Jimi Shields (born James J. Shields; 1967), is an Irish architect and musician. He was a member of 1990s indie rock group

Rollerskate Skinny Rollerskate Skinny were an Irish band formed in 1992 by singer and guitarist Ken Griffin, guitarist Ger Griffin and bassist Stephen Murray, and were later joined by Jimmy Shields. They released two critically acclaimed albums, ''Shoulder Voices' ...

. He formed the band the

Wounded Knees Wounded Knees is a band whose core members are Jimi Shields (formerly of Rollerskate Skinny and Lotus Crown), ex-Mercury Rev flautist Suzanne Thorpe, and Phil Williams (ex- Hopewell). History Shields, based in Dublin, Ireland, and Thorpe, based ...

with former

Mercury Rev Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York.
Original personnel were Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

based landscape architecture and garden design practice.

Personal life

Shields is one of five siblings born to a mother who worked as a nurse and a food-industry executive father. The family immigrated to Dublin when he was a child. My Bloody Valentine leader

Kevin Shields Kevin Patrick Shields (born 21 May 1963) is an American-born Irish musician, singer-songwriter, composer, and producer, best known as the vocalist and guitarist of the band My Bloody Valentine. They became influential on the evolution of alter ...

is his older brother and shoe designer Eileen Shields is his younger sister. Shields is a graduate of

Technological University Dublin Technological University Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) or TU Dublin is Ireland's first technological university, established on 1 January 2019, and with a history stretching back to 1887 through the amalgamated Dub ...

– Bolton Street.Designs On Your Garden
Shields has three daughters with wife and partner Maria Vlahos.

Musical career

Shields started playing drums as a teenager with lessons from Brian Downey of

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

. Shields went on to form

with members of the band Shake in 1991 as guitarist/drummer/vocalist. He played on, co-produced and wrote much of their debut 1993 ''

Shoulder Voices ''Shoulder Voices'' is the debut album by Rollerskate Skinny, released in 1994. The album was named the Album of the Month in '' CMJ''. It led to an appearance on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour and a recording contract with Sire Records. Critical re ...

'' LP, as well as on the ''Novice'' (1992), ''Trophy'' (1993), and ''Threshold'' (1994) EPs. He wrote and recorded a song with Mercury Rev's David Baker for his Shady project in 1994. Shields left Rollerskake Skinny in 1994 and moved from Dublin to Chicago. While in Chicago, he formed Lotus Crown, and released ''Chokin' on the Jokes'' on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 1997. In 2002 Shields worked with

Martina Topley-Bird Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, '' Maxinquaye'' (1995). S ...

as touring drummer and In 2008, with the

, he released the "All Rise" EP on limited-edition 10" brown vinyl featuring

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...

and played a string of tour dates supporting Dinosaur Jr. Shields later recorded drum sessions with brother

for sampling purposes on My Bloody Valentine's 2013 release mbv.

TTT (thirtythreetrees)

Established in 2004 by Jimi Shields + Maria Vlahos, TTT is a multi-disciplinary design practice, based in Dublin City, with a particular emphasis on landscape architecture and garden design installations. TTT have completed several award winning projects; including awards from the

Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland ( ga, Institiúid Ríoga Ailtirí na hÉireann) founded in 1839, is the "competent authority for architects and professional body for Architecture in the Republic of Ireland." The RIAI's purpose ...

, the

Architectural Association of Ireland The Architectural Association of Ireland is an organisation dedicated to architecture in Ireland. It is not a professional accredited organisation but is open to all. Its activities include the organisation of a public lecture series, an annual ar ...

and a nomination for the

European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 'to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Eu ...

– Mies van der Rohe Award in 2017. TTT have exhibited at the

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

, in 2010, with dePaor Architects. The practice also undertakes temporary for artwork installations. TTT were awarded the Arts Council Architecture Project Award in 2011 and were awarded the first affiliate memberships to the Irish Landscape Institute in 2009. Jimi Shields, graduate of the Dublin School of Architecture (TU Dublin), has been invited to speak and teach at various universities and events including, UCD School of Architecture, UCD School of Landscape Architecture, Dublin School of Architecture (TU Dublin), Queens University Belfast and UCC School of Architecture,

PechaKucha PechaKucha (Japanese: ぺちゃくちゃ, IPA: etɕa kɯ̥tɕa ''chit-chat'') is a storytelling format in which a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each. At a PechaKucha Night, individuals gather at a venue to share personal ...

Dublin, the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and the Architectural Association of Ireland. Shields has also written for various publications.

References

External links

TTT (thirtythreetrees) WebsiteMerrion SquareThe Wounded Knees' MySpace ProfileAAI Podcast, Jimi Shields interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Jimi Irish guitarists Irish male guitarists Irish drummers Male drummers 1967 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people)