| Jeff Irwin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jeffrey Matthew Irwin |
| Born | September 12, 1977 in Creve Coeur, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative, experimental, electronica, jazz |
| Occupations | 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 |
| Notable instruments | |
| 1977-78 Fender Jazz Bass, Ashdown Bass Magnifier | |
Jeff Irwin (a.k.a. "the Yeti", born September 12, 1977) is an East Nashville, Tennessee based multi-instrumentalist. He has performed with Griffin House,[1][2] Cerys Matthews (formerly of Catatonia),[3] Derek Webb[4] & Sandra McCracken, Mat Kearney, Taylor Sorensen & the Trigger Code,[5][6][7][8] and many others including the Counting Crows.
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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.
2008–Present, Jeff 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, among others.
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.