LONELIER THAN GOD

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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SHINER TOUR DATES

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T.G.S. 100: MATT TALBOTT

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THE LIFE AND TIMES

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BIRDHANDS

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ALLEN EPLEY, EVERYTHING LP

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SPACESUIT

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03:15 // “Surgery” (Shiner)
04:27 // Fall Tour ’26
06:20 // The Y Section Compilation
10:34 // “Only Shallow” (MBV/Shiner)
14:45 // “A Sailor’s Fate” & Barkmarket
20:24 // 4th Wall Breaks, BYM, & “The Alligator”
28:23 // Vocal Inspirations
30:31 // CD Renaissance
34:38 // Andy Mueller’s Shiner Designs
42:13 // HUM in KC
49:18 // Downward is Heavenward / “The Scientists” Discussion
01:11:51 // "Christ-Sized Shoes" (Shiner)

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Further Listening:

GRIFTERS, Crappin' You Negative

BARKMARKET, Gimmick & L. Ron

CHEAP TRICK, "Mandocello"

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Today’s guest is ANDY MUELLER — designer, photographer, art director, filmmaker, business owner, record label founder, & longtime visual wizard of HUM-world.

As with Love Cup last time around, Andy’s been mentioned in almost every episode, & for good reason.

In 1993, he founded OHIO GIRL DESIGN CO., a Chicago-based art studio with an amazing portfolio that looks more & more influential with every passing year.

He’s done image & packaging work for artists ranging from HUM & Shiner, to Castor, Braid, Menthol, Jimmy Eat World, Molly McGuire, Trans Am, & many others.

Across the late ‘90s & early 2000s, his Ohio Girl offshoot label Ohio Gold Records released albums by Dianogah, C-Clamp, the Zincs, & Pinebender, for all of whom he also did design & photography.

He started THE QUIET LIFE clothing company in 1997 & has run it full-time ever since. They have an always-updating online store, as well as a flagship location in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In this episode, we discuss the spooky alchemy of photography, dissect the design of HUM’s 3 most recent records, & explore the surprising monumentality of a less-is-more approach.

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VERY IMPORTANT: We talk about lots & lots of images in detail during this conversation, & a 50-page PDF of those is linked below.

[Some quick factual corrections: the R.E.M. album with Starn Twins photography is actually Out of Time from 1991, & the photographer behind the “Green to Me” single cover is ALISON DYER.]

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IMAGES WE DISCUSS

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THE QUIET LIFE

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TIMESTAMPS:
03:12 // Pinebender, "California" (Ohio Gold Records)
04:42 // Ohio Girl Origins & Early Influences
13:27 // Steakdaddy Six, the U. of I., & Honcho Overload
27:40 // Y.P.A.A. Design
45:46 // Ohio Girl Credits
50:38 // Y.P.A.A. Design, Part 2
01:07:54 // "The Pod" & "Stars" Videos
01:16:51 // D.I.H. Design
01:30:14 // "Puppets" & "Comin' Home" EP Designs
01:34:25 // Inlet Design
01:41:37 // '90s Album Art Peers
01:45:31 // C-Clamp, "Morning" (Ohio Gold Records)

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Today I’m speaking with 2 fixtures of the Champaign-Urbana music scene, MARK BALDWIN & KENT WHITESELL.

In the ‘90s, Mark sang & played guitar in the highly influential Love Cup, a band name you’ve heard in almost every episode of this show. Their discography was small but their impact was huge, gradually perfecting what Mark has called the “heavy but pretty” sound at ear-splitting volumes.

Since then, he’s played in Absconder, California Mummy (with Matt Talbott), The Shit People, & The Mezzanines, who just released a new record called Sugarpants this year. There’s lots to explore in his ever-expanding discography on Bandcamp, links below.

Kent started playing in & recording with power-pop bands in high school, including The Martyrs, Schoolyard Truce, The Outnumbered, & Three Hour Tour, with whom he’s working on new material this year. In 2010, The Martyrs released a CD reissue of their discography, including their first & only record, plus compilation tracks & other extras.

He’s also produced dozens of Champaign bands at his local studio, Clubhouse, from the ‘80s & ‘90s through today, including HUM’s first record, Hot Glue Gun, Mother, 16 Tons, Corndolly, Hardvark, & many others.

In this episode, we talk about Champaign’s early indie & alternative scene, the importance of Jane's Addiction, & the telepathic thrill of improvising songs in public.

There were some technical difficulties toward the end of the interview, so the song conversation is a little abbreviated.

