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The Dartmouth
July 27, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Warbling Mesozoic melodies

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, which has been described as "the world's hardest rocking chamber group," performs Saturday, Oct. 22, in Spaulding Auditorium. They combine synthesizers, electric guitars, live percussion and a saxophone to unleash an alternately frenetic and introspective pastiche. The group's leader, Erik Lindgren, was available to talk about Birdsongs' origins and philosophy.

Lindgren: Birdsongs began in 1980 as a project. Roger [Miller, former guitarist for Mission of Burma] had some experimental piano music, and he called me up and said, "Let's do it." Little did we expect, when we came out on a local compilation, how all of a sudden people got turned on. We're coming out of the classical tradition, but on the other hand, we're all in our late 30s and early 40s and very into rock music, so it's chamber music but not in the traditional sense. What makes Birdsongs unique is our attitude ... we're considered a 180-degree group that covers all the bases. There are times when we're downright noisy, and other times when we're very cerebral. I wouldn't call us either a New Age group or a punk group, but you kind of extract from those two extremes and everything in between ...

The Dartmouth: In a lot of reviews, I've seen Birdsongs compared to [contemporary composer] Phillip Glass, in a phrase like, "bridging the gap from minimalism and surf-punk."

Lindgren: Well, I can see what people are talking about, but I would refer to us as "Phillip Glass with a whoopie cushion," which someone recently wrote about us.

The Dartmouth: Are there any classical influences on your style?

Lindgren: Yes, I would say there's a very strong classical backbone in the group. I see a lot of Debussy, Erik Satie. But on the other hand, you have to realize that one of my favorite groups is Edie and the Stooges, which is as punky as you can get. Brian Eno is also a big influence. We really defy description. In the past couple of years, I've been reading new album reviews, and they'll be saying, "This reminds me of Birdsongs ..." So we've created our own little niche.

The Dartmouth: Do people ever think of your music as fodder for film scores?

Lindgren: You bring up an interesting point. People automatically think, "Ah, progressive music, instrumental, perfect for film scores." In reality, there's a world of difference. Birdsongs' music does not really work well with visuals because the music is concert music, which fights ordinary visuals. We are actually integrating visuals into our performances, but they're not the type of visuals you'd expect to see. One thing that I always equate with Birdsong music is this nervous energy -- there's this constant motorhythmic pulse to it. So our visuals tend to complement that and be just as nervous.

The Dartmouth: Are there any dominant themes that you try to explore in your music?

Lindgren: Many of the titles of songs are afterthoughts. I create pieces. I wouldn't necessarily sit down to write a piece about something in particular; they just unfold. I remember one thing that Dr. T. J. Anderson, my composition teacher at Tufts [University], told me: "Pick your ancestors." When you get down to it, you choose who influences your compositional style.

The Dartmouth: Can you tell me a little about your outside lives?

Lindgren: I'm an independent producer. I do a lot of commercials and innocuous jingles. I'm always active with sound and music. Ken Field, our sax player, works in the computer industry, Rick Scott, who plays synths, works for a high-end audio equipment company. Michael Bierylo, our new guitarist, teaches audio at the Museum School in Boston. We have our own lives -- we're not a bandhouse or a commune. But we really do write music to satisfy ourselves. If we satisfy ourselves, we've won the battle.