The Webstirs is an American rockband from Chicago, Illinois. Preston Pisellini (guitars/vocals) and Mark Winkler (keyboards/vocals) began their collaboration as childhood friends in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst penning 'Leroy', a semi-autobiographical musical about a stowaway rat that becomes the Emperor of Rome. The collaboration continued in the formation of several bands at the Univeristy of Illinois where the two attended and eventually led to the creation of The Webstirs with the release of their first album, Smirk (1996), a nod to the then unreleased Beach Boys legendary album Smile. Smirk was followed by two full lengths, Rocket to the Moon (1996) and Radio Racket (2000) And the 7" Gallaudet/Liberty Camp on Chicago's Ginger Records. After the release of Radio Racket, The Webstirs, then featuring Ed Schaller (Twiggy) and Russ Horvath (Sarge) went on to pursue other projects. But Pisellini and Winkler continued their collaboration and began creating demos for songs that would eventually lead to the creation of their fourth album, So Long. Spurred by their long time friend and producer Matt Allison (Less Than Jake/Alkaline Trio/Lawrence Arms), Pisellini and Winkler began work on a new album in 2006 with the support of former band mate Ed Schaller and soon solidified into the current Webstirs' lineup featuring Jordy Kozer (The Redwalls]) on drums and Charlie Short (Big Hello) on bass. The Webstirs' new album, So Long (2009) on Ginger Records, features songs crafted over several years by two long-time collaborating songwriters and energized by a new rhythm section. Imbued with the rich harmonies and pop sensibilities of Rocket to the Moon and Radio Racket it is at once a continuation of their previous work and the embarkation on a new direction.