Wakulla County's Jeff Shields Signs Record Deal
Jeff Shields of Medart, Florida announced Thursday that he is
officially a signed artist. The agreement was inked and pledged
February 28, 2007 between Bieler Brothers Records in South Florida,
Shields and his band members of Stereoside.
It is an excellent opportunity where we have a lot of creative
control of the music,” stated Shields. “Music is a second language for
me; I have worked very hard to get to this point to speak it and it is
finally here."
Jeff Shields graduated from Wakulla High School in
2002 where he was section leader of the Wakulla War Eagle “Thunder
Struck” drum line. Before he graduated he was the drummer in a local
band Muster Room performing in and around Tallahassee. After
graduation he performed and outshined the vocal competition and was
named WTNT Tallahassee Idol. In 2003, he toured regionally as the lead
singer for the band Rizer until he decided to go to Nashville in 2005
to pursue his talent and learn more about songwriting and the technical
end of music. Shields got to meet and write with some very talented
performers and songwriters in Nashville.
In September 2006 Jeff was in Nashville working on several projects with Wind Up recording artist Eric Durrance when he got a call from the Stereoside’s sound technician, Shaggy Daniels, whom he had known professionally from working with the band Rizer. Veteran Stereoside members found themselves without a lead singer after a tour in Summer, 2006. After about a month and numerous calls with Stereoside members, Jeff decided to follow his heart and went to Central Florida to audition with the band.
Stereoside is Jeff Shields (lead vocals and songwriter), Ben Foster (lead guitar), David Oliver (Bass) and Chris York (percussion).
“There was an immediate chemistry there,” stated Ben Foster, lead guitarist for Stereoside. “It was not easy for someone to come into a band that was already formed.”
The two immediately began writing music and something just clicked.
“After only 3 months, we were already performing concerts,” stated David Oliver, bass player for Stereoside. “That’s pretty unusual unless there are dedicated musicians like Jeff involved.”
Jeff Shields first concert with Stereoside was coincidentally performed in his hometown area at Floyds Music Store in Tallahassee on December 2, 2006 where Shields connected with his fans. “You know how word of mouth travels down here,” laughed Shields. “There were a lot of people from Wakulla there and I was extremely overwhelmed and really appreciate the support of the County.”
“Shields has the musical background and experience with percussion, guitar, music writing and composition that we needed to put us on the map,” stated Chris York, drummer for Stereoside. “With his wide vocal range, we are ready to rock the world!”
Shields could not elaborate on the details of the record deal but described it as “sweet”. The band begins recording on the spring solstice March 22, 2007 at Blue Room Studios in Pompano Beach, FL. A single “Sinner Song” will be released in the summer prior to the album coming out in late 2007. Then the band will tour and promote their creation.
Shields is the son of Kimberly Wheatley, of Medart and Jeffrey D. Shields, Sr. of Key Largo, Florida. His grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Wheatley and Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Shields, all of Tallahassee.
“What a birthday present…I am very proud of my son,” stated his mother, Kimberly Wheatley, Broker/President of Premier Properties of North Florida, Inc. “We are prepared to invest his money in real estate.”
To communicate with the band or find out updates visit www.stereoside.com or www.myspace.com/stereoside. Jeff Shields looks forward to hearing from old and new friends via www.myspace.com/jeffshields. Rock On!
This article originally published on March 21, 2007.
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