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Shplang

In 1994, Peter Marston, a veteran of the LA pop scene with [a12120421], [a2207345], and [a1783070], met up with John Krause, a visual artist and designer best-known for his work on The Simpsons. John was also a musician, so they got together to see what would happen and what happened was Shplang’s first album, Journey to the Center of Mirth, a mix of psychedelia, power pop, and primitive folk that Improvijazzation described as “A shining example of just what can be done with rock when it’s played from the heart and not the format.” The album caught the ear of [l24185] founder [a1872850] and a distribution deal was signed, resulting in the first national exposure for the band. Three additional albums followed—Self Made Monk, American Cream, and My Big Three Wheeler—each refining the band’s signature psych-pop and offbeat humor. In 2019, Big Stir Records released an anthology album, Los Grandes Excritos, to commemorate Shplang’s 25th Anniversary. The album featured material from all four of the previous albums, plus a handful of previously unreleased tracks. In 2023, Big Stir Records released a sixth album, Thank You, Valued Customer.