Sheila and the Insects traces its roots to the band The End that was formed by Ian Zafra together with a few friends in December of 1991. The band started out playing new wave covers and writing and recording a few original songs. Through the years, the band met with several changes in its line-up eventually picking up Orven Enoveso as the band’s vocalist in 1992 along the way.
With very little in the way of an active band scene in Cebu, the band still managed to survive doing gigs in small clubs and continuing to write and record new material. After landing a regular weekly gig in the now defunct Artist Dais club in circa 1996, the band slowly built up a regular following, which led to bookings in bigger clubs and, eventually, corporate sponsored concerts.
The band eventually recorded and released independently their fi rst album in 1999 during which time, the band moved to Manila, Philippines to promote their music in the capital. Slowly, the band gained recognition especially with the release of their second album the following year.
The album, Plastic Eyes, Static Minds produced two singles that gave the band their biggest break. The song Everyday Drive gained regular radio airplay and eventually landed the top spot in the NU107 midnight countdown for four straight weeks and went on to stay in the countdown for a total of 15 weeks.
Another single from the same album, Your Comedy landed in the same countdown eventually peaking at number 2. That year, the band received a nomination as best new artist in the NU107 Rock Awards and performed in the nationally televised
event.
Returning to Cebu shortly after their successful Manila stint, the band continued to be active in the local circuit and went on to release their third independent album titled Manipulator. The album spawned another hit single, Idle Hands, which gained similar recognition and success in Manila’s rock charts thus cementing the band’s status as one of the Philippines’ best indie acts.
Shortly after the release of their third album, the band broke up because of musical di fferences.
Eventually, Ian Zafra and Orven Enoveso, the band’s lead guitarist and lead vocalist respectively, and also the band’s main songwriters, decided to reform the band with two new members: Boobop on bass and Jerros Dolino on drums. Both new members had had stints in Cebu-based bands that also met with success in Manila namely Glitch and Urbandub.
Releasing Flower fish in August of 2005, the band reestablished themselves in the Philippine rock scene with strong singles like Lemerson and the highly contagious Quick To Panic, the latter released with a highly stylized animated music video that caught the scene by surprise. Riding renewed interest from old and new fans alike, the band went on to release videos for the singles Happenstance, Clever As You, and the latest, Maude.
The band later was chosen to be part of the Apo Hiking Society tribute album. Their cover version of Softly was released in 2008 as part of The Best of Kami nAPO Muna 2CD + DVD collection.
In spite of all their successes and recognition from the Philippine rock scene, its band members never really became full-time musician for long — choosing instead to work day jobs.
Choosing individual careers over music though, has allowed the band to remain truly independent with their sound. The band currently with a new drummer, Vince Yap, who is also part of the Cebu indie band Undercover Grasshoppers, is now working on new releases and a series of gigs with the aim of bringing their music to a wider audience. Their next single, Pretty Loser, is set for release in 2013 to growing anticipation by loyal indie followers and fans.
Email – info@sheilaandtheinsects.com
Official Site – http://sheilaandtheinsects.com
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