Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine Play for National Parks

October 7, 2021 9:01 am

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Today (October 7), fans of the silky-smooth folk musicians, Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam), can see the two artists perform in the beautiful great outdoors and do so with charity and preservation in mind.

Videos by American Songwriter

Performing from Tenaya Lake and Cathedral Beach in California’s Yosemite National Park, the two musicians demonstrated both the majesty of their musicianship and the natural world. With the onset of climate change, the two musicians are attempting to bring awareness to the very real plight, they say.

The performances were sponsored by Lucky Brand with media company La Blogothèque, which includes a $25,000 donation to the National Parks and contests for fans for Taylor guitars and other gifts that will benefit the outdoors.

“As a performer, reacting to my environment has been a constant driver,” says Bird in a statement. “From my Echolocations series to Gezelligheid concerts to Play for the Parks, the idea is simple: be flexible and wait for your environment to tell you what it wants to hear. With Sam Beam and Yosemite as collaborators, this was an ideal environment.”

See Bird with Beam perform “Manifest” and his new song, “Fixed Positions.”

“No photograph can prepare a person for the scale and beauty of Yosemite,” said Beam in a statement. “It was my first visit and I was completely overwhelmed! What a blessing to be able to spend it making music with Andrew Bird—and ankle deep in water to boot!”

See Beam with Bird perform his songs, “Call It Dreaming” and “Upward Over the Mountain.”

Next summer, the two musicians will play a show together at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

“Lucky Brand has had a long-standing history of providing artists and musicians with a platform for self-expression,” said Michael DeLellis, SVP, Head of Marketing, in a statement. “Play for the Parks is our latest content series installment that highlights artists’ voices while paying tribute to our great American landscape. We are excited to share these intimate music videos with our consumers and music lovers everywhere.”