Between Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Shaimus has forcibly (but legally) entered the homes of millions of people around the world. The Los Angeles-based rock band's song "Like a Fool" has lit a fire under plastic instrument-wielding rockers everywhere as a free download for Rock Band 2; the tune also helps to usher in the next phase of Shaimus music with their second album, The Sad Thing Is, We Like It Here—a record that showcases the band's knack for memorable hooks, soulful vocals and intricate-yet-somehow-tasteful playing.
In addition to their two video game appearances, Shaimus has been played on indie and mainstream radio, licensed their music to MTV, become International Songwriting Competition semi-finalists, signed a publishing contract with North Star Media (leading to song placements on "One Tree Hill" and "Ruby and the Rockits"), appeared in the Sony/Screengems film The Roommate, signed a Friends Deal with MySpace Records, and had tens of thousands of music sales—all without the help of a record label.
The five original members of Shaimus joined forces toward the end of 2004 while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. Their mysterious band name origins and dubious character traits aside, the quintet began locking in with each other musically almost immediately, and soon began work on their debut album, Paper Sun. The disc had its genesis in the late night abandoned cubicles of the Rhode Island Food Bank where the drums were tracked (but no canned food was consumed by starving musicians). The recording moved on to cramped apartment bedrooms where most of the rest was completed. Partway through the hasty recording process, "All Of This" was tapped by a little known company called Harmonix to be in a quirky new game called Guitar Hero. This would become the catalyst for Shaimus' worldwide proliferation of rock.
The band moved to Los Angeles and hit the road on tour, during which they honed their sound, songwriting process and performance chops. Their live shows, marked by energy, unadulterated volume, ripping guitar solos and sweat-drenched wristbands became the band's trademark and led to a win at B.B. King's Battle of the Bands in Universal City and a 7-month residency in an LA rock club. With a bevy of new songs that exemplified the newly refined Shaimus style and a steady demand from their fans, Phil, Evan, Cam, Johannes, and original guitarist Dave Middleton realized it was time to record a new album—one that would prove just how far they'd come since Paper Sun.
So, holing themselves up for most of 2008, Shaimus painstakingly crafted a follow-up that would define the sound of a band coming into its own (this time minus the food bank but adding a bathroom, a closet and The Record Plant). The result was 2009's The Sad Thing Is, We Like It Here (and a sold-out CD release party), with themes of morality, mundanity and generational impassivity, plus the standard serving of love and ire that accompany most quality music. It was just one more step toward the band's single, modest goal: total world domination.
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