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

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

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 Wale ...

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

, 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 came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

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

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, Mike MacDougall on

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, Aaron Collier on keyboards and effects, and Nick Wombolt on

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, 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 as Fly Jimmy Swift. Combining guitar and a distinctly electronica keyboard sound with a 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 r ...

section, the band is known for its live show with lengthy progressive instrumental jams. The band has released five studio albums, two live albums, a live 5.1 concert DVD, a remix album, and a package on 8-track tape. They've won three

East Coast Music Award The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the Music of Canada's Maritimes, music industry in the Canada, Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music ...

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 played up to 250 shows a year across Canada and the US, with stints in Asia and the Bahamas. They 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, recycled, and biodegradable p ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

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

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

celebrations in Bermuda, and more. The group is at the head of the

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

jam scene and frequently plays with fellow scenemates Grand Theft Bus and Slowcoaster. 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. Aaron Collier has gone on to a career in theatre, founding the Heist theatre company with his husband Richie Wilcox and becoming best known for his play ''The Princess Show''.Morgan Mullin
"Nova Scotia's hottest summer ticket is a stage show mixing drag and anime"

CBC Arts CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...

, June 25, 2024.

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 until the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, ...

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