

Bird's fifth solo album, "Noble Beast," was released on January 20, 2009, and contained fourteen new songs, with bonus tracks available for download from iTunes and eMusic. "The Privateers" is a re-imagining of a very early song entitled "The Confession" from 1999's "Oh! The Grandeur."^[1] A limited deluxe edition of the album included alternate packaging and artwork, as well as an all-instrumental companion disc entitled "Useless Creatures." The entirety of "Useless Creatures" was made available via Bird's website during the run-up to the release. "Noble Beast" has been met with generally favourable reviews, receiving a score of 79 out of 100 from review collation site Metacritic.^[14]

In 2009, Bird contributed a cover of the song "The Giant of Illinois" to the HIV and AIDS benefit album "Dark Was the Night" produced by the Red Hot Organization. On May 11, 2009, Bird released the EP "Fitz and the Dizzy Spells." It contains "Fitz and the Dizzyspells" from "Noble Beast," as well as other songs from that album's recording sessions. Some of the songs on the EP were previously available for download from iTunes and eMusic as bonus tracks to "Noble Beast."

In 2010, Bird recorded with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, contributing vocals and violin on a cover of "Shake It and Break It" on "Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program."

Andrew Bird currently uses custom-made Schroeder amplifiers.^[15]

Break It Yourself (2011–present)[link]

In late 2011 Bird signed to the record label Mom+Pop. Andrew Bird's first release for the label was the soundtrack to the film Norman, which included his original score as well as songs by other artists.^[16] Bird sequenced the soundtrack to flow as a stand-alone album rather than a compilation of music from the film.^[16] Its music supervisor, Peymon Maskan, told HitQuarters: "The best compliment I've heard is that without having seen the film, you can imagine it by listening to the soundtrack. The sequence is a big part of that effect."^[16]

On December 6 Bird announced a new album Break it Yourself, the follow up to 2009's Noble Beast.^[17]

Influences[link]

Growing up, Bird was surrounded by classical music. As a child, he was interested in Irish tunes and bluegrass. He also cites English and Scottish folk music as an early influence.^[18] His early jazz influences were Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, and Fats Waller.^[19][20] He has also had a number of classical influences such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Bela Bartok.^[21] Other influences included jazz, swing, calypso, and folk. Bird has stated that, at 22, he found a lot of indie rock and pop music repetitive and boring, but now understands it better.^[22]

Discography[link]

Bowl of Fire albums[link]

• Thrills (1998)
• Oh! The Grandeur (1999)
• The Swimming Hour (2001)

Solo albums[link]

• Music of Hair (1996)
• Weather Systems (2003)
• & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
• Armchair Apocrypha (2007, Fat Possum) #76 US
• Noble Beast (2009, Fat Possum) #12 US
• Break it Yourself (2012, Bella Union [UK]; Mom+Pop [US]) #10 US, #46 CAN

Companion album[link]

• Useless Creatures (2010) (bonus disc to Noble Beast)

Live albums[link]

• Fingerlings (2002, Grimsey Records)
• Fingerlings 2 (2004, Grimsey)
• Fingerlings 3 (2006, Grimsey)
• Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007: Andrew Bird (2007, Austin City Limits Music Festival)
• Live In Montreal (2008, Bella Union)
• Fingerlings 4 (2010, Wegawam Music Co.)

EPs and singles[link]

• The Ballad of the Red Shoes (2002)
• Sovay (2005, Fargo Records) – single
• Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival (2006, Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival) – Live EP
• Soldier On (2007) – European tour EP
• Fitz and the Dizzy Spells (2009)
• Anonanimal (2009) – Download only single
• Fake Conversations (2012) – 2011 Tour Live EP

Other album appearances[link]

