Jay McCarrol

Jay McCarrol (born August 9, 1983) is a Canadian musician, composer, screenwriter and actor. He co-created and starred in the independent web series Nirvana the Band the Show (2007–2009), its television adaptation Nirvanna the Band the Show (2017–2018), and feature film continuation Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, with Matt Johnson. He has scored all five of Johnson's films, as well as the films The Kid Detective (2020) and Hell of a Summer (2023).

McCarrol has won three Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Original Score for BlackBerry and Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film and Best Original Song for his work on Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.

Early life and education Jay McCarrol was born in Toronto, Canada, on August 9, 1983. He has a sister, Stefanie.

While attending Erindale Secondary School in Mississauga, McCarrol became acquainted with Matt Johnson, who attended nearby John Fraser Secondary School. The two became friends and creative collaborators, producing many student films together. McCarrol attended Berklee College of Music, where one of his classmates was American comedian Eric André.

Career 2006–2015

After leaving Berklee, McCarrol returned to Toronto and in 2006 he began working as a musical director at The Second City's Toronto location, providing live soundtracks to real-time improvisation. McCarrol and Johnson star as fictionalised versions of themselves in a musical duo who attempt to book a gig at the Rivoli in Toronto. He also composed the score for Johnson's 2013 feature film The Dirties, and also played the character Mr. Bird.

McCarrol and his sister, Stefanie, formed the synth pop duo Brave Shores, whose debut album, the EP Brave Shores, was released in 2014. The duo toured Canada and internationally. A single from the EP, "Never Come Down", led to Brave Shores being nominated for Best New Group or Solo Artist in the Modern Rock category at the 2016 Canadian Radio Music Awards; they lost to Coleman Hell for his song "2 Heads".

2016–present McCarrol scored Johnson's 2016 film Operation Avalanche. McCarrol and Johnson adapted Nirvana the Band the Show into a television series, Nirvanna the Band the Show, which premiered on Viceland in 2017. Two seasons aired across 2017 and 2018. A third season was partially produced but not released due to Viceland's discontinuation.

In April 2016, during the 2016 United States presidential election, a supporter of Donald Trump uploaded a video featuring clips of Trump, with "Never Come Down" as a backing track, to YouTube. The clip ended up going viral, leading to the song becoming "a victory anthem of sorts" for Trump's supporters after he won the election.

Johnson and McCarrol co-created and starred in the 2021 animated children's show Matt & Bird Break Loose, a spiritual successor to Nirvanna the Band the Show. earning a nomination for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards. McCarrol has recorded with and toured with Hayden. It was directed by Johnson The film won critical acclaim and was nominated for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2025. At the 14th Canadian Screen Awards, the film received eight nominations and won Best Motion Picture. McCarrol also won Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film, while he and Johnson received the award for Best Original Song for "The Alphabet Song". McCarrol and Johnson reprised their roles in Joel Haver's short film Nirvanna the Band Tries to Get an Animation Made.

Filmography Film

Television