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Jay McCarrol

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For the American fashion designer, see Jay McCarroll.

Jay McCarrol
McCarrol in 2026
Born(1983-08-09)August 9, 1983
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EducationBerklee College of Music
Occupations
Years active2007–present
Known for

Jay McCarrol (born August 9, 1983) is a Canadian musician, composer, writer, actor, animator, and comedian most noted as the co-star, writer and composer of the independent web series Nirvana the Band the Show, its spiritual sequel television series Nirvanna the Band the Show, and the feature film based on both, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, all of which he co-created with filmmaker and lifelong best friend Matt Johnson.[1]

Outside of the Nirvanna franchise, McCarrol is known for his work on BlackBerry, animated series Matt & Bird Break Loose, and has continued his longstanding collaboration with Johnson and Zapruder on Tony, the Anthony Bourdain biopic. His work as a composer extends to Evan Morgan's The Kid Detective, starring Adam Brody, and Finn Wolfhard & Billy Bryk's Hell of a Summer. As of 2026, he has composed the scores for all of Johnson's feature films.

McCarrol and his sister, Stefanie, formed a synth pop duo called Brave Shores in 2014 touring Canada and internationally. He previously served as the musical director at Second City's Toronto location.[2]

During The 2016 United States Presidential Election, a video of Donald Trump dancing to the Brave Shores song 'Never Come down' went viral on YouTube.[3] In a 2026 interview with Exclaim!, McCarrol states 'Never Come Down' was a song I wrote for a cell phone commercial, but it quickly went from television jingle to radio hit. What happened after, however, was even stranger — the song was adopted by online troll types as a sort of Donald Trump victory meme."[4]

Awards

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He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Score at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, for his work on the film BlackBerry.[5] He was previously a nominee for Best Original Music for a Program at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2013 for I, Martin Short, Goes Home[6] and at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016 for The Second City Project,[7] and for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021 for The Kid Detective.[8] For Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, McCarrol received two CSAs, including Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film.

As a writer, he has received two CSA nominations for Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series for Nirvanna the Band the Show, at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018[9] and at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019.[10]

His other credits have included Johnson's theatrical films The Dirties, Operation Avalanche and BlackBerry.

Filmography

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Film

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As writer/composer

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Year Title Writer Composer Actor Notes
2013 The Dirties No Yes Yes
2016 Operation Avalanche No Yes No
2020 The Kid Detective No Yes No
2023 BlackBerry No Yes No
Hell of a Summer No Yes No
2025 Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Yes Yes Yes Co-written with Matt Johnson
2026 Tony[11] No Yes No

As actor

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Dirties Mr. Bird
2025 Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Jay

Television

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As writer/composer

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Year(s) Title Creator Writer Composer Producer Actor Animator Notes
2012 I, Martin Short, Goes Home No No Yes No No
2015 The Second City Project No No Yes No No
2017–2018 Nirvanna the Band the Show Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-created with Matt Johnson, co-wrote all 16 episodes with Andrew Appelle, Robert Hyland, Curt Lobb, Matthew Miller, Matt Johnson, and Jared Raab
2021 Matt & Bird Break Loose Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-created with Matt Johnson

As actor

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Years Title Role Notes
2017–2018 Nirvanna the Band the Show Jay Fictionalised version of himself
2021 This Is Pop Self Episode: "Stockholm Syndrome"
Matt & Bird Break Loose Bird

Web

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As writer/composer

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Years Title Creator Writer Composer Actor Notes
2007–2009 Nirvana the Band the Show Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-created and co-wrote all 11 episodes with Matt Johnson

As actor

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Years Title Role Notes
2007–2009 Nirvana the Band the Show Jay Fictionalised version of himself

Discography

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References

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  1. ^ Matthew Ritchie, "Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol on Keeping 'nirvanna the band the show' Bad with a Good Budget". Exclaim!, February 1, 2017.
  2. ^ Hollett, Michael (10 February 2026). "Interview: 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' is hilarious celebration of Toronto and hope". NEXT Magazine. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Brave Shores Release Sophomore Album "La Hoo La La"". Universal Music Canada. Universal Music Canada. 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  4. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie has rescued "Never Come Down" from its bizarre legacy as a Trump meme". Exclaim!. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  5. ^ Connie Thiessen, "Canadian Screen Awards winners: Cinematic Arts". Broadcast Dialogue, May 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "2013 Canadian Screen Awards – Television Nominations". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
  7. ^ Brent Furdyk, "2016 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees Announced" Archived 2019-04-16 at the Wayback Machine. ET Canada, January 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Brent Furdyk (30 March 2021). "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  9. ^ Calum Slingerland, "'Nirvanna the Band the Show' to Continue Without Viceland". Exclaim!, January 23, 2018.
  10. ^ Brent Furdyk, "2019 Canadian Screen Awards: Complete List Of Winners From Televised Gala" Archived 2021-05-25 at the Wayback Machine. ET Canada, March 31, 2019.
  11. ^ Hollett, Michael (10 February 2026). "Interview: 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' is hilarious celebration of Toronto and hope » NEXT Magazine". Retrieved 4 May 2026.
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