Birth name Jeffrey Matthew Irwin Party Democratic Party Role Politician | Name Jeff Irwin Years active 1995-present | |
 | ||
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 Labels Rocketown Records for Taylor Sorensen, Netwerk for Griffin House, Rough Trade for Cerys Matthews, Columbia/Aware for Mat Kearney Residence Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States | ||
Rep. Jeff Irwin Bids Farewell to the Michigan House of Representatives
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, Cerys Matthews, Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken, Mat Kearney, Taylor Sorensen & the Trigger Code, and many others including Counting Crows.
Contents
- Rep Jeff Irwin Bids Farewell to the Michigan House of Representatives
- Biography
- Current activities
- Influences
- Selected recordings
- References
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.