Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird

An artist steeped in Southern roots music of all sorts, Jimbo Mathus first earned attention as one of the founders of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, who became an unlikely success when their skewed take on vintage hot jazz, "Hell," became a modern rock hit in 1996. While the SNZ's mélange of hot jazz, jump blues, and prewar pop was distinctive enough, it only represented the tip of the iceberg of Mathus' many influences. After setting out on his own, he dug deep into country blues (Play Songs for Rosetta), blues-shot rock & roll (National Antiseptic), honky tonk country (Jimmy the ...