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LOVE CUP BANDCAMP

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MEZZANINES BANDCAMP

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LOVE CUP INTERVIEW

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THE MARTYRS BANDCAMP

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TIMESTAMPS:
03:04 // "Billfershort" (Love Cup)
04:52 // Mark & Kent's Early History
06:06 // Kent's '80s Bands
06:55 // "Trends of the Turmoil" (The Martyrs)
08:19 // "Boy on a Roof" (The Outnumbered)
12:06 // Mark's First Bands
15:34 // Clubhouse Studio
18:03 // "Strangled with Flowers" (The Flat Earth Society)
20:55 // Love Cup Demos & Tearing Water EP
25:35 // "Tearing Water" (Love Cup)
27:30 // Jane's Addiction, the "Heavy But Pretty," & Local Touring
38:06 // ...Grefus Gronks & Sheet LP
46:47 // "Nothing in Particular" (Love Cup)
49:00 // Meeting HUM Members
53:50 // "Roar, I'm a Tiger" Discussion
01:07:00 // "Scientifically Yours" (Love Cup)

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This week I’m talking with MATT MCGUYER & ALEX WALLWORK of the Evansville, Indiana bands FAERIE RING & AMBLARE.

On August 21, Faerie Ring will release their self-titled third album on KING VOLUME RECORDS. It was produced, engineered, & mixed by Tyler Watkins, Alex Kercheval, & Morgan Satterfield @ Postal Recording in Indianapolis & mastered @ Sound Artillery in Miami by Jonathan Nuñez of Torche. Two singles are out already, & -- in my opinion -- this record is the band’s best work yet. Pre-order links below.

Across the month of July, they’re passing through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, & Indiana, with hopefully some more dates in more cities later this year. Not to be missed.

In 2024, Amblare released their self-titled debut on Melodic Virtue, & if you haven’t heard it, pause this & play that. (Link below.) The album features the late Bryan St. Pere’s final recorded drum work, & it’s a beautiful testament to his craft & personality behind the kit. His playing is the first thing you hear on the record, as it should be.

In this episode, we discuss amplifier worship, crawling deeper into love, & vibrational empathy at the micro-scale.

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FAERIE RING

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"NEW GODS" VIDEO

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"FATTEST WITCH" VIDEO

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AMBLARE

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EPISODE 001: AFTERNOON WITH THE AXOLOTLS

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:37 // "New Gods" (Faerie Ring)
03:56 // Faerie Ring News
11:15 // Live Show Ethos
15:50 // New Singles & Videos
24:07 // "Fattest Witch" (F.R.)
25:32 // Amblare to Faerie Ring Chemistry
32:45 // Hearing HUM, Meeting Bryan
36:25 // BSP's Drum Approach
42:38 // "Puppets" Discussion
01:15:49 // What's Next
01:20:27 // "Mine'd" (Amblare)

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Today’s guest is BOB NANNA of the bands BRAID & HEY MERCEDES.

Earlier this year, POLYVINYL RECORDS reissued the entire Hey Mercedes discography on vinyl, & in 2023 they released a 25th anniversary remixed & remastered edition of Braid’s Frame & Canvas. Obviously, those are highly recommended. Links below.

His other projects include Lifted Bells, The City on Film, Friction, & -- as we’ll discuss in a few minutes -- the explosive but under-heard ORWELL, who released a compilation LP called 1995 on EXPERT WORK RECORDS.

He has an extensive archive of both original solo work & cover songs on his Bandcamp, also linked below.

In this episode, we discuss genre-fluid shows, the Champaign-Urbana/Chicago nexus, the joys of alliteration, & the sonics of the psychonautic state.

[Editor's note: the Castor song title we couldn't remember is "Stay Lo"]

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BRAID @ CBGBs '97

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BOB NANNA BANDCAMP

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HEY MERCEDES REISSUES

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BRAID, FRAME & CANVAS 25TH ANNIVERSARY ED.

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ORWELL, 1995 LP

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:20 // “A-List Actress” (Hey Mercedes)
03:35 // CBGBs Flyer & Fireside Lineups
09:00 // Champaign/Urbana/Chicago Scenes & Venues
15:41 // Touring with (& Covering) Castor
20:53 // “Moving Backgrounds” (Bob Nanna/Castor)
21:49 // Orwell, 1995 LP
23:12 // “Ph9 Green” (Orwell)
25:25 // “4242” (Orwell)
29:06 // “9.30” (Orwell)
30:40 // HUM & Braid Shows
32:27 // “The Pod” Video & DIH Fandom
35:42 // “The Pod” Discussion
01:02:22 // Upcoming Shows
01:04:16 // “A Dozen Roses” (Braid)

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