Jeff Irwin
Jeff Irwin (a.k.a. "the Yeti"; born September 12, 1977) is an American, East Nashville, Tennessee based multi-instrumentalist. He has performed with Griffin House,[1][2] Cerys Matthews,[3] Derek Webb[4] and Sandra McCracken, Mat Kearney, Taylor Sorensen & the Trigger Code,[5][6][7][8] and many others including Counting Crows.
Jeff Irwin | |
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Birth name | Jeffrey Matthew Irwin |
Born | Creve Coeur, Missouri, United States | September 12, 1977
Genres | Alternative, experimental, electronica, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
Instruments | piano, violin, viola, trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, contrabass, baritone horn, euphonium horn, drums, synthesizers, melodica, mandolin, tin whistle, alto recorder, cowbell |
Years active | 1995-present |
Labels | Rocketown Records for Taylor Sorensen, Netwerk for Griffin House, Rough Trade for Cerys Matthews, Columbia/Aware for Mat Kearney |
Website | Jeff Irwin's MySpace Irwin Music's MySpace |
Biography
Born in Creve Coeur, Missouri, Irwin grew up in St. Louis County. Growing up he studied piano, violin (learning the Suzuki method), viola, trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, contrabass, baritone horn, and various synthesizers. Irwin also received vocal training by participating in various area choirs. He wrote and performed an overture for his 4th grade class' musical production of Magellan.
Inhigh school, he formed his first band, The Mafia. The band was focused on both performing cover songs and writing original music. They sometimes doubled as an instrumental jazz combo, playing parties and corporate functions. This was a catalyst for his involvement in school orchestras, jazz ensembles, choirs, and musical productions.
In college, Irwin performed more as a bassist than as a singer/songwriter. From 1996-1999, while living in Bolivar and Springfield, Missouri, he played in a ska band as well as various jazz groups. In 1999, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Belmont University. He immediately began writing and performing with numerous groups, from rock bands to orchestras.
Current activities
Between 2008 and the present day, Irwin has been working with the following artists; The Deep Vibration, Griffin House, Tristen, The Bittersweets, Roman Candle, The Nashville Jazz Group, Thad Cockrell, Andrew Peterson, Randall Goodgame, Stephen Gordon, and Sandra McCracken, amongst others.
Influences
Irwin cites John Entwistle (The Who), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), Matt Malley (Counting Crows), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and Adam Clayton (U2) as the bassists who have most influenced his playing.
Selected recordings
- Taylor Sorensen's The Overflow, 2003
- Griffin House's Homecoming, 2006
- Cerys Matthews' Never Said Goodbye, 2006
- Landon Pigg Coffeeshop',' 2008 [9]
- Peter Bradley Adams Leavetaking, 2008[10]
- Roman Candle's Oh Tall Tree in the Ear 2009[11]
- Thad Cockrell's To Be Loved LP 2009[11]
- Griffin House's The Learner 2010
References
- "Griffin House | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- Andrew Leahey (2007-10-17). "Flying Upside Down - Griffin House | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- Sharon Mawer (2006-08-21). "Never Said Goodbye - Cerys Matthews | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Derek Webb". Derek Webb. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Taylor (taylorsorensen) on Myspace". Myspace.com. 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "The Fill EP] - Taylor | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "The Overflow - Taylor Sorensen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2004-03-23. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Ultimate Music Makeover: The Songs of Michael W. Smith - Various Artists | Credits". AllMusic. 2005-08-02. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg | Credits". AllMusic. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Leavetaking - Peter Bradley Adams | Credits". AllMusic. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear - Roman Candle | Credits". AllMusic. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2014-07-16.