James Mercer (musician)
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| James Mercer | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Russell Mercer |
| Born | December 26, 1970 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Origin | Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Indie pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Guitar Harmonica |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label(s) | Sub Pop Transgressive |
| Associated acts | The Shins Flake Flake Music |
| Website | theshins.com |
James Russell Mercer (born December 26, 1970 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American guitarist and indie rock musician. He attended high school in both England and Germany; in an interview in The Guardian he stated that he lived in England from 1985-1990, and that the family moved there because his father was in the Air Force [1].
In the early 90s, Mercer belonged to a group called Blue Roof Dinner; then in 1992 he became a founding member of the Flakes. In 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mercer began The Shins as a side-project. In 1999, the Flakes (by then called Flake Music) disbanded and Mercer and the other band members focused completely on The Shins, of which he is still the lead singer/songwriter. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon, the given location stated on the band's official MySpace page [1]. Mercer named his band The Shins after the family in the musical The Music Man, a favorite of Mercer's father.
Musical influences he has mentioned include The Smiths, The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Beach Boys and The Jesus and Mary Chain.[1] Mercer also sang backup vocals on the tracks "Florida", "Missed the Boat" and "We've Got Everything" on Modest Mouse's 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. On the Shins' 2007 album Wincing the Night Away, the booklet credits Mercer with playing "guitar, bass, synthesizer, ukulele, banjo, cat piano, percussion, beat and MIDI programming."
Mercer is known to play a worn yellow Gibson Les Paul Double cut faded (guitar).
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Shins official website
- The Shins UK Fan website
- Suicide Girls: Missy Speaks to James Mercer of The Shins
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