Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird is a German klezmer group founded in 2005 by Daniel Kahn, born September 11, 1978, in Detroit, Michigan. After studying theater and writing at the University of Michigan, Kahn moved to New Orleans and began his musical career as a bar pianist. The group's name comes from Jerzy Kosiński’s novel The Painted Bird. Their debut album, River Mouth, was released in 2003 under Earthwork Music. In 2006, they released their first major album, The Broken Tongue, on Chasma Records, which was later reissued by Oriente Musik in 2009. Subsequent albums include Partisans & Parasites (2009), Lost Causes (2011), and Bad Old Songs (2013). The group's music blends klezmer with radical Yiddish songs, political cabaret, and folk punk, often addressing sociopolitical themes. Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird have also received critical acclaim, notably the German Record Critics' Award for Lost Causes in 2011.
