It's been three years since Shiner released an album.
"I think the lore and interest for the band has grown over that space of time," said guitarist/founder Allen Epley during a phone interview from Seattle. "Something really has been sparked because we're playing our largest shows this year."Shiner -- Epley, bassist Paul Malinowski, guitarist/keyboardist Josh Newton and drummer Jason Gerken -- will play Kilby Court, 741 S. 300 West, on Sunday, April 23. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tanger will also take the stage that night.
Shiner is promoting the new album, "Starless."
"We pretty much had this album ready a year-and-a-half ago," Epley said. "But the record label we had a deal with went belly up. So it took us some time to find the right label and release this album. But I think it was beneficial to us."
When Shiner formed six years ago, Epley and the boys wanted to play music that was a cross between Swirldriver and Smashing Pumpkins.
"That's a moot point right now," Epley explained with a laugh. "We're just focusing on the music we want to play. We don't worry about trying to second-guess the trends."
But, he said, sometimes that philosophy moves the band into some heavy crossfire. "We fall between the independent set and the rock set. We have rock fans who like us, and 'holier-than-thou' rock fans that don't.
"On the other hand, we have the independent-music fans that like us and those 'hipper-than-thou' fans that don't."
However, said Epley, that controversy is what drives the band.
"We play our shows the way we want," he said. "We don't change to fit the ska or swing trend. And we believe that's a good thing because when that style of music is out, the bands playing that style will fade away. We hope to be here for a very long time."
You can reach Scott Iwasaki by e-mail at scott@desnews.com