Andrew Bird has not put out a new album since 2009’s Noble Beast (TMT Review), but now fans have something to look forward to again: the upcoming premiere of Fever Year, a new documentary about the violinist to be released in October. It was announced Wednesday that the film, directed by Xan Aranda, will premiere at the 49th New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, running from September 30 — October 16. You’ll eventually be able to secure tickets for the showings here.
Fever Year follows Bird on a year of relentless touring until he “crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago — feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury,” said Aranda in a written statement. (He’s got a fever, and the only prescription is more whistling!) The film features Bird’s collaborators and famous friends St. Vincent, Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, and Michael Lewis.
However! Aranda insists this is not just another rockumentary: “Fever Year isn’t a document of Andrew’s intimate details or an assay of his sweat. It’s a snapshot of a time during which he became “perfectly adapted to the music hall” — his risk and reward for being an undeniable creative force,” she writes. Aranda is a long-time collaborator of Bird’s, previously working on the music videos for “Lull” and “Imitosis,” as well as the background visuals for his 2007-2008 tour.
The film will also screen at the Vancouver International Film Festival and a European festival still to be announced. On the other hand, for those fans who don’t care about Bird’s “process” and are just looking forward to more tunes, hang in there til 2012!
• Andrew Bird: http://www.andrewbird.net
• Fever Year: http://andrewbirdfeveryear.wordpress.com
