The Jimmy Swift Band (JSB) is a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

that combines elements of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

, and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

. Their band currently consists of 4 members, Craig Mercer on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, Mike MacDougall on

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, Aaron Collier on

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and effects, and Nick Wombolt on

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, the band has been most often described as rocktronica.

Career

Formed in the late 1990s by members of the now defunct band PF Station, JSB's name comes from the title of a subject in one of PF Station's songs, "A Night in the Life of Fly Jimmy Swift". Before their current name, the band was previously known Fly Jimmy Swift. Combining intricate guitar and a distinctly electronica keyboard sound with a hard hitting and rock solid rock

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

section, the band is known for its exciting live show full of lengthy progressive instrumental

jams Jams or JAMS may refer to: *Plural form of jam, a type of fruit preserve *Jams (clothing line) *JAMS (organization), United States organization that provides alternative dispute resolution services *The JAMs, former name of The KLF, a British band ...

that always get the crowd up and moving. The band has released 5 studio albums, 2 live albums, a live 5.1 concert DVD, a remix album, and a greatest hits package on 8-track tape. They've won three

East Coast Music Award The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

s, and numerous Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia (MIANS/Music Nova Scotia) awards over the past 15 years. In 2004 the band produced their first video for the single "Two Hands on the Wheel" with New Brunswick filmmaker Greg Hemmings. On November 28, 2006, JSB released an animated video produced by Copernicus Studios for the single "Turnaround", from the album ''Weight of the World''. For close to 15 years, the band maintained a busy touring schedule, playing up to 250 shows a year across Canada and the US with stints in Asia and the Bahamas, they have performed internationally at numerous festivals worldwide and were considered instrumental in the development of Eastern Canada's

Evolve Festival Evolve Festival is an annual multi-genre music and cultural festival in New Brunswick. The festival is dedicated to the promotion of sustainable living and environmental awareness. It uses renewable energy sources (aided by Diesel generator, dies ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

's Shoreline Festival. Other events include Moedown (NY), Haymaker (VA), the World Electronic Music Festival (

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

), Canada Day celebrations in Bermuda and many more. The group are at the head of the

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...

jam scene, and frequently play with fellow scene mates

Grand Theft Bus Grand Theft Bus is a Canadian band based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Known for short, catchy, genre jumping ditties and long meandering nonsensical improvisations with occasional magic and a touch of musical comedy. History Formed i ...

, and

Slowcoaster Slowcoaster is a Canadian indie rock band from Sydney, Nova Scotia. The band's sound is rock-based, with strong influences of reggae, ska, folk and jazz. History Slowcoaster was formed in November 1999 by guitarist Steven MacDougall, drummer Dev ...

. On May 13, 2011 it was announced by Aaron Collier on his website that the band had decided to break up. Three years later the band announced it would be touring Eastern Canada for one final tour, ending with a performance at the Evolve Music Festival in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Discography

Albums

*''Now They Will Know We Were Here'' – 2001 :#"Creepin'" :#"Up in Arms" :#"Beautiful in the Morning" :#"Drive By" :#"Now They Will Know We Were Here" :#"Dreams" :#"Commotion" :#"Warm and Fuzzy Feeling" :#"Concrete" :#"When Worlds Collide" :#"Rearrange" *''Onward Through the Fog'' – 2003 :#"Two Hands on the Wheel" :#"Running High" :#"Granted" :#"The 80s Runway Model" :#"Anhedonia" :#"When It Comes to It" :#"Now and Then" :#"Yard Sale" :#"Astronauts Attempting to Take Off Their Spacesuits so They May Copulate" :#"Alignment" *''The Rebirth Of Hooch'' – 2004 :#"Now They Will Know We Were Here (pt 1)" :#"Now They Will Know We Were Here (pt 2)" :#"Creepin'" :#"Daisy" :#"Astronauts Attempting to Take Off Their Spacesuits..." :#"...So They May Copulate" :#"The 80s Runway Model" *''Precious Gems & Rarities'' (

8-track cartridge The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, whi ...

only) – 2005 *''Weight of the World'' – 2006 :#"Daisy" :#"Turnaround" :#"Mobilized" :#"Immobilize" :#"Roadrage" :#"Onward Through the Fog" :#"Exploration" :#"Weight of the World" :#"Faceless" :#"2012" :#"Evacuation" *''When All Is Said And Done... ...There'll Be A Lot More Said Than Done'' – 2011 :#"Immobilized" :#"Evacuation (Remix)" :#"Daisy (Remix)" :#"Medicine Chest" :#"Turning Of The Tide" :#"Running Through The Tall Grass" :#"The Bend" :#"Goodbye" :#"Onward Through The Fog (Remix)" :#"Faceless (Remix)" :#"Weight Of The World (Remix)" :#"Road Rage" :#"Outfacing"

PF Station

*''Ahh Yeah'' (Drop Records) – 1998

Videos

*"Turnaround"

References

External links

The Jimmy Swift Band
bandcamp site *
"Turnaround"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimmy Swift Band, The Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian alternative rock groups Canadian electronic music groups 1999 establishments in Nova Scotia 2011 disestablishments in Nova Scotia