• Kiltartan Road – Joy to the Morning (1995)
• Kat Eggleston – Outside Eden (1996, Waterbug Records)
• Lil Ed and Dave Weld with The Imperial Flames – Keep On Walkin' (1996, Earwig Music)
• Andrew Calhoun – Phoenix Envy (1996, Earwig Music)
• Charlie Nobody – Soup (1996)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hot (1996, Mammoth Records)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers – Perennial Favorites (1998, Mammoth)
• Rose Polenzani – Dragersville (1998, The Orchard)
• Pinetop Seven – Rigging the Toplights (1998)
• Extra Virgin – Twelve Stories High (1999)
• Kevin O'Donnell – Heretic Blues (1999, Delmark Records)
• Andrew Calhoun – Where Blue Meets Blue (1999, Waterbug)
• Sally Timms – Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos (1999, Bloodshot Records)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers – Bedlam Ballroom (2000, Hollywood Records)
• The Blacks – Just Like Home (2000, Bloodshot)
• The Handsome Family – In the Air (2000, Carrot Top Records)
• Devil in a Woodpile – Division Street (2000, Bloodshot)
• Kevin O'Donnell – Control Freak (2000 · Delmark Records)
• Neko Case – Canadian Amp (2001)
• The Verve Pipe – Underneath (2001, RCA Records)
• Jenny Toomey – Antidote (2001, Misra Records)
• Kelly Hogan – Because It Feel Good (2001, Bloodshot)
• Sinister Luck Ensemble – Anniversary (2002, Perishable Records)
• Abandon Jalopy – Mercy (2002)
• WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 – On Air Performances – "Core and Rind" (2002)
• Kristin Hersh – The Grotto (2003)
• The Autumn Defense – Circles (2003, Arena Rock Recording Co.)
• Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – Sings Greatest Palace Music (2004, Drag City)
• Bobby Bare, Jr. – From the End of Your Leash (2004, Bloodshot)
• Nora O'Connor – Til the Dawn (2004, Bloodshot)
• Ani DiFranco – Knuckle Down (2005, Righteous Babe Records)
• My Morning Jacket – Z (2005, ATO Records)
• Bobby Bare – The Moon Was Blue (2005, Dualtone Music Group)
• Emily Loizeau – London Town (in French and English) (2006)
• Dosh – The Lost Take (2006, anticon.)
• Candi Staton – His Hands (2006, Astralwerks)
• Magnolia Electric Co. – The Black Ram (2007, Secretly Canadian)
• KFOG Live From the Archives Volume 14 – (2007)
• Song of America – "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down On the Farm" (2007, Split Rock Records/Thirty One Tigers)
• Charlie Louvin – "Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs" (2008, Tompkins Square)
• Todd Sickafoose – "Tiny Resistors" (2008, Cryptogramophone)
• Dosh – Wolves and Wishes (2008, anticon.)
• Final Fantasy – Plays to Please (2008, Blocks Recording Club)
• Dianogah – Qhnnnl (2008, Southern Records)
• Loney, Dear – Dear John^[23] (2009)
• Dark Was the Night – "The Giant of Illinois" (Red Hot Organization, 2009)
• Live at KEXP Vol.5 – Oh No (2009)[5]
• Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster (2009, Kill Rock Stars)
• Dosh – Tommy
• Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein – The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns (2010, Sugar Hill Records)
• Muppets: The Green Album – "Bein' Green" (2011, Walt Disney Records)
• Norman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2011, Mom + Pop Music)
• The Muppets: Original Soundtrack – "The Whistling Caruso" (2011, Walt Disney Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Andrew Bird

• Official site

Priscilla Ahn
Priscilla Ahn on the cover of KoreAm, June 2008
Background information
Birth name	Priscilla Natalie Hartranft
Born	(1984-03-09) March 9, 1984 (age 28) Fort Stewart, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Acoustic, folk
Instruments	Guitar, piano, harmonica, ukulele, banjo
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Blue Note
Website	Priscilla Ahn's official website

Priscilla Ahn (born March 9, 1984^[1]) is an American singer-songwriter.

Early life and education[link]

Ahn was born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft in Fort Stewart, Georgia to Kay (née Ahn) and Harry Hartranft and spent her childhood living in the USA and South Korea.^{[citation needed]} Ahn moved to Berks County, Pennsylvania for several years and attended Tulpehocken Area High School. After graduation she moved to Los Angeles, California where she adopted her Korean mother's maiden name and began a career in music.^[2][3]

Career[link]

In June 2008 Ahn was selected as Artist of the Week in Paste magazine^[4] and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in May 2011.^{[citation needed]} She has toured with Joshua Radin, Amos Lee, Willie Nelson and Ray Lamontagne ^[5] and contributed vocals to the albums Supply and Demand , Mission Bell and Kaleidoscope.^{[6][dead link][7]}

Reception[link]

Ahn's songs have appeared on the television shows Grey's Anatomy,^[8] Knight Rider, several episodes of the Ghost Whisperer^[9] and in the films Disturbia, Bride Wars, Love Happens,^[10] My Sister's Keeper, Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, and the ITV drama Married Single Other.

