Jinder

Jinder (born 19 April 1981 in Oxfordshire, England) is an English singer/songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his extensive dark folk-and-country-influenced solo work, and also his brief tenure as frontman of harmony-driven trio The Mercurymen. A musician from an early age, he turned his attention from piano to guitar at the age of 12, and began a lifelong career in songwriting in his early teens.

Solo work and Candlefire

In the late 1990s, Jinder worked sporadically as a solo artist, before forming alt.indie four-piece Candlefire with Daniel Minshull, Rick Porter and Mark McComish. The band are best remembered for their UK chart single Sorrow Spreads Its Wings, released by One Little Indian Records in 2002. The single entered the UK indie chart at #17, and the mainstream chart at #97, dropping out of the top 100 the week after. Following the band's departure from the label in 2003, Jinder left Candlefire in order to pursue other musical directions. During Jinder's time with Candlefire, he also continued his sporadic solo work, appearing live on a short solo tour and releasing solo recording The Dusty Roads EP. Memorable Candlefire appearances under the management of David Duggan's Mostly Music Management include several UK tours and Candlefire's by-request performance at Coldplay's aftershow party following their Madison Square Garden show in New York City.

Olas & Jinder and The Best Of Days Ahead

In the summer of 2003, Jinder joined forces with acclaimed singer/songwriter Nick Cull, AKA Olas, touring extensively together and releasing critically lauded duo album The Best Of Days Ahead as Olas & Jinder on independent label FrontSide Records in April 2004.

The album is currently out of print, but will be included in Din Of Ecstasy's forthcoming reissue campaign.

Return to solo work and the release of Willow Park

In summer 2004, Jinder amicably parted company with Cull and entered the studio to begin recording debut solo album Willow Park. During this time, Jinder also toured in support of singer/songwriter Martin Grech, recording and releasing 'Road:Live EP', a five-track EP culled from various tapings of shows made during the Martin Grech tour. After nine months of recording, Willow Park, Jinder's first full-length solo album, was released on ultra-hip indie label Folkwit Records in June 2005, drawing critical comparisons with The Blue Nile, Townes Van Zandt and Ryan Adams. The album posted excellent reviews and sales figures considerably higher than expected for a release on a small independent label. 2005 also saw Jinder touring extensively throughout the UK, making 23 festival appearances in the course of over 200 live dates played in support of the album.

I'm Alive

In 2006, Jinder kept up the intensity of his live schedule, and also recorded sophomore solo album I'm Alive, produced by former Candlefire collaborator Stephen Darrell Smith. Released in May 2006, just 11 months after Willow Park, the album showcased Jinder's understanding of Americana, and displayed a more bluegrass and country/folk influenced direction. I'm Alive garnered even more critical plaudits than its predecessor, also finding extensive support and playlisting at regional radio stations around the UK. The album turned out to be the last that Jinder would record for Folkwit Records, with Jinder amicably parting company with the label in late 2006 to begin establishing Din Of Ecstasy, his own record label.

Twenty Four Hours

In early 2007, whilst still in the process of setting up his record company Din Of Ecstasy, Jinder reacted to his new freedom to record and release whatever and however he wished by setting himself a new challenge. The challenge was to write, record, package, press and release an entire new album within 24hrs. Starting work at 8am on a Sunday in early January 2007, the record came together quickly, with ten songs being written within seven hours. Recording began at 3:30pm after a short break, and was wrapped up by 7pm. The artwork took a further two hours to complete, and twenty five copies were pressed up and made available to buy via the internet by 11:30pm, meaning the entire project was finished, from conception to commercial release, within 13 hours...It has yet to be established whether this is the fastest production and release of an album to date.

Twenty Four Hours was soon pressed in greater number, but as of March 2012 is currently out of print. It will be part of Jinder's scheduled re-issue of his entire back catalogue on Din Of Ecstasy.

The Three EPs

Summer of 2007 also saw the limited-edition release of The Three EPs, a compilation of Jinder's first three EP releases- The Dusty Roads EP from 2001, Road:Live EP from 2004, and the street-team-only The Years Of Winter EP from 2005. Also included as a bonus track was Jinder's elegiac take on the standard "Always on My Mind", originally taken from a various artists compilation, Eccentric Elvis, released in support of children's hospice charity Julia's House in 2005.

The Three EPs is currently out of print, but will be part of Jinder's scheduled re-issue of his entire back catalogue on Din Of Ecstasy.

The Mercurymen and Postcards From Valonia

In the summer of 2006, following the sessions for I'm Alive, Jinder joined forces with fellow singer/songwriters Gavin Wyatt and Simon Johnson to form harmony-driven trio The Mercurymen. Stylistically influenced by the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Richard Thompson and John Martyn, but driven by a folk-pop sensibility, the band recorded debut release The Keep Me in Your Heart EP in 2007, which was given a soft release by Flying Sparks Records in October of that year, but is currently out of print.

