Formed in 1992 in the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri,
Shiner originally included Allen Epley (guitar, vocals), Jeff Brown (drums), and Shawn Sherrill (bass). After
Tim Dow replaced Brown, the band found itself sharing the stage with Season to Risk,
Sunny Day Real Estate,
the Jesus Lizard, and
Girls Against Boys before the DeSoto label -- run by
Jawbox, another touring partner -- released the band's debut single, "Brooks," in 1993. Their first album was
Splay, issued on DeSoto in 1996. Season to Risk's Paul Malinowski took over on bass. After the release of
Lula Divinia (Hit It!, 1997), Sub Pop took notice and issued the "Sleep It Off" single that same year. Two additional singles, "Farewell Bend Merger" and "Semper Fi," were released on DeSoto in 1998 and 1999. Starless (Owned & Operated, 2000) featured new bassist and keyboardist
Josh Newton -- Malinowski moved to keyboards -- as well as
Dow replacement Jason Gerken.
The Egg,
Shiner's final album, was released on DeSoto in 2001. ~ Mike DaRonco