040: "The Scientists" feat. Allen Epley (Shiner, The Life & Times, BirdHands)

Joining me today from Evanston, IL is ALLEN EPLEY — singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, & loop-maker — of the bands SHINER, THE LIFE & TIMES, & BIRDHANDS.

Shiner’s about a week away from the second half of their fall tour, with upcoming dates starting October 4th in Lawrence, KS, then moving across the north- & southwest for a couple weeks after.

Those shows will, in part, celebrate the release of THE Y SECTION, a career-spanning collection of b-sides, loosies, & rarities, out October 9 via SPARTAN RECORDS. In early November, they’ve got 4 dates in Japan: one night in Kyoto & Nagoya, & two in Tokyo.

Their excellent 2025 record, BELIEVEYOUME, which we talk about later in the episode, came out just over a year ago this month, also on Spartan. Links below.

From 2019 to 2025, he hosted THIRD GEAR SCRATCH, a podcast about the practical realities of making art today & what it takes to survive creatively in a mostly unforgiving world. There are many many great conversations, but definitely tune into the interview he recorded live @ Fitzgerald’s with Matt Talbott, if you haven’t already. That’s episode 100. It’s a rare view into Matt’s creative process & projects, direct from the source. Link below.

So check out all of that, along with Allen’s other projects The Life & Times, BirdHands, his solo record Everything, & his lesser-discussed quartet Spacesuit, who released a lovely slow, moody, & atmospheric record called Future Girls back in 2013.

In this episode, we talk about keeping the math seductive, the textures of puncturing the fourth wall, the Kansas City-Champaign nexus, & the simple sonics of the psychedelic glow.

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THE Y SECTION

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BELIEVEYOUME

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