Shearwater (band)

In 1999, Okkervil River band members Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff founded Shearwater as an outlet for quieter songs on which they were collaborating. The band's name comes from the shearwater, a tribe of seabirds related to petrels and albatrosses. Meiburg, who holds a master's degree in geography with a focus on ornithology, picked the name mostly for the sound of the word.{{cite web|url=http://10000birds.com/interview-jonathan-meiburg-of-shearwater.htm|title=Interview: Jonathan Meiburg of 'Shearwater'|last=Moores|first=Charlie|year=2009|work=10,000 Birds|accessdate=August 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20100105031724/http://10000birds.com/interview-jonathan-meiburg-of-shearwater.htm|archivedate=January 5, 2010}}

Shearwater's debut, The Dissolving Room, introduced Kim Burke on upright bass; shortly after, drummer and vibraphonist Thor Harris joined the band. The addition of multi-instrumentalist Howard Draper plus tours and support dates with The Mountain Goats, Akron/Family and Blonde Redhead brought them exposure. Shearwater continued to produce music under this lineup in Everybody Makes Mistakes (2002) and Winged Life (2004), as well as the Thieves EP (2005).

In May 2006, Shearwater released Palo Santo, their fourth full-length album and last to be released on Misra Records, to much acclaim from critics and fans.{{cite news|last1=Sanneh|first1=Kelefa|title=Critics' Choice: New CDs; Shearwater Palo Santo (Misra)|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406EEDE1F3EF93AA15756C0A9609C8B63|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=May 29, 2006}}{{cite news|last1=Sanneh|first1=Kelefa|title=Music Review; Shearwater's Songs Stretch From the Heavens to the Deep Sea|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/arts/music/08shea.html|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=July 8, 2006}} The song "Red Sea, Black Sea," was featured as an NPR Song of the Day.{{cite news|last1=Yu|first1=Kathryn|title=Telling Tales of Stormy Seas|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5324264|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=NPR Music|date=April 5, 2006}} NPR's Stephen Thompson subsequently named Palo Santo as the best album of 2006.{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Stephen|title=Songs of the Year: Top 10 CDs of 2006|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6660262|accessdate=May 26, 2016|work=NPR Music|date=December 25, 2006}} Although Sheff appeared as an instrumentalist for the recording of Palo Santo, the album's songs were composed and sung entirely by Meiburg, as the band felt that the songs that Meiburg had written were best suited for the project. Sheff then left the band to concentrate on other projects.{{cite news|last1=Haupt|first1=Melanie|title=Transcendentalism: Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg wants you to listen, but you can't sing along|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2006-05-12/364659/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=May 12, 2006}}

Midway through the tour for Palo Santo, the band was notified by Misra Records that they would be unable to continue to distribute Shearwater's music. Meiburg personally emailed the owner of Matador Records, Gerard Cosloy, who subsequently signed Shearwater to a multi-album deal. On April 10, 2007, Shearwater released a two-disc edition of Palo Santo which featured five re-recorded tracks, remastered versions of the other six tracks, as well as a bonus disc of outtakes from the original sessions. Meiburg had felt that the original Palo Santo suffered from "murkiness", and could be improved upon in the studio.{{cite web|author=Jason Crock |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/6593-shearwater/ |title=Shearwater |website=Pitchfork.com |date=April 2, 2007|accessdate=March 7, 2020}}

Matador Records released the album Rook on June 3, 2008.{{cite news|last1=Takacs|first1=Lou|title=Interview: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater|url=http://auralstates.com/2008/06/interview-jonathan-meiburg-of-shearwater.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611235619/http://auralstates.com/2008/06/interview-jonathan-meiburg-of-shearwater.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 11, 2008|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=Aural States|date=June 10, 2008}} On the tour that followed, Shearwater opened for Clinic and later Coldplay. Additional touring accompanists were added at that time: Jordan Geiger of Hospital Ships and Minus Story (on cornet, synthesizer, and percussion) and Kevin Schneider of Black Before Red (on keyboard, bass, and guitar) replaced Howard Draper.

In November, 2009, Shearwater was the just the ninth artist featured on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, with NPR's Stephen Thompson calling it a "glorious four-song set that was at once pristine and ramshackle", referring to the featured a set of unusual instruments including "banjos and auto parts to go with Harris' homemade 'waterphone' and hammered dulcimer".{{Cite web |title=Shearwater: Tiny Desk Concert |author=Stephen Thompson |work=NPR.org |date=14 November 2008 |access-date=23 August 2022 |url= https://www.npr.org/2008/11/14/97001174/shearwater-tiny-desk-concert }}

