James Shaw (sometimes credited as Jimmy Shaw) is a founder and lead guitarist of Canadian
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band
Metric
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathem ...
. He is also a member of the band
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the oth ...
and an award-winning producer.
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
Emily Savitri Haines (born 25 January 1974) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter of the rock band Metric and a member of the musical collective Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she has pe ...
, 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
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathem ...
in 1998. Shaw's early efforts to make sure that former high school friends Haines and
Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which con ...
remained friends helped the evolution of the band Broken Social Scene.
Shaw produced the debut album of the
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
band
The Lovely Feathers (who toured with Metric in 2005).
He is the owner of Giant Studios in Toronto, formerly with
Sebastien Grainger
Sebastien Alexandre Grainger (born 11 April 1979) is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the alternative rock duo Death from Above and the singer and guitarist for his band Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains. H ...
, member of
Death From Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 (also known as Death from Above) is a Canadian rock duo consisting of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band released their debut album, '' You're ...
.
In 2010, he was nominated along with bandmate Emily Haines for the
Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year The Juno Award for "Songwriter of the Year" has been awarded since 1971, as recognition each year for the best songwriter in Canada. It was also known as the Juno Award for "Composer of the Year" from 1975 to 1990.
Formerly presented for a single ...
. In 2013 he won the
Juno Award for Producer of the Year
The Juno Award for "Producer of the Year" has been awarded since 1975, as recognition each year for the best record producer in Canada. It was renamed the "Jack Richardson Producer of the Year" award in 2003, after Jack Richardson who was a noted ...
for the songs "
Youth Without Youth" and "Breathing Underwater" from Metric's album ''
Synthetica
''Synthetica'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric, released on 12 June 2012. The first single, " Youth Without Youth", was released on 1 May 2012. "Speed the Collapse" was released as a sneak preview on 23 May 2012.
On ...
''.
Shaw performed with Broken Social Scene on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert March 30, 2017.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, James
Canadian songwriters
Canadian record producers
Musicians from Toronto
Writers from Toronto
Living people
Canadian new wave musicians
Broken Social Scene members
Best Original Song Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners
Metric (band) members
Canadian indie rock musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)