Ohio-based Indie rock band, The Shins, are made up of vocals and guitarist James Mercer, drummer Joe Plummer, guitarist Jessica Dobson, bassist Yuuki Matthews, and Richard Swift.
The band got their start in 1996 as a project of Mercer’s that he balanced while in his other band, ... More
The Shins Information
Ohio-based Indie rock band, The Shins, are made up of vocals and guitarist James Mercer, drummer Joe Plummer, guitarist Jessica Dobson, bassist Yuuki Matthews, and Richard Swift.
The band got their start in 1996 as a project of Mercer’s that he balanced while in his other band, Flake Music. At the time Flake Music ended, Mercer signed with Omnibus Records for the EP, Nature Bears a Vacuum. The single garnered the current two-man band a small following, so they expanded and released their debut album, Oh, Inverted World, in 2001. Their first single off the album was “New Slang,” which they promoted along with the album while touring with Modest Mouse.
They gained more recognition as their songs were featured in a number of movies and TV shows, like A Guy Thing, Garden State, The OC, and Gilmore Girls. Pitchfork Media ranked them #71 of their list Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004.
Making the move from Albuquerque to Portland, they released their second album, Chutes Too Narrow, in 2003. 2007 saw the release of their third album, Wincing The Night Away, which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. That year, they also recorded a version of the show Weeds’ theme song, “Little Boxes,” which was featured in an episode.
In 2008, they left Sub Pop Records and decided to record their fourth album on Mercer’s own label. The album, Port of Morrow, didn’t come out until March 20, 2012. The first single off the album is “Simple Song 7,” which charted #18 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative chart.
The band is currently touring to promote the album. They are finishing up spots in Europe before kicking off the North American leg of the tour on April 13 in Las Vegas.
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