I celebrated the night before my 20th birthday with a trip up to Chicago for the dude-rockingest night of the Flower Booking Festival. He went shirtless with overalls-not a look I could pull off-and played with a swagger that he’d later tone down. I was impressed by early versions of songs that would end up on Starless, especially “Unglued” and “Lazy Eye” (which sounded more eerie and threatening than it would on the album), but most of my memories from that night were of Gerken’s appearance and performance. Newton replaced Joel Hamilton, who’d appeared on “Sailor’s Fate,” the solid b-side to their stellar 1999 single “Semper Fi.” True to Shiner form, both members had served time in Kansas City’s Season to Risk, but Gerken was more known for Molly McGuire, Newton better associated with Glazed Baby. Gerken had taken over for much-heralded Tim Dow, who’d moved to Los Angeles (where he’d collaborate with Failure’s Ken Andrews in both On and Year of the Rabbit). Shiner took the stage as a four-piece with Jason Gerken on drums and Josh Newton on second guitar, a new line-up for the group, not that I’d seen the others. I have three distinct memories of their performance: Matt Talbott’s comically large beer bottle being at odds with their otherwise stoic stage presence what would eventually become “The Same Place” comprising the best eight minutes of the set and Talbott’s wah pedal breaking two songs in, to which he sighed “My band’s in this pedal.” Their performance sputtered out after one more song, proving Talbott’s assertion that his pedal truly was indispensible. The band name is presumably a reference to the Chapterhouse song title, but I remember thinking they were a pale imitation of both Shiner and Hum, not Midwestern-gaze.Ĭentaur’s sheepish emergence into the world continued. This time, my friend Jackie and I were considerably more excited to see Shiner.Īutosleeper was first on the bill. I rolled with a lot of Hum fanatics at the time, and three of us had just seen Centaur play its first-ever show at a VFW in Danville, IL, a hangdog affair in which band members confused their then-numbered songs in front of some completely oblivious locals. Louis because Centaur, Matt Talbott’s post-Hum band, was booked for its second-ever show there. I scored a ride from Champaign down to St. I’ll drag out photos, recall the accompanying acts (many of whom were legitimately great on their own accord), and do my best to remember the actual sets. Second, I’m going to look back at each of the eleven previous times I saw Shiner. The combination of supreme heft, math-rock-inclined arrangements, and sneaky melodies is a gift that keeps giving. First, if you haven’t heard Lula Divinia or The Egg, I’ll do you a favor and tell you to stop reading and buy them immediately. In honor of this occasion, I’ve decided to do two things. The concerts are slated for each member’s respective home city: New York, Chicago (x2), Kansas City, and Los Angeles, and you’re damn right I’m driving down to New York for my twelfth Shiner show. That tie is about to be broken, however, since Shiner has reunited for five shows this summer in honor of an impending vinyl pressing of their 2001 swan song, The Egg. Appropriately enough, only Allen Epley’s post-Shiner band The Life and Times matches that total. Yet it’s still shocking to me that I’d get to see a non-local band eleven times in four years, even if it involved going to five other cities in the Midwest. The Midwest was Shiner’s literal stomping ground they toured constantly and left ears ringing in their wake. That changed when I left for college Champaign, IL, in 1999. Absolutely none of my classmates understood it. Instantly a fan, I eagerly picked up their Sub Pop 7” for “Sleep It Off” b/w “Half Empty” and proudly wore a “SHINER” mock-Army t-shirt in high school. I consulted Parasol Records’ catalog description to make sure my ears weren’t deceiving me-“Hum meets Jawbox,” yes, please-and promptly ordered Lula. I first heard Shiner in 1997 via a mix tape containing “Fetch a Switch” and “The Situationist,” the best songs from their first two records, 1995’s Splay and the recently released Lula Divinia. Reliving Shiner live: Eleven shows, six cities, four years New Artillery / Hunting for vinyl in Ann Arbor and beyond
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