The Sheila Divine
The Sheila Divine came on to the New England post-grunge, alt-rock circuit in 1997, dripping wet with all the passion and angst of a high school boy rejected at the senior prom. The kind of angst we’ve all felt inside on those hot summer nights when sleep just won’t come and dreams of the perfect woman pervade: The Sheila Divine.
If one were to look up the words “whisper to a scream” in the Rock and Roll Handbook, they’d undoubtedly see Arron Perrino’s picture. Somehow, he manages to stay in key, while screaming with the reckless abandon of a man – nails clawing and scratching – at the last remnants of sanity.
Formation, Cherrydisc signing, Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble
Perrino (vocals/lead guitar) joined with Shawn Sears (drums) and Jim Gilbert (bass) in Boston to form The Sheila Divine in 1997. Hailing from upstate New York, the three were acquaintances when they were students at the University of New York in Oneonta. Sears met Perrino in a music theory class, managed his first band, The Waverlys, and both of them were drawn to the magnetic atmosphere of Boston’s thriving music scene, where they were reacquainted after arriving to the city at different times.
Once in Boston, the band was scooped up by CherryDisc Records. By 1999, they had solidified a loyal fan base which made attending a Sheila Divine concert more like a group singalong. After winning the WBCN Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble that year, their songs were in regular rotation over the Boston airwaves.
Early singles, New Parade, Later albums, Europe/China tours
Their first album, 1999’s New Parade (Road Runner Records) featured several popular songs: “Automatic Buffalo,” “Like A Criminal,” “Opportune Moment” and “Hum.” Before that first album was issued, they’d cut the singles “Like A Criminal” (1998, CherryDisc) and “Hum,” (1999, Road Runner) and an EP, The Sheila Divine EP (1998, CherryDisc).
A second guitarist, Colin Decker, was added to the line up in 2000, just prior to their sophomore effort, Where Have All My Countrymen Gone (2001, Co-Op Pop Records). Members of The Sheila Divide founded Co-Op-Pop Records through a partnership with Newbury Comics in an effort to stake a claim to their own chunk of the alt-rock genre under their own label. Also in 2000, Colin Decker brought his former band mate from Lincolnville, drummer Ryan Dolan, on board to replace Shawn Sears, who exited the group following the birth of his first child.
In 2002, Arena Rock Recording Company released the band’s second EP, Secret Society, which provided the opportunity for a tour of China and Europe but also resulted in the end of the modified line up. After a brief hiatus, Perrino, Dolan and Gilbert re-grouped and played several shows. Perrino, Gilbert and original drummer Sears joined with Brian Charles (aka “Dear Leader”) to record two albums for Zippah Records, The Things That Once Were (2012) and The Morbs (2015).
Dolan replaced Sears on the kit once again to record the band’s most recent album, The Beginning of The End Is Where We’ll Start Again (2019, Zippah). With that, I second the motion on the new beginning and wish the best of luck and long life to The Sheila Divine.
(by John Cappello)
