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 collection of songs that showcases the band's knack for memorable hooks, soulful vocals and intricate-yet-somehow-tasteful playing.

The five 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.

Shortly after a cross-country pilgrimage to the City of Angels in 2005, Guitar Hero exploded into a burgeoning pop culture phenomenon and left the band with an unexpected demand for their bouncy first single and its accompanying album. Rushing to get Paper Sun out in a timely fashion, the album was self-released in February 2006 and met with a positive response—thousands of CDs sold, tens of thousands of iTunes sales, multiple five-star reviews, licensing for MTV Networks and an international cooking show seen in 22 countries, radio play on mainstream, indie and satellite radio, and an invitation to perform at the E3 video game convention—all without the help of a record label.

A tour would soon follow, during which the band 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, Dave and Johannes 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, with themes of morality, mundanity and generational impassivity, plus the standard serving of love and ire that accompany most quality music. Add to that a rhythm section that's as solid as a petrified redwood trunk and guitar licks so acidic they could melt just about any face, and you have the rock gospel according to Shaimus.

Thanks to the inclusion of "Like a Fool" in Rock Band 2 and a music video for "Turn the Other Way" that features the cathartic demolition of an office by the band members, the buzz only continues to grow, and Shaimus has taken another step toward the band's single, modest goal: total world domination.