On February 23, 2010, Shearwater released their sixth album, The Golden Archipelago,{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Dustin|title=Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2010/02/shearwater-the-golden-archipelago/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=American Songwriter|date=February 24, 2010}} which the band produced with John Congleton.{{cite news|last1=Van Meter|first1=William|title=Now Listening: Shearwater's "The Golden Archipelago"|url=http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/now-listening-shearwaters-the-golden-archipelago/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=March 1, 2010}} The band toured extensively behind the record in 2010, with an international tour in the spring{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/01/shearwater_-_ne.html|title=Shearwater – new album, MP3 & 2010 Tour Dates w/ Wye Oak & Hospital Ships (Bowery Ballroom)|date=January 13, 2010|work=Brooklyn Vegan|accessdate=November 21, 2010}} (with Wye Oak and Hospital Ships opening) and additional U.S. dates in the fall{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/11/shearwater_on_t.html|title=Shearwater on tour, released some new stuff|work=Brooklyn Vegan|date=November 8, 2010|accessdate=November 21, 2010}} (with special guest Damien Jurado). The Golden Archipelago concluded the band's Island Arc trilogy, a project also encompassing Palo Santo and Rook.{{cite news|last1=Hoinski|first1=Michael|title=Shearwater Celebrate New CD With Hometown Gig in Austin|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/shearwater-celebrate-new-cd-with-hometown-gig-in-austin-20120305|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=Rolling Stone|date=March 5, 2012}}

On November 6, 2010, the band released an instrumental album, Shearwater is Enron, via Bandcamp.{{cite web|url=http://shearwater.bandcamp.com/album/shearwater-is-enron|title="Shearwater is Enron" by Shearwater|work=Bandcamp|date=November 6, 2010|accessdate=November 21, 2010}} The album was recorded in the spring of 2010 and includes live material recorded at a performance under the pseudonym "Enron." It introduces some textures not traditionally associated with the band, such as electronic drum tracks and squalling guitar rock. Members of Wye Oak and Hospital Ships assist on the live tracks.{{cite web|last1=Hann|first1=Kaylen|title=Shearwater Shearwater is ENRON|url=http://cokemachineglow.com/records/shearwater-shearwaterisenron-2010/|website=Coke Machine Glow|accessdate=October 19, 2015|date=November 19, 2010}}

In February 2012, a new full-length album called Animal Joy was released.{{cite news|last1=Thompson|first1=Stephen|title=First Listen: Shearwater, 'Animal Joy'|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/02/05/146083321/first-listen-shearwater-animal-joy|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=NPR|date=February 5, 2012}} It was Shearwater's first record with Sub Pop Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.subpop.com/channel/blog/sub_pop_records_now_with_100_more_shearwater|title=Sub Pop Records: Now with 100% More Shearwater|work=Sub Pop Records|accessdate=November 25, 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231924/http://www.subpop.com/channel/blog/sub_pop_records_now_with_100_more_shearwater|archivedate=December 2, 2013}} The record signaled a new chapter for the band after the conclusion of the Island trilogy, as the album included more rock elements.{{cite news|last1=Breihan|first1=Tom|title=Album Of The Week: Shearwater Animal Joy|url=http://www.stereogum.com/951392/album-of-the-week-shearwater-animal-joy/franchises/album-of-the-week/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=Stereogum|date=February 14, 2012}} Following the release of the album, the band opened for the North American tour of Sharon Van Etten.{{cite web|last1=Pelly|first1=Jenn|title=Watch Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater Cover "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/45735-watch-sharon-van-etten-and-shearwater-cover-stop-draggin-my-heart-around/|date=March 13, 2012|website=Pitchfork Media|accessdate=October 19, 2015}}

In 2013, Fellow Travelers was released on Sub Pop, a Shearwater album consisting entirely of cover songs by bands that Shearwater had toured with.{{cite news|last1=Schaefer|first1=John|title=Shearwater: Grandiose And Operatic Pop|url=http://soundcheck.wnyc.org/story/shearwater-in-studio/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=WNYC Soundcheck|date=March 31, 2014}} Each band that was covered on the album was also invited to play on the album, under the condition that they could not play on their own song.{{cite news|last1=Humphries|first1=Stephen|title=Track-by-Track: Shearwater on "Fellow Travelers" – The Complete Interview Jonathan Meiburg on the Band's Ninth Album (Web Exclusive)|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/track-by-track_shearwater_on_fellow_travelers_-_the_complete_interview/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=Under the Radar|date=November 27, 2013}}

The record Jet Plane and Oxbow was released on Sub Pop January 22, 2016.{{cite web|title=Playlist: Shearwater – The Snow Leopard|url=http://www.kexp.org/playlist/2014/12/16/1PM/0100|website=KEXP-FM|accessdate=October 19, 2015|date=December 16, 2014}}{{cite web|title = Jet Plane and Oxbow – Shearwater|url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/jet-plane-and-oxbow-mw0002893641|website = AllMusic|access-date = January 25, 2016}} Frequent collaborator, producer Danny Reisch, worked on the album, as did composer Brian Reitzell, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, drummer Cully Symington, Howard Draper, and regular band members Jesca Hoop, Lucas Oswald, and Abram Shook.{{cite news|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|title=Oxbow, Share "Quiet Americans"|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/61699-shearwater-announce-new-album-jet-plane-and-oxbow-share-quiet-americans/|accessdate=October 20, 2015|work=Pitchfork Media|date=October 20, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Azerrad|first1=Michael|last2=Meiburg|first2=Jonathan|title=Michael Azerrad vs. Jonathan Meiburg on Jet Plane and Oxbow|url=https://subpop-mkt.s3.amazonaws.com/marketing_material/bios/attachments/000/005/583/original/shearwater-jetplane-andoxbow-bio.docx?1445299350|website=Sub Pop Records|accessdate=October 20, 2015}}

