What's behind Sheila and the insects' staying power?
By Armor
The Freeman 07/31/2006

Some bands would record a hit song, enjoy instant popularity, but disappear overnight. Some would sign up with a major label, and then become musically confused. But some are simply made of sterner stuff.

Take for example Sheila and The Insects (SATI). The band that gave NU 107 such hits as "Everyday Drive" and "Your Comedy" is becoming bigger and stronger with each release.

Last year, sticks man Jerros Dolino bagged the NU 107, "drummer of the year" award. This year the group was nominated for the "Best Indie Act" category on MYX Channel. With gigs in both Cebu and Manila plus music videos such as "Quick To Panic" and "Happenstance" invading the TV screens, guitarist Ian Zafra, vocalist Orven Enoveso, bassist Boobop and drummer Jerros Dolino are currently running a monster band.

"Flowerfish," the 10-track new CD, is a continuation of Sheila's musical stereotyping. After two years, the insects renovated their hive and added more honey to the elements found in their previous releases - treble melodic guitars, tight drums, low but sometimes crunchy bass lines, inventive lyrics and a predictable song structure that appeals to the hi end audience. The results are atmospheres that send the mind on trips and the soul on a search. And the sonnets are luscious and romantic. If you are a new wave fanatic, owning a copy of "Flowerfish" is a must-have.

"Flowerfish" opens with a mid tempo anthem, "Maybe Only Maybe" which showcased Bisoy's baritone ala Jack Sikat. On the second track "Maude", which has the sad, self-pity fashion of the 90's - he modified Robert Smith's squeaky-throaty vocals. As for the rest of the songs, his incarnation branches out to British - pop vocalists, Ian McCulloch and Ian Curtis, though not losing his low toned voice.

While Ian Zafra's multi layered guitar bloom like flowers on the major 7th intro of "Lemerson"; and after lyrical lines of the Curish ballad "Luna Grace", Boobop's bass lines swim like fishes in between the 3 note guitar support and Jerros' solid drumming.

Fans who have bought the previous CD, "Manipulator" (circa 2002) will be intoxicated again by lyricist Orven Enoveso's lyrical inventions. Phrases like "frantic suicide gone wrong now" (Quick To Panic); and the satirical lines "eyes on the deejay, strobe lights hypnotizing, beg for more chanting, syncopating disco dancing till they die, disco is dead (The Disco Machine); are just on the right tempo and on the right stanzas.

On a recent development, "Flowerfish" will be repackaged and might include new song "Monolove". The band had break management with distribution label V3, which is a subsidiary of Viva Records, and is having talks with Cebu-based indie label, Daybreak Records. A minor conclusion we can glean from this is that indie bands are for indie labels and commercial bands are for the major labels. Unsigned bands and artists therefore must also choose which recording label could cater best to their kind of music.

Backed up by a well planned marketing strategy, loyal fans, and a lifetime passion for music, "Flowerfish" adds a few more years to SATI's lifespan as a pioneer of the country's underground scene. A change in the band's personnel has triggered a positive effect on the group's musical direction. In the chaotic world of the music industry, bands come and go, but Sheila and The Insects are determined to stay and stand firm on their musical philosophy. After all, experiment proves that no one survives a nuclear war. Except of course - the insects.