Jack Shirt is the recording name that Greek expat Christos Fanaras adopted for his first solo project, a personal exploration of song craftsmanship and composition that started taking shape in London in 2005. Since then he has recorded and released five solo albums on his DIY label Scratch My Back Records. His work is quite varied, ranging from minimal/drone to psychedelic folk, with elements of noise pop, krautrock and outsider music. He has performed and recorded with a variety of artists and musicians including Charles Hayward (This Heat) Duke Garwood, Carla Bozulich, Hugh Hopper, Alexander Tucker, Simon Bookish, Paddy Steer, Daniel O’ Sullivan and Robbie Furze.
Words/Reviews
‘Mr Shirt plays pretty much all the mainstay instruments of modern music – guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals and electronics. And he’s a very skilled player, weaving rich harmonic arrangements, befuddling time signatures and quirky atmospheres into his string of aural gems. His music is extremely varied, ranging from strange folky numbers, more progressive rockish outings, atmospheric space explorations and various lurching pieces that evoke an almost carnivalesque quality.’ Heathen Harvest
'jack shirt mines a steady seam of psychedelic folk music stripped of the hokum and cliche that accompanies such things. using the powers of drone, minimalist melodies a la philip glass and acoustic instruments jack shirt's newest release is a 20 minute exploration of the tonality of the ukulele. improvisational techniques and swirling dynamics are used to build an atmosphere both haunting and lasting. great stuff.' Rough Trade East
‘a fantastic collage of everything in the artist's head, all tumbling out and wired-up wrong. This is an album steeped in the experimentalism of Krautrock and really fucked-up folk-sike’ Electric Roulette
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Jack Shirt seems to cruise serenely between composition and improvisational experiment. Musically bold, he contrives fitting and filmic settings for his lyric. Truly unconventional, he invites you to listen in.’ Club Integral
‘b-movie acoustic soundscapist, Shirt’ Time Out
Discography:
The Ukulele Tracks Sketchbook 2010
Silent Beef 2009
Pseudo Improv 2009
Jack Shirt (self titled) 2008
Songs From a Narrow Mind 2006
Paid for with Tips (with The Thinking People Society) 2005