Sheila is not a punk rocker. But her band is. Sheila sang into her hair-brush to all things 80s pop. Her band went to Bad Religion shows. As a result, The Go-Sheilas are what it would sound like if Belinda Carlisle fronted Green-Day. This Orange County band really puts the “punk” in pop-punk, bringing music you can mosh to while singing along at the same time. The Go-Sheilas are Sheila Go Sheila, Andy Fisher (formerly of Letdown), Tobie Hutto and Anays Torres. A guilty pleasure for England’s crusty punks, the Go-Sheilas have a sound you won’t want to miss.
The band has just released their first album, “Greatest Hits Vol.1”, which includes a cover of Nena’s 80’s hit “99 Red Balloons” that was played last year on KROQ. In addition, the band was recently played on LA/OC's Star 98.7 FM. The band’s energy is at an all time high on this album thanks to the mixing skills of Karl Derfler (No Doubt, Tom Waits). The OC media buzzed about The Go-Sheilas performance alongside Berlin at one of the largest charity events in town: Taste of Ladera: Rock the Park. The band plays locally in Southern California and looking to tour later this year to support the new album.
The Go-Sheilas formed back in January of 2006 after singer/songwriter Andy Fisher wrapped up his old band, Letdown (which later became The Drips and The Bronx). Andy came out of the OC punk scene as a radio DJ, guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. He has worked with members of Guttermouth, The Drips, Welt, Nonsense, and Suicidal Tendencies. The driving force behind the Go-Sheilas, Andy had the goal of taking his guitar-driven punk style and infecting it with contagious melodies. He recruited Sheila to sing and recorded a 4 song EP in his home-studio with the help of his former bandmates, Dave Hidalgo, Jr. (Suicidal Tendencies, The Drips) and Vince Hidalgo (The Bronx, The Drips) and friends John (French Disco) and Tom Dumont (No Doubt). The EP garnered Sheila an award for “Best Female Vocalist of 2006” from UK webzine FFRUK.
Since 2006, the Go-Sheilas have played live shows all over southern California at venues such as The Troubadour, House of Blues, and The Showcase Theatre. The band has been recently featured in the OC Register, the OC Weekly, and Coast Magazine. Their song “Simple Plan” from their 4 song EP was featured on national network television twice: once on ABC’s sitcom “Notes from the Underbelly” and once on Fox’s “The Loop”. Charlie Walk, (President of Epic Records) says “I like the vibe of this song [Holiday, from the EP] and would like to hear more from this band.” Now with their full length album out, you will get to hear more.
2008 is going to be an exciting year for the Go-Sheilas- the band everyone’s talking about: “…solid! I like the energy of the band”- producer Jonathan Rotem (Rihanna, Britney Spears, 50 Cent). As Sheila continues to inflict her love for 80’s pop on her band-mates, who respond back with fists in the air, the audience will continue to benefit from the most exciting, fun-filled sound ever to hit the airwaves.
the Go-Sheilas are one of the best proponents of that loud-fast-catchy brand of punk that comes draped in new-wave couture. Produced to a highly compressed, barbed sheen by the Go-Sheilas’ guitarist Andy Fisher and played with chops tighter than your monthly budget, Greatest Hits Vol. 1 works your well-worn pleasure centers with maximum efficiency and quickness. I foresee many licensing deals to television and film (“Simple Plan” already has graced TV shows The Loop and Notes From the Underbelly).
The 12 songs here—totaling 32 minutes—are as lean and fleet as those on the Ramones’ eponymous debut LP, while Sheila Go-Sheila adds doll-cute dollops of vocal sucrose to the linear ramalama. The hooks in each tune are so immediate you’ll be humming or singing along before the track even ends. It’s as if Fisher—the Go-Sheilas’ sole songwriter—has spent the past decade studying the masters of accessible pop punk and honed their tics into tight packets of euphoria as familiar and comfortable as your Vans kicks.
-Dave Segal, The OC Weekly
