The Shins. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. In 2007, Mercer sang backup vocals on the tracks "Florida," "Missed the Boat," and "We've Got Everything" on Modest Mouse's album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Mercer has been credited with playing several instruments on The Shins' albums including guitar, bass, synthesizer, ukulele, banjo, harmonium, and percussion as well as beat and MIDI programming. Mercer began collaborating with Danger Mouse in 2005 when he performed on the song "Insane Lullaby" featured on the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul, not released officially until July 2010. After working together on the album in September 2009, Mercer and Danger Mouse announced a new project called Broken Bells and on March 9, 2010 released their debut self-titled album, Broken Bells. They also released a second album together on February 4, 2014, titled After the Disco. In 2010, Mercer acted in Matt McCormick's feature film Some Days Are Better Than Others, playing the role of Eli, a directionless slacker. The film premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film and Music Festival. Also, in 2010, Mercer and Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock contributed original music to director Chris Malloy's 180° South, a documentary about adventurers in Patagonia. Mercer contributed two songs to the documentary and one was a cover of Neil Young's "Journey Through the Past." Musical style and influences Musical influences he has mentioned include The Smiths, The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Beatles and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Mercer is known to play a worn yellow Gibson Les Paul Double cut faded and a Gibson J-45. With Broken Bells, Mercer has mostly been seen using a Vox Wildcat. Personal life Mercer married designer and home decorator Marisa Kula in April 2006 in a small ceremony on Waimanalo Beach in Hawaii, where Kula was born and raised. They had met when Kula, then a journalist, was assigned to interview Mercer for a story. They have three daughters together. References External links The Shins official website 1970 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock songwriters American indie rock musicians Musicians from Portland, Oregon Musicians from Honolulu Record producers from Oregon Record producers from Hawaii Singer-songwriters from Oregon Guitarists from Hawaii Guitarists from Oregon Broken Bells members The Shins members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male