The Shins

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Shins


Img_capt = The Shins performing in London, March 2007
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Genre = Indie rock
Indie pop
Years_active = 1997–present
Label = flagicon|United States Sub Pop
flagicon|United Kingdom Transgressive (distributing label)
flagicon|Germany Cargo Records (distributing label)
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.theshins.com www.theshins.com]
Current_members = James Mercer
Martin Crandall
Dave Hernandez
Eric Johnson
Jesse Sandoval

Past_members = Neal Langford
Mikael Yeung

The Shins is an American indie rock group comprising singer, songwriter and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, alternative country, and folk. Since forming in Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Shins are now based in Portland, Oregon.

History

From Flake Music to The Shins (1992–2000)

The Shins began in 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Neal Langford, both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (now Flake Music) had disbanded and its former members became The Shins. (The name was based on a fictional family in the Broadway show "The Music Man", a favorite of Mercer's father.) The band released two 7" singles on Omnibus — "Nature Bears A Vacuum" (1998) and "When I Goosestep" (2000) — and embarked on a tour with Modest Mouse [http://www.theshins.com/] . During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.

igned to Sub Pop (2001–2008)

The Shins' first album was 2001's "Oh, Inverted World", released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft and jangly pop sound. Songs from this album featured prominently in the film "Garden State", exposing the music of The Shins to a much wider audience. Their music was also featured in several episodes of the television series "Gilmore Girls".Fact|date=August 2008 Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. "Chutes Too Narrow" followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrics, as well as a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity. During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments.Fact|date=March 2008 "Oh, Inverted World" appeared at #71 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004 [ [http://www.listsofbests.com/list/3435?page=2 Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004 on Lists of Bests ] ] and "Chutes Too Narrow" appeared at #47. In 2006, the band helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

In a Pitchfork Media interview, Mercer announced that Eric Johnson of fellow Sub Pop band Fruit Bats had joined the Shins. [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/40237/Interview_Interview_The_Shins The Shins | Pitchfork ] ]

The band's third album, "Wincing the Night Away", was released on January 23, 2007. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album released solely on Sub Pop has ever achieved. The album was leaked to the Internet on October 20, 2006. It was available for pre-order with an extra track on iTunes.Fact|date=August 2008 The Shins recorded a version of "Little Boxes" for the Showtime series "Weeds".Fact|date=August 2008

On November 27, 2007, the group was featured on a Darfur charity album released by Waxploitation. The album was available on iTunes for only 90 days. 100% of the profits went towards alleviating the crisis in Darfur.Fact|date=August 2008

"Wincing the Night Away" was nominated for a 2008 Grammy award in the category of Best Alternative Music Album. [ [http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117977172.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1 50th annual Grammy Awards nominations - Entertainment News, Award Central News, Media - Variety ] ]

The Shins collaborated together to create a t-shirt design for the [http://www.yellowbirdproject.com/theshins.html Yellow Bird Project] to raise money for the Nature Conservancy.Fact|date=August 2008 Martin Crandall and his ex-girlfriend, former America's Next Top Model finalist Elyse Sewell, were arrested in January 2008 after an altercation in a Sacramento hotel room. [ [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579142/20080107/shins_the.jhtml Shins Instrumentalist Arrested For Domestic Violence - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News ] ] Domestic assault charges were filed against both of them, but all charges were eventually dismissed. [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/47856-marty-crandall-domestic-abuse-case-dismissed Pitchfork: Marty Crandall Domestic Abuse Case Dismissed ] ]

A poster of The Shins was seen in the background in the beginning of the 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.Fact|date=August 2008

On June 20, 2008, the band announced that they were leaving Sup Pop Records for James Mercer's own label, Aural Apothecary. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003819340 The Shins Releasing Next Album On Frontman's Label ] ]

Discography

Albums

* "When You Land Here, It's Time to Return" "(as Flake Music)" (1997)
* "Oh, Inverted World" (2001)
* "Chutes Too Narrow" (2003) #86 (US)
* "Wincing the Night Away" (2007) #2 (US) #2 (CAN) #5 (AUS) #16 (UK) #2 (Global Album Chart) #8 (Ire)

EPs

*"Spork" "(as Flake Music)" (1995)
*"Nature Bears a Vacuum" (1998)
*"When I Goose-Step" (1999)
*"Know Your Onion!" (2002)
*"So Says I" (2003)
*"Fighting in a Sack" (2004)
*"Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive)" (2007)

ingles

Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music

*(Flake) 7" Mieke 1993 Resin
*(Flake) 10" Spork 1995 Science Project
*(Flake) 7" split with Henry's Dress 1995 Omnibus Records (Henry's Dress/Flake 7")
*(Flake) 7" Been There Done That compilation 1995 Science Project (80's covers)
*Sue Defender 7" 1996 Headhunter/Cargo
* When You Land Here, It's Time to Return 1996
*7" split with Scared of Chaka 1997 702/Science Project
*7" compilation w/ Luxo-champ, the Rondelles, and more...Pocket Protector Records

Compilations

*"Music from Scrubs" (soundtrack) (2002 · Hollywood Records) song: "New Slang"
*"Such Great Heights" (compilation) (2003 · Sub Pop Records) song: "We Will Become Silhouettes"
*"Garden State" (soundtrack) (2004 · Sony Records) songs: "Caring Is Creepy", "New Slang"
*"Wicker Park" (soundtrack) (2004 · Lakeshore Records) song: "When I Goose-Step"
*"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (soundtrack) (2004 · Sire/Warner Bros. Records) song: "They'll Soon Discover"
*Live at KEXP, Volume 1 (compilation) (2005 - KEXP) song: "Kissing the Lipless"
* (2002 · Rhino Records) song: "Know Your Onion!"
*"Sprout" (soundtrack) (2005 - Brushfire Records) song: "When I Goose Step"
*"Causes 1" (compilation) (2007 - Waxploitation) song: "Turn On Me (Clint Mansell Remix)"
*"Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One" song: "Never Gonna Wipe My Butt" (cover of a song on "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!")
*Chuck (Episode 1 Season 1TV series 2008) "A Comet Appears" plays while Chuck and Sarah sit on the beach.
*"Music from Weeds" (soundtrack) (2008 · Lions Gate Entertainment) song: "Little Boxes"

Awards and nominations

*Nominated: (2008) Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for "Wincing the Night Away"

References

External links

* [http://www.theshins.com/ theshins.com] , official band website
* [http://www.theshins.co.uk/ theshins.co.uk] , The Shins official UK fansite
* [http://www.phantomlimb.org/ phantomlimb.org] The Shins forum
* [http://www.bandega.com/band/view/fruit-bats#interview 2008 Interview with Eric Johnson of The Shins at Bandega.com]