biography

Based on a concept of flexibility and interchangeability, the displayers can be anything from one to five players at any given show. With damian israel shiner (dis) as the core figure, anyone who joins in can be a displayer...

What began as entertaining a neighborhood audience with a cardboard guitar while lip-synching Beatles songs in his early pre-teens grew into an obsession with learning to play the actual guitar in his twenties. Immediately beginning to write songs while figuring out block chords, damian israel shiner leaped into the Boston singer-songwriter scene in the mid-nineties, playing originals and covers by The Cure, U2, and other influences, while expanding his circle from there. He spent eight years writing and performing regionally with shiner.jones, a folk-rock act popularized by Emerson College’s broad-reaching radio station WERS (88.9FM), then splintered off to form a collaboration of musicians who would sit in with him on either coast of the U.S. called “the displayers” in 2006.

shiner has written, performed, and toured with Grammy-winning artists, and is currently fronting his own Boston-local version of the displayers. His music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and myriad places around the web, and he is expecting to release a new album sometime in early 2024. His vocal stylings are his hallmark, as he hears in harmony; he is an artist not to be missed.

Prolific composer and performer for decades, the pandemic put a halt to shiner’s live, in-person shows, but he is working on a new recording project and actively pursuing gigs again. Read about his successful live-streamed show that kept the band busy for three years (2020-2023): the #saturdayshortset

Chris Harris has his own story to tell, and for sure his musical journey began at an early age — his talent suggests that whole-heartedly.

He met shiner in the same Boston area open mic circuit where a lot of local musicians found each other in the late 90s. Initially, they shared gigs while in their own bands within the same lineup. Gradually, Chris ended up joining shinerjones as full-time percussionist and he remained the rhythmic backbone until their split in 2006. Chris and damian then formed a new group, the displayers, with a new concept in mind. Friends first, it was paramount that everything they do together be about fun. Recording, gigging, and even rehearsing have been built around maximizing the joy one can have while making music.

Chris and shiner recorded the basement sessions in 2007, and have toured together since 2008. They have vastly entertaining stories to share. Ask either of them about “that time in the Capital Records parking lot in LA at 1:00 AM” or when they rocked out on the massive stage as a duo in the Boston Opera House. Their stories are lively and they may even put them to music someday. Other projects of his include goh, Dave Charles, and Mercy James.

Daigo Fujiwara met damian while playing music together in church. With his easy-going nature and love of sushi, they hit it off immediately.

With remarkable versatility, Daigo truly expands the range of the displayers’ vibe as he can easily move between his standup acoustic bass and his electric “Beatle Bass”, even within a single performance. His voice adds both harmony and texture to the vocal arrangements the displayers are known for, and his evident joy in making music is apparent every time they perform together.

There is so much more to their shared story...

Soon to come: Meet other occasional displayers! Robyn Priest, Wes Switzer, Anne Marie David, Tom Atkins