The Shins began as a side project for singer/songwriter James Mercer, whose primary band was Flake Music in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mercer formed Flake Music in 1992 with Marty Crandall on bass, Jesse Sandoval on drums, and Neal Langford on guitar. During the next 5 years they released several singles, a full-length, and got their first taste of touring thanks to buddies like Modest Mouse.

In 1997, Mercer began writing songs that would eventually become the now classic first Shins single “Nature Bears A Vacuum.” Around this time Flake Music had come to an end, so it was perfect timing to record. Recruiting Sandoval to play drums, the single was put out with very little expectations beyond Albuquerque. The band’s first few shows were actually as that duo. Eventually, buzz about the single grew to the point of needing a full band to play around town. Marty Crandall, also from Flake Music, was brought into the fold on keyboards, and Dave Hernandez (frontman of local punk band Scared of Chaka, who played dozens of shows with Flake Music) was given bass duties.

After almost a year as this lineup, during which “New Slang” was penned, Hernandez left due to a personal relationship in New York. Neal Langford seemed the obvious choice for replacement, and it was this line up that saw the group embark on tour with Modest Mouse.

Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman caught the San Francisco date of the tour and asked the Shins to contribute a single to the label’s Single of the Month Club, which eventually became an offer the Shins’ 2001 single, “New Slang,” and their debut album, Oh, Inverted World. The groups spend the rest of the year touring. The release of singles such as “Know Your Onion!” and “The Past and Pending” kept the Shins’ success going into 2002, comenting Oh, Inverted World as one of the definitive indie-rock albums of the early ‘00’s and the Shins as one of the genres most definitive bands.

Relocating from Albuquerque to Portland, OR, Mercer and Sandoval (as well as Crandall, working with the band from Albuquerque) lost Langford to his true passion, professional hot air ballooning. Dave Hernandez (at this point living in Seattle) rejoined The Shins in 2003. The band began tracking new material in James’s basement that summer. In an effort to balance the home-recording method used on Oh, Inverted World with a studio finish, producer Phil Ek (built to Spill, Modest Mouse) was brought in to mix and produce the album. Chutes Too Narrow was released by Sub Pop that fell. Nonstop touring of everywhere from Australia to Norway, as well as the US countless times over, contributed to the albums exceeding everyone’s expectations, including the band’s.

The Shins’ third album, Wincing the Night Away, further exceeded expectations and set a new course for the band. While Mercer kept his fundamental approach to recording by working with Phil Ek to construct the basic foundation of the record. Veteran engineer Joe Chicarelli (Beck, U2) was brought in to help mercer widen the scope of the bands’ dynamics and sound. Still retaining mercer’s indelible melodic style, the collaboration provided the focus needed to successfully experiment in the studio with the rich, sonic textures that define the record.

Finished at the end of 2006 and released in January of 2007, Wincing The Night Away was the first Sub Pop release to enter the Top 10 debuting at #2 on the Billboard charts selling 118,000 copies in the first week. Since its release, the record has sold over 800,000 copes and combined with sales of Oh, Inverted World and Chutes To Narrow, The Shins albums have collectively sold over two million copies worldwide.

Because the music on Wincing the Night Away represented something much larger in scope than any of the bands’ previous releases, The Shins decided it was time re-approach their live performance by adding another musician into the fold. In early 2007, long time friend and label-mate Eric Johnson (Fruit Bats, Califone) joined as a full-time, touring member. Having already contributed to the recording sessions for Wincing The Night Away, Eric was a perfect fit for filling out the line up.

In support of Wincing The Night Away, The Shins have toured across The US, The UK, and Europe. They’ve appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, including Saturday Night Live, The Conan O’Brien Show, Lake Night with David Letterman, and the Tonight Show. By the end of the year the band will have also toured in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. For a band that began with very little expectations outside of impressing a few friends in Albuquerque, The Shins have helped bring American indie-pop to the forefront of mainstream culture, both at home and abroad.

The Shins currently reside in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA.