The Heroine Sheiks
The Heroine Sheiks was an American Noise Rock band based in New York. It began in 1999, as a collaboration of Shannon Selberg, George Porfiris, Norman Westberg and John Fell. Selberg emerged as a major songwriter in the complete history of the band whose sound was darker and more sinister than his previous work in The Cows. With several references to the writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, the band explored a thematic quality of black comedy. History The initial lineup of Selberg, Porfiris, Westberg, and J Bryan Bowden recorded the first single on Amphetamine Reptile records titled "Heroine Sheiks". The release included the songs "We are the", "Let's Fight" and "Swedish Fly". The band received good support from the local NYC underground rock scene and prompted a full length release by Reptilian Records. Their name is a play on the heroin chic fashion trend of the 1990s. Rape on the Installment Plan is considered an art/noise rock masterpiece by critics and fans alike. The record was released on white vinyl and CD. The record saw the arrival of veteran drummer John Fell thus completing the talent ridden lineup. The buzz surrounding Heroine Sheiks at that point was huge due to the combination of Selberg, Westberg, Fell, and Porfiris who had done time in bands like Swans, The Cows, China Shop, Kelly Township, Foetus, Richard Hell, Miami Sound Machine, and Ultra Bide to name a few. During live shows of this period Scott Hill was added to the lineup to perform keyboard duties, he was known for his periodic dancing between keyboard parts and provided some comedy relief as Selberg's performance was menacing, confrontational and often purposely bizarre. In 2001, the bass guitar player George Porfiris left the band and Eric Eble joined. The band signed to Rubric Records and recorded the single "Best Enemies/Oucha" and eventually the album Siamese Pipe. The record was a solid sophomoric release, but received mixed reviews. Fan favorite songs "Army Brat", "My Boss" and "Mas Suicide" are included. The production on Siamese was cleaner and had more of a standard mix next to Rape, but the successful formula of Selberg's toy keyboard and Westberg's signature guitar playing is very pronounced. Overall the rhythm section became heavier and tighter with greater complexity in the writing and arrangements. The band periodically toured throughout this period and created a solid fan base across the US. For live shows, keyboards were played by both Scott Hill and the newcomer Creighton Chamberlain. In the spring of 2003, founding member Norman Westberg left the band and Selberg recruited Martin Ros from the then breaking up band Sons of Mata Hari. Ros's sound fitted in perfectly with the ever evolving sound of the Sheiks, as he was an accomplished guitarist with a rich punk rock and noise rock history. Summer and fall shows followed with positive response. In late 2003, the drummer John Fell left due to chronic hearing problems and in early 2004 the bass guitarist, Eric Eble, also left the band. Selberg