Spartan Records has announced that they will re-issue Shiner’s first four albums on vinyl. These records, (Splay, Lula Divinia, Starless, and The Egg ) have been out-of-print for years, but are now available again, on exclusive limited edition vinyl, or as part of a bundle with a brand new Shiner t-shirt. Orders are shipping in mid-August. Find more details in the article below.
Pre-orders are available here: https://spr.tn/shiner
Singer/guitarist Allen Epley says, “Pairing with Spartan Records is akin to a dream come true for Shiner since we’ve been back at it after our 20 year hiatus. It’s a perfect home for us and we’re beyond psyched to make brand new music in addition to releasing our entire catalog, (including Schadenfreude) and a new release of rarities and lost gems that will be coming soon.Shiner is a band that has always played to our strengths and this is no different, because Spartan understands where we’re at as a band, our influence on younger bands and our potential as a band making new music that excites us and our fans. We feel like kids again and couldn’t be more stoked to keep doing the things that have given us this extended adolescence.”
Spartan Records owner John T. Frazier says, “The “full circle” moments that I’ve experienced running this label are what make it all worthwhile. I can still recall playing Shiner’s “Brooks” 7” on my college radio show in the mid-90’s like it was yesterday, so to be able to work with a band that has been so transformative in my life this many years later is just a dream come true — a real “pinch yourself” moment.”
Notable vinyl pressing info:
Splay: The debut album remixed from original tapes by Paul Malinowski and remastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Available on vinyl for the first time since the album’s original release in 1995. Brand new artwork by Jordan Butcher at Strange Practice.
Lula Divinia: The sophomore album remastered for vinyl and available for the first time since 2017.
Starless: The third full-length album available for the first time on vinyl since 2015.
The Egg: The fourth full-length album available in the US for the first time on vinyl since 2012.
In addition to Spartan exclusive vinyl variants, the label is partnering with several outlets to provide exclusive vinyl variants of each of the 4 albums.
BrooklynVegan Exclusives (Available starting July 11 at 10 AM PST)
Indie Retail Exclusives (Available starting August 16th)
Tour Exclusives
EU / UK Exclusives – Available through Thirty Something Records and Devil Dog Distro respectively
Thirty Something Records Pre-Order
Devil Dog Distro Pre-Order
Spartan is also releasing the remixed/remastered version of Splay at DSPs on July 26th.
Additionally, Shiner is playing a series of shows beginning later this month to celebrate the re-issues:
July 31st – Minneapolis, MN @ Zhora Darling
August 1st – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
August 2nd – Kansas City, MO @ RecordBar
August 3rd – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
Shiner formed in 1992, and quickly connected with music fans, touring with bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Chore, Jawbox, Season to Risk, The Jesus Lizard, and Girls Against Boys. After an extended hiatus, the band reformed playing select shows each year since 2012. In 2020 the band released its latest album Schadenfreude to critical acclaim.
More from Shiner:
In 2018 the 4 members of Kansas City’s Shiner made some phone calls. They caught up on their current lives — families and careers — and they also reminisced about 2012 when they re-released their acclaimed album The Egg on vinyl and played sold-out shows in New York, LA, KC and Chicago. Those were some of their biggest shows ever and many in the audience were new to the Shiner fanclub, having never seen the band years earlier. Soon enough the 4 of them – drummer Jason Gerken, bass player Paul Malinowski and guitarists Allen Epley and Josh Newton decided they were not quite finished, there was another life for Shiner they could not ignore.
Soon after, Shiner gathered together at Matt Talbot’s (Hum) Earth Analog studio in Tolono, IL to write in a lab setting, working out ideas they’d been emailing back and forth. After a few sessions that took place over a year and a half, they sifted through the detritus and have emerged with 8 solid songs that make up the new album, Schadenfreude. The LP was self-produced, engineered, and mixed at Malinowski’ own Massive Sound studio in Shawnee, KS. Newton notes, “Ultimately I think it worked in our favor. We were able to walk away from things for a bit and see if the songs were heading where they should. We’ve always been extremely hands-on, even when working with someone else technically ‘producing,’” he continues, “with our last record (The Egg), we ended up remixing and adding things to almost half the record on our own. At this stage in our existence, we know what we should sound like.”
Despite the hiatus, Shiner have not missed a beat. Gerken is still a drummer’s drummer and his heavy right foot is tied to Malinowski’s distorted-symphony bass. Epley and Newton hew left and right in the mix and worked in lockstep counterpoint throughout the proceedings and leave room for the vocals to enter the mix without overtaking, and instead working as a whole within the strings and skins.
The songs on Schadenfreude are not so much an answer to The Egg as some properly timed follow up might, but instead stand on their own after 15-year hiatus. It’s the sound of a 4 piece band with each player finding his place in a book as though he just left the room an hour earlier and picked up on the next paragraph upon return. Speaking of the lyrics Newton says, “A lot of themes on the album are pretty dark but always with a silver lining around the edges. The title itself is a commentary on the most common human trait of enjoying your rivals’ demise. Or your apparent enemies.” The album’s “For In The End” is Shiner’s version of the world-is-ending “life is so hard, we all die alone, but I’ve got you and that makes all the difference.” The first single “Life As A Mannequin” pushes the narrative of ending your suffering by giving into your worst tendencies that are bad for you but at the same time feel so good. “Genuflect” examines dysfunctional relationships and the reasons people enter and stay in them.
Shiner formed in 1992 with Tim Dow as the original drummer. They released their first EP the following year and found themselves signed to DeSoto Records, (owned by Jawbox’s Kim Coletta and Bill Barbot). With the addition of Paul Malinowski on bass, Jason Gerken on drums and Josh Newton on guitar and noises, the band began a creative high and a busy touring schedule for years, with their final album in 2001 The Egg a critical success. Along the way countless tours of the US, Europe and Japan, and 4 full-length albums gave them a fiercely loyal set of diehards. Comparisons with their contemporaries of HUM, Jawbox, Failure, and Swervedriver are unavoidable, but Shiner carved a path of their own with a dedication to song-craft and musicianship while often wrapped in darkly sugared hooks. Shiner broke up in 2002 but not before a very special farewell show at the Madrid Theater in KC in front of a couple of thousand friends.
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