Andrew Bird got his band together for practice and ended up making a record.

The sessions that turned into the violin-playing, whistling singer-songwriter's latest album, "Break It Yourself," were initially a rehearsal.

"I rolled tape and made sure we captured it," Bird told The World-Herald. "I didn't put the pressure on myself that I had to make a record, but we ended up making a record."

Before the charming Bird and his band came to Omaha, we caught up with him on the phone to talk about the new album, playing the violin and - yes - the Muppets.

Q. You recorded "Break It Yourself" kind of in the middle of nowhere in a barn. That must have been different.

A. Yeah. There's nowhere to go to blow off steam unless you want to go for a long walk. My band (members) are all from Minneapolis, so they're used to a certain degree of isolation. In the past, with different groups of musicians, there are the folks that need to have that bar or the coffee shop down the street.