Allen

There is the cliche of the starving artist, and then there is the cliche of the rock star life after making it big, selling out arenas, and living the cliche of the rock star life. However, without the space between, music would be a whole lot less exciting, and that is the space Shiner occupy: four friends who make music together because they want to, not because they have to. Lead singer Allen Epley sees some advantages to the life of a working artist.

“For a lot of people, it’s a combination of a day job and making money with art. It’s a great feeling not to be burdened by having to make music to survive. I can make some money from music, but not fully make a living,” he shares. Some people try to make a living by music alone, trying to write scores, teaching, or other ways, but that can make it so much less enjoyable.”

Shiner are a group of working musicians who all have music careers in addition to playing in the band. Paul Malinowski is a sought-after mixer and recording engineer. Josh Newton is a guitar technician with Kings of Leon and Fall Out Boy, who has also worked with the Breeders and Band of Horses. Additionally, drummer Jason Gerkin also plays in Hum.

Epley just completed a 14-year run with the Blue Man Group live show in Chicago. “As soon as we announced the closing, the remaining shows sold out. We should have dragged it out longer like KISS does,” he jokes. “It was a unicorn gig for a musician. It’s not like we were doing Hamilton. It was a constantly evolving piece, so every show was different. It was a special thing to be a part of, and it was very good for me.”

However, it wasn’t always like that for Epley. “At one point, I told my therapist that I felt like a failure, working on Blue Man. I felt like I should be something else,” he says.

Epley turned this anxiety into something positive, creating the podcast Third Gear Scratch, where he interviews other artists who make a living at their day job so they can pursue their art. Through interviews with guests, he addresses the question many working artists have had to answer: How can I support myself while pursuing my passion? It’s a must-listen for anyone balancing the need to pay the bills with creating art, whether as a musician or not.

“I came up with the idea for the podcast through those conversations with my therapist. So many artists feel like, ‘What the fuck am I doing with my life?’ Everyone feels it sometimes, but talking to all these artists and finding out how they make it work was such a burden lifter. I credit a lot of my rehabilitation to working on the podcast,” Epley beams.

Right now, though, everyone in Shiner is focused on their recently released BELIEVEYOUME, which is another stellar release, sure to please longtime fans and likely to convert some new ones. It is their most direct and accessible collection yet, instantly gratifying, yet also filled with depth. “There are a lot of brilliant bands who stay in a lane, but that’s never been us. If we had written a big hit, I bet we would have hewn a little closer to a playbook, but that’s not me,” he explains.