Play/Pause Listen: Download MP3 | 00:22:21 Andrew Bird performs live in The Current studio (full session and interview) 22:21

Andrew Bird - Are You Serious (Live on The Current) 04:44

Andrew Bird - Roma Fade (Live on The Current) 04:23

Andrew Bird - Capsized (Live on The Current) 03:54

"Not in the concert, in the show. That's sort of a sacred environment between me and the audience; there [I don't feel exposed]. And on the record, no. But in talking about the record, I've never quite been here before. That kind of feels more like open season."

Ahead of a sold out show at First Avenue in support of his new album Are You Serious, Andrew Bird stopped by The Current to perform a stripped-down set live in-studio and to chat with host Mary Lucia.

Bird  who gravitates toward the kitchen when thinking creatively  says these days, writing is rarely a conscious effort. "All of my songs are personal, it's just a matter of how close to the surface those personal things are."

Though he lives in Los Angeles now, he feels most at home on his farm in Illinois. The most California thing he's ever done was try surfing – it wasn't for him. But Bird doesn't believe his relatively new environment affected Are You Serious. Whether it's hiking around Griffith Park or living amid the Midwest plains, Bird still soars despite writing in a vacuum.

Songs Performed

"Are You Serious"

"Roma Fade"

"Capsized"

All songs off Andrew Bird's album Are You Serious, out now via Loma Vista.

Hosted by Mary Lucia

Produced by Derrick Stevens

Engineered by Mike DeMark

Web feature by Leah Garaas

Visuals by Nate Ryan

Related Stories

Andrew Bird talks new album 'Are You Serious,' collaboration with Fiona Apple Andrew Bird stopped by The Current ahead of his performance on <em>A Prairie Home Companion</em> this weekend with host Chris Thile and Paul Simon to talk about his new album <em>Are You Serious</em> and collaborating with Fiona Apple.

On Andrew Bird's Latest, Real Life Takes The Reins 'All my songs are personal on some level; it's just a matter of how much that personal thing is buried.' Bird says that on the new album, 'Are You Serious,' his private world has bubbled to the surface.

9 Photos