Biography
The Scrimshanders came out of Jamaica Plain, MA in 1998, at the height of the alt-country boom in independent American music. John Magee, Tom Baker, Jamie Griffith, and Kevin Scollan were all veterans of variously successful Boston-area bands such as Nana, Smokeshop, Sugarburn, Goldmouth, The Dust Up, and Grainger. Magee had a few roots-rock songs looking for a home, a case or two of Budweiser longnecks was purchased, and the rest is history. Soon, ace pedal steelman Tim Obetz lent a regular hand. Joby DeCoster took over from Scollan on drums in the early going, and it was time to commit things to tape.
The debut album, Longneck, was recorded by Dave Minehan at Woolly Mammoth studios in the shadow of Fenway Park. It drew positive reviews, including a top 10 year-end mention from Magnet magazine, and the 'Shanders grew a local following by playing bars such as TT the Bear's Place and the Plough and Stars, sharing bills with bands like the Old '97s and the Drive-By Truckers. They never played outside of the Boston area except for one hazy night on Block Island for a weekend festival.
Some time after the release of Longneck, Tom Baker split to focus on his own increasingly successful Dirty Truckers, and the Scrims began playing shows with a selection of guitarists - whoever could learn the songs and was unafraid of tarnishing their reputation. Shawn Byrne (now a Nashville sessioneer), Kevin Belz (Paula Cole, Mighty Sam McClain), and Brett Rosenberg all took a turn. Byrne and Belz both appear on several tracks of The Way You Never Are, which the band began self-recording and producing in 2002.
Also instrumental in the recording of the new record were the contributions of Kickbacks members Tad Overbaugh and Steve Scott, who often shared stages with the Scrimshanders over the years.
Marriages, kids, jobs, and perfectionism took up the intervening years. Now, in 2009, The Way You Never Are finally sees the light of day. The Scrimshanders still dream of taking the stage again one day, but for now this album is the only way to hear the songs from the second era of the Scrimshanders.
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