<bt>Redbird is not a tropical bird from a Brazilian rain forest, but a trio of performers that finds joy in delivering a fusion of country, jazz, blues and other musical genres to create pure American tunes.
After sharing a tour of England in early 2003, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault and Kris Delmhurst found themselves playing as trio. "Every afternoon we just took out the guitars and whatever tunes came to mind, we played," said Mulvey. During the tour, the three songwriters were driving from one small English city to another, which was "tremendous[ly] fun," said Mulvey.
All through the process of playing together, they recorded an album called Redbird. Mulvey, Foucault and Delmhurst sat around one microphone, recording and singing songs that came to mind. "The fun of it all was its informal nature," said Mulvey, about the making of the album, which was re-released nationwide in the middle of February.
This jazz inspired, all-American group is filled with well-experienced musicians that are multi-instrumentalists. "Music is a common coin that gets past around," said Mulvey when asked about what music means to him. All three find their joy in bringing the acoustic sound to the audience as well as an improvisational feeling to the performance.
As artists they want their audience to affiliate their music to the American way of life. Redbird is still about "playing Texas Hold 'em and spending the afternoons swapping old songs," said Mulvey.
Redbird brings its set of tunes to the Jammin' Java on Wednesday, March 30, at 8 p.m.
<cl>What are your influences?
<bt>Mulvey: Our friends, colleagues and all the music of America. Willie Nelson, Ray Charles and over all-American artists.
<cl>What types of venues do you prefer?
<bt>I prefer smaller venues. I've very seldom seen a gigantic group get a connection with a large crowd, except maybe U2. I would rather play for 100 than for 500.
<cl>What can people expect at the March 30 show at Jammin' Java?
<bt>We'll sing some songs we wrote. Some songs we know in common and probably one or two things none of us have ever tried together. And I'll tell some good jokes and Jeff will try to do the same.
<cl>What is your ultimate performance?
<bt>This is one of my favorite ways to play music. Nothing rehearsed, just taking tunes that we know and improvise. We try to keep the Redbird shows as informal as we can.
<cl>What is your ambition for the future?
<bt>Personally, just to do more of what I am doing. I have a house that I live in and I have food everyday. I am doing exactly what I want to do, just music.
<lst>Tickets for Redbird's performance on Wednesday, March 30, are $15 and available in advance or at the door at Jammin' Java. For more information, call 703-255-1566 or visit www.jamminjava.com. Jammin' Java is located at 231 Maple Avenue, Vienna.