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...

damian israel shiner’s musical journey began with a cardboard guitar, lip-synching Beatles songs for his neighborhood as a kid. By his twenties, this passion became an obsession, leading him to teach himself guitar and dive headfirst into songwriting. In the mid-’90s, he jumped into the Boston singer-songwriter scene, performing originals and covers of The Cure, U2, and other influences. He spent eight years with folk-rock act shiner.jones, gaining regional recognition through Emerson College’s broad-reaching radio station WERS (88.9FM). In 2006, he launched the displayers, a rotating collective of musicians performing on both U.S. coasts.

A prolific composer and performer, shiner has written, toured, and played alongside Grammy-winning artists. The pandemic halted his in-person shows, but he pivoted to a weekly livestream, the #SaturdayShortSet, raising over $12K for 130+ charities across 150 shows. Now, he’s actively gigging again, with recent performances at LA’s historic Whisky a Go Go and London’s legendary Fiddler’s Elbow.

Currently fronting the Boston-based displayers, shiner is also hard at work in the studio, with new releases planned throughout 2025—hoping to extend the list of songwriting awards to his recent achievements with the New England Songwriting Competition. His signature vocal harmonies and dynamic performances make him an artist not to be missed. His music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and beyond.

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