Hop on the Shame Train

By Justin Schultz

There is something awry on Protection Avenue in Plattsburgh, NY. Melissa, Moe, David, and countless other’s bodies line the dingy alleyway. Their eyes are eerily rolled back in their pale decapitated heads. In a nearby small one bedroom apartment, a 42 year old man prepares to go on his first prom date with the girl of his dreams, a 15 year old whom he doesn’t realize is his illegitimate daughter. Meanwhile, alien life forms resembling a furry crossbreed of Alf and ET are outside attempting to gain access to the building. In the shadows a gaucho-mustachioed man in a hat made of fruit watches the proceedings with a crooked smile.

These are not the scenes of a campy horror movie or a town gone sadistically wrong. They are actually the humorous themes of the songs performed by a local comic-rock band, the Shameless Strangers, who are in the midst of a rollicking set at the legendary haunt, the Monopole.

Sweat collects on the brow of lead singer ‘Shameless’ Will Scheifley as he forcefully strums his