Shearwater (band)
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| Shearwater | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Austin, Texas |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock, Psych folk, Folk rock |
| Years active | 2001–present[1] |
| Label(s) | Misra Records Matador Records |
| Associated acts | Okkervil River |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | |
| Jonathan Meiburg Kimberly Burke Thor Harris |
|
| Former members | |
| Will Sheff Howard Draper |
|
Shearwater is an indie rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1999[2] by Okkervil River members Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff.
Contents |
[edit] History
Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff, who began their collaboration as members of the critically lauded Okkervil River, founded Shearwater in 2001 as an outlet for quieter songs on which the two were working.
Shearwater's debut, The Dissolving Room, introduced Meiburg's now ex-wife Kim Burke on upright bass; shortly after, drummer and vibraphonist Thor Harris joined the band.
The addition of multi-instrumentalist Howard Draper plus tours and support dates with The Mountain Goats, Akron/Family and Blonde Redhead brought them exposure. Shearwater developed their music through several initial albums such as Everybody Makes Mistakes and Winged Life, as well as the Thieves EP.
In May 2006, Shearwater released their fourth full-length album, Palo Santo, to much acclaim from critics and fans.[3] On April 10, 2007, Shearwater, now signed on to Matador Records, re-released a 2-disc edition of Palo Santo with bonus and re-recorded tracks from the original album.
Matador Records released Shearwater's new album, Rook, on June 3, 2008. [4] The first single, "Rooks", is available for free as an MP3 from their record label.[5]
[edit] More information
- Meiburg is a graduate student in ornithology, the study of birds. Shearwater is the name of a type of medium-sized seabird that is also shown on the cover of Winged Life.
Additionally, Shearwater is accompanied in concert by Jordan Geiger (of Hospital Ships) on coronet, synthesizer, and percussion, and Kevin Schneider (of Black Before Red) on keyboard, bass, and guitar
[edit] Discography
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[edit] Albums
- The Dissolving Room - 2001 / Grey Flat
- Everybody Makes Mistakes - 2002 / Misra
- Winged Life - 2004 / Misra
- Palo Santo - 2006 / Misra
- Rook - 2008
[edit] Split albums
- Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral - 2004 / Jound / CD Split with Okkervil River
[edit] EPs
- Thieves - 2005 / Misra / EP
- The Snow Leopard EP - 2008
[edit] References
- ^ Crock, Jason (2007-04-24). "Interview: Shearwater". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42179-interview-shearwater.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Shearwater: Palo Santo - PopMatters Music Review
- ^ Coming June 3 - Shearwater's "Rook". Matador Records
- ^ [2]
[edit] External links
- Official website
- NPR Song of the Day
- Austin Chronicle Feature
- Interview with Jonathan Meiburg at Aural States, June 2008