A CBS News music reviewer said that Ahn has the voice of an angel and her album Good Day is interesting musically but "lyrically, Ahn has a long way to go". ^[2]

Personal life[link]

Ahn married Michael Weston in March 2010.^[11][5]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• A Good Day, Blue Note Records, June 10, 2008.
• When You Grow Up, Blue Note Records, May 3, 2011.

EPs[link]

• Priscilla Ahn (2007, self-released)
• Live Session, (2008, iTunes)
• Sweet Hearts, (2012, With Charlie Wadhams)

Singles[link]

• "Dream" (2008, Blue Note)
• "I'll Never Smile Again" (2009)
• "I Am Strong" by Tiesto featuring vocals by Priscilla Ahn (2009)

Music videos[link]

• "Dream"
• "Red Cape"
• "Vibe So Hot"
• "I Don't Have Time To Love"
• "When You Grow Up"
• "Torch Song"

Compilation appearances[link]

• His Way, Our Way (Sinatra Tribute)

Contributions[link]

• Vocals and Piano on Joshua Radin - We Were Here, Columbia, February 7, 2006 (as Priscilla Hartranft)
• Vocals on Amos Lee - Supply and Demand, Blue Note Records, October 3, 2006
• Vocals on Joshua Radin - Unclear Sky EP, iTunes Exclusive EP, February 12, 2008
• Vocals on William Fitzsimmons - The Sparrow and the Crow, Mercer Street, September 30, 2008

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Cass McCombs is an American songwriter and performer.

McCombs was born in Concord, California in 1977. He has led a nomadic existence for most of his adult life, moving from one city to the next, living in cars, on couches and at campsites. McCombs spent time developing his songwriting abilities in New York City, until the events of 9/11 (coupled with running out of money) sent him back, via Greyhound bus, to San Francisco, where he recorded his debut E.P., entitled Not the Way E.P. It would be released by the small Baltimore-based Monitor Records in 2002. After relocating there, his first full-length album, A, was released early the following year on Monitor in the U.S. and in Europe and the U.K. by 4AD. McCombs and his band spent much of 2003 and 2004 touring, performing everywhere from the All Tomorrow's Parties festival to house shows. McCombs otherwise divided his time amongst the Pacific Northwest, England and Baltimore. After a week of recording in Michigan, his second LP, PREfection, arrived in spring 2005.^[1]  Later that year, he decamped to Southern California to begin work on his third full-length, Dropping the Writ, which was released on October 9, 2007, by Domino Records and later named one of Amazon.com’s Best Albums of 2007.^[2]  Following a period in Chicago, he returned to California to record Catacombs before its eventual U.S. release on July 7, 2009. The album was named one of the top 50 albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media.^[3]  His fifth LP, Wit's End, was released by Domino on April 26, 2011.^[4] It was followed by another LP, entitled Humor Risk and released on November 8, 2011 - less than 7 months after the release of his previous LP. Like Catacombs and Wit's End, it was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and McCombs.^[5]

He has performed or toured with Honeyboy Edwards, Mike Bones, Band of Horses, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, White Magic, Cat Power, The Anomonon, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, Modest Mouse, Girls, Sleepy Doug Shaw, Beach House, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Peter Bjorn and John, Papercuts, Fiery Furnaces, José González, The Shins, Iron and Wine, Arboretum, Deerhoof, The Walkmen, John Webster Johns, Lightspeed Champion, The Donkeys, OXES, Gang Gang Dance, Convalescent Surprise, Frank Fairfield, Michael Hurley, Jana Hunter, Lower Dens, Thurston Moore, and Mt. Egypt.

His songs have been featured in films such as Thomas Campbell's 2009 surf film The Present^[6] and Ralph Arlyck documentary Following Sean,^[7] as well as notable skate videos featuring Jason Dill,^[8] Jerry Hsu^[9] Chima Ferguson and Dylan Rieder.^[10]

McCombs has stated that his tombstone will read "Home At Last."^[11]

Discography[link]

• Not the Way E.P. (2002)
• A (2003)
• PREfection (2005)
• Dropping the Writ (2007)
• Catacombs (2009)
• Wit's End (2011)
• Humor Risk (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mystery Man - Interview w/ Vice Magazine
• Pitchfork Media review of PREfection link
• Video for Sacred Heart from PREfection
• Transcript of interview on National Public Radio's World Cafe show [1]
• Portland Mercury article by Zac Pennington [2]
• Cass McCombs (official site)