In early 2008, The Mercurymen were signed by Sony BMG to their Arista/RCA imprint, and began work on their debut album Postcards From Valonia, which would be Jinder's sixth album, and was scheduled to be released in 2009, but alas the release was never to come to fruition, following the band's departure from Sony BMG in November 2008. The band toured extensively in 2008, playing just under 150 shows, including touring with Deacon Blue, Melody Gardot, Level 42, Sinéad O'Connor and more, along with several memorable festival appearances, including an incendiary show at The Tartan Heart Festival at Belladrum, Scotland, and a lengthy headline tour of small venues during the summer.^[1]

The Mercurymen parted company amicably in July 2009, due in equal part to time constrictions placed upon the group by individual commitments, and the parting of ways from Sony BMG the previous November.

Nine Cents From Benelux and the return to solo work

January 2009 saw Jinder return to the studio to complete new album Nine Cents From Benelux which was released through Din Of Ecstasy Records on 29 June 2009. On completion of the record, Jinder embarked upon a solo UK tour, sharing a bill with fellow singer/songwriters Marcus Bonfanti and Lotte Mullan, which saw the three artists playing various venues on the UK roots music circuit. The tour drew excellent turnouts and garnered extensive praise in the media.

Following the release of Nine Cents From Benelux, Jinder continued to tour extensively, promoting the album with a UK headline tour and various radio appearances. To date, Nine Cents From Benelux is Jinder's best selling solo album, outselling his entire back catalogue 2:1.

Crumbs of Comfort

Following an extended period of seclusion in 2010 and 2011 spent writing the followup to Nine Cents From Benelux and starting a family, Jinder announced in March 2012 that his long-awaited eighth album was completed, and would be released as a limited edition digipak CD via his website on 2 April 2012, before seeing a major international release via Mighty Village/Universal on 11 June.

The album was critically acclaimed as "a calculated lunge forwards", with highly developed lyrical themes and string-drenched arrangements.

However, Crumbs Of Comfort, whilst a resounding success on an artistic and critical level, sold poorly and proved to be Jinder's last release for Universal, and 2012 became the first year in 12 years without a major Jinder tour, the artist opting to take a six month sabbatical in order to regroup, get well and focus on his young family following the disappointment of Crumbs Of Comfort.

The Mercurymen reunion

In January 2013, a press release claimed that The Mercurymen were to return to live and studio work following a four year hiatus. A short six-date reunion tour was booked and the band played to rapturous audiences across the UK, debuting new material and playing the highlights of their previous releases Postcards From Valonia and The Keep Me In Your Heart EP. To date there is no indication that a new release is in the offing but the band remain "open minded" to future collaborations.

New album Traditional Dark

In late 2014, it was announced via Jinder's social media platforms that a new album was in the final stages of mixing and is scheduled for release in the new year. The first Jinder album recorded to tape, Traditional Dark was released in February 2015 through Din Of Ecstasy Records, the first entirely self-produced Jinder album since debut 'Willow Park', with Jinder recording all vocals and instruments on the album himself, with the exception of the drums, provided by Ryan Halsey.

The songs from the album display a far darker and more intense aspect than those from the relatively pastoral Crumbs Of Comfort, with songs such as the minimal 'Stations In The Valley' offering a harrowing oblique narrative on the Syrian refugee crisis, and the visceral rock of single 'Boil The World' marrying ancient Hopi Indian prophecies with 21st Century apocalyptica.

Traditional Dark has been received exceptionally well by both critics and fans, drawing comparison with fellow shadow-dwelling denizens such as Bill Fay and Townes Van Zandt.

Tracklisting: New Maps Of Hell | May Your Train Roll On | Keys To The World | Stations In The Valley | I Remember Home | Boil The World | Song For Jackie Leven/Poortoun | Gathering My Children Home

Deluxe Edition reissue campaign

On 5 October 2015, Din Of Ecstasy is to digitally re-release Jinder's entire back catalogue in Deluxe Edition format. All records have been digitally remastered and feature over 50 previously unheard bonus tracks. The biggest scoop of the reissues campaign is the release of the "lost" album Brother Flower-Jinder Sings The Songs Of Townes Van Zandt. Recorded in 2006 but never released, the album has attained almost mythical status amongst Jinder's following. The masters were found during the archiving process for the reissue campaign, and the music was too good to lay unreleased any longer.

The albums being reissued are:

The Best Of Days Ahead (2004) Willow Park (2005) Have Yourself A Jinder Little Christmas (2005) Brother Flower-Jinder Sings The Songs Of Townes Van Zandt (2006) I'm Alive (2006) Twenty Four Hours (2007) 'Postcards From Valonia (2008) Crumbs Of Comfort (2012)

References

External links

• Official website
• Jinder on Facebook
• Jinder on Twitter
• Jinder's channel on YouTube