James Shaw (musician)

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James Shaw
Jimmy Shaw of Metric.jpg
In Victoria B.C., November 2012
Background information
Also known asJimmy Shaw
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock, new wave, post-punk revival, synthpop, dance-rock [1]
Occupation(s) Musician, record producer, recording engineer
Instrument(s) Guitar, synthesizer, theremin
Years active1997-present
LabelsMetric Music International
Last Gang
Arts & Crafts (Mexico only)

James Shaw (sometimes credited as Jimmy Shaw) is a founder and lead guitarist of Canadian indie rock band Metric. He is also a member of the band Broken Social Scene [2] and an award-winning producer. [3]

Contents

Life and career

Shaw was born in London, England and raised in Bellevue, Ontario, Canada. He spent three years earning a classical music education at the Juilliard Music School in New York. Upon returning to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he met Emily Haines, and the two began dating and making music immediately. In 1997, Haines was featured in Shaw's debut album "Life on the Clock", and the two formed the band Metric in 1998. Shaw's early efforts to make sure that former high school friends Haines and Kevin Drew remained friends helped the evolution of the band Broken Social Scene.

Shaw produced the debut album of the Montreal band The Lovely Feathers (who toured with Metric in 2005). [4]

He was the owner of Giant Studios in Toronto from 2006, formerly with Sebastien Grainger, member of Death From Above 1979 until he sold it to Gus Van Go, a producer known for his work with Metric and the Stills, in 2023. [5] [6]

In 2010, he was nominated along with bandmate Emily Haines for the Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year. In 2013 he won the Juno Award for Producer of the Year for the songs "Youth Without Youth" and "Breathing Underwater" from Metric's album Synthetica . [7] [8]

Shaw performed with Broken Social Scene on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert March 30, 2017. [9]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken Social Scene</span> Canadian indie rock band

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Metric is a Canadian indie rock band founded in 1998 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Emily Haines, James Shaw, Joshua Winstead and Joules Scott-Key. The band started in 1998 as a duo formed by Haines and Shaw with the name "Mainstream". After releasing an EP titled Mainstream EP, they changed the band's name to Metric.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todor Kobakov</span> Musical artist

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References

  1. "Metric – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  2. Buckley, Michael (6 June 2013). "Music Box: Indie rock band Metric visits Rams Head Live! in Baltimore". capitalgazette.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  3. "Accolades for the week of May 21". concordia.ca. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  4. Garcia, Michelle (28 April 2006), Lovely Feathers Found on Road
  5. Rowland, Jamie (24 June 2009). "Metric : Interview". pennyblackmusic.com. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  6. Gormely, Ian (12 October 2023). "Metric Turned a Church into a Studio and Indulged Their Wickedest Musical Whims". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. "James Shaw Juno Summary". junoawards.ca. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  8. "Toronto at the Junos". NOW. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  9. "Broken Social Scene Return With "Halfway Home," First New Song in 7 Years: Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.