The band toured the Jet Plane and Oxbow album in 2016. The lineup for the tour was considerably different than the studio album, retaining Meiburg and Oswald but adding Emily Lee on keyboards, Sadie Powers on bass and Josh Halpern on drums. During the tour, it was customary for the band to play several covers from the David Bowie album Lodger as an encore. On March 25, 2016, the entire album was covered at Chicago's Schuba's Tavern, followed by a subsequent recording for the AV Club the next day.{{Cite web|title='Shearwater Plays Lodger - David Bowie - The AV Club 2016 - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk4Z7OhpXyw&list=PLbbmBIT_TF6njuC-2IbUiBxom8UxKJdLv&index=1&t=0s|access-date=2022-11-26|via=YouTube|language=en}} This was released as a limited edition vinyl and digital download and would eventually lead to a performance of the entire Berlin Trilogy at Brookfield Place, New York for WNYC in October 2018.{{Cite web|last=Dorris|first=Jesse|title=A Surprising Tribute to David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, Played in a Manhattan Mall|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/live-review-a-surprising-tribute-to-david-bowies-berlin-trilogy-played-in-a-manhattan-mall/|access-date=2022-11-26|website=Pitchfork.com|date=October 23, 2018 |language=en}} The live recording was released as a limited digital download in 2019.

During the tour, Meiburg became impressed with openers Cross Record.{{Cite web|last=Payne|first=Helen|title='It Seemed To Come From Somewhere Outside of Us': Jonathan Meiburg Talks Loma's Sublime Debut - Stereoboard|url=https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/221579/9|access-date=2020-10-24|website=Stereoboard.com|language=en}} Meiburg and Cross Record's Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski went on to form a side-project, Loma, which has released three albums on Sub Pop: the self-titled Loma (2018), Don't Shy Away (2020) and How Will I Live Without a Body? (2024).

In 2020, Shearwater began production of a crowdfunded studio album, but the recording was disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns. In response, Meiburg enlisted Dan Duszynski to produce the ambient Quarantine Music series, released digitally through Bandcamp. The new studio album, The Great Awakening, was released in June 2022.

• 2001: The Dissolving Room (Grey Flat)
• 2002: Everybody Makes Mistakes (Misra Records)
• 2004: Winged Life (Misra Records)
• 2006: Palo Santo (Misra Records)
• 2007: Palo Santo: Expanded Edition (Matador Records)
• 2008: Rook (Matador Records)
• 2010: The Golden Archipelago (Matador Records)
• 2010: Shearwater Is Enron (self-released)
• 2011: Excerpts from The Island Arc Live (self-released)
• 2012: Animal Joy (Sub Pop Records)
• 2013: Fellow Travelers (Sub Pop Records)
• 2014: Missing Islands: Demos and Outtakes 2007–2012 (self-released)
• 2016: Jet Plane and Oxbow (Sub Pop Records)
• 2016: Shearwater Plays Lodger (self-released; a song-for-song performance of David Bowie's 1979 album Lodger)
• 2016: Rook: Live at Florence Gould Hall (self-released)
• 2016: Live in St. Malo 2010 (self-released)
• 2017: The Sky Is a Blank Screen: Live Recordings 2016 (self-released)
• 2019: Shearwater Plays Bowie's Berlin Trilogy (self-released; live recording of David Bowie's entire Berlin Trilogy)
• 2022: The Great Awakening (Polyborus Records)

• 2004: Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral by Shearwater/Okkervil River (Jound)
• 2013: Stop Draggin' My Heart Around/A Wake for the Minotaur by Shearwater & Sharon Van Etten{{cite news|last1=Hernandez|first1=Raoul|title=Shearwater & Sharon Van Etten – "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" b/w "A Wake for the Minotaur" (Sub Pop)|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2013-08-30/shearwater-and-sharon-van-etten-stop-draggin-my-heart-around-b-w-a-wake-for-the-minotaur/|accessdate=October 19, 2015|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=August 30, 2013}}
• 2014: Stay/Novacane by Low/Shearwater

• 2005: Thieves (Misra Records)
• 2008: The Snow Leopard (Matador Records)
• 2020: Quarantine Music Vols. 1-8 (Bandcamp)

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{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.shearwatermusic.com}}

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Category:Indie rock musical groups from Texas

Category:Musical groups from Austin, Texas

Category:Musical groups established in 1999

Category:1999 establishments in Texas

Category:Sub Pop artists

Category:Matador Records artists

Category:Misra Records artists