Jeff Bridges is ‘living the dream’ with Ryman concert

Jeff Bridges gave The Tennessean a call minutes after touching down in New York City, where he spent a week wrapping up an exhausting, months-long promotional tour for his new movie “The Giver.”

Now, the film finally is in theaters, and Bridges has the chance to unwind.

So he’s hitting the road.

The actor and musician is going on tour with his band, The Abiders, and they’ll perform at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday.

“It’s so much fun, especially with all of my buds, you know?” Bridges says in his signature laid-back tone. “I’m just kind of living the dream with them.”

Though he’s more famous for acting roles in “The Big Lebowski,” “True Grit,” “The Fisher King” and other films, music has been a constant and serious pursuit for Bridges. He released his debut album in 2000, and his Academy Award-winning role as musician Otis “Bad” Blake in 2009’s “Crazy Heart” led to his sophomore, self-titled album in 2011.

“Music’s been a part of my life since I was a teenager,” he says. “I’ve got a pile of songs backed up, and I’m ready for another studio album, as well, at some point. It seems to be kind of a natural bodily function (laughs).”

Bridges has written some of his songs in Music City over the years, as his oldest friend and collaborator John Goodwin calls Nashville home. Other music-making has happened on movie sets, stretching all the way back to 1980’s “Heaven’s Gate,” when he would jam with his future producer T Bone Burnett.

That tradition carried on with “The Giver,” as Bridges found himself seated at a piano with co-star Taylor Swift. He says the country-turned-pop star has “some good acting in her.”

“She’s got a real sweetness about her. It reminds me of my girls,” he says, referring to his three daughters.

Speaking of which, Bridges’ daughter Jessie Bridges, will open for him and The Abiders on Wednesday. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $39.50 and $69.50.