There is no substitute for a mother's intuition. Watching a son who wasn't exactly sure what to do with his life as he approached his 21st birthday, Jim Gilbert's mom and one of his friends gave him a bass guitar. From that point on, a love affair ensured between Gilbert, his instrument and his band, The Sheila Divine, who played at Buffalo State College last Wednesday.
The show is the end of a promotional tour for their new EP "The Secret Society," released on Arena Rock Records, home to The Gloria Record and Superdrag. After two weeks touring the Midwest and several overseas venues, The Sheila Divine returned to Buffalo with some interesting tales.
Recounting his tales from abroad, Gilbert said the band "learned a lot of things on our last trip through England that saved us money this time." He also commented on how visiting China was a unique experience and said the Chinese "are such a reserved culture" that is "taught to be unemotional in public."
"(Visiting China) was really a huge culture shock, and we really were ambassadors of rock, so to speak," Gilbert said. "It's weird, having to encourage people to clap and scream, but it was a lot of fun. We pulled a lot of cheesy rock dramatics out to get them going, the stuff that would get you crucified by critics in the States."
But Gilbert said the United States has always been a bit of an enigma for The Sheila Divine.
"We play to packed houses in Buffalo, Boston and New York, but then we go down the I-90 to Pittsburgh and we're playing for six people."
That is a hard thing to imagine for the people of Buffalo, who have embraced the Boston-based band more than any other town. In fact, two local radio stations recently held a Battle of the Bands to win the privilege to open Wednesday's show.
"We didn't know about that, but that is a really, really cool thing and a testament to the people of Buffalo," Gilbert said. "We aren't anywhere without Buffalo. Just because you make music doesn't mean people are going to like it, and for other musicians to compete, in a sense, to play with us is really flattering."
The new EP is another change for the band, as it marks their first release with their current lineup, which consists of Gilbert, vocalist/guitarist Aaron Perrino, guitarist Colin Decker and drummer Ryan Dolan. Their initial effort, 1999's "The New Parade," was hard-hitting and straightforward emotional rock and roll, delivered to the masses with the hit singles "Hum" and "Like A Criminal."
"Where Have My Countrymen Gone," released in 2001, also delivered radio hits with "Every Year" and "Sideways," but was darker, more haunting, and had an altogether different feel to it. Gilbert said the tone is derived from the simple concept of timing.
"The first record was Aaron, Shawn Sears (former drummer), and myself," he said. "When we headed into the studio for 'Countrymen,' Colin had been with the band for only a short time, and you could really hear it on the record. This ("The Secret Society") is The Sheila Divine. Nobody is a hired gun, and this was a unifying experience."
After this show, the band heads off for a "standard rock and roll hideaway." Though they've been working since September, have planned shows in Boston, Buffalo and New York City, the band is going to focus on putting together a record during their time off.
When asked about the solidity of the current Sheila Divine line-up Gilbert said, "If we lose anyone else, I can't justify calling it The Sheila Divine. This is the way we've always wanted it, everything we do makes the hair on the back of our necks stand up. There's always another day and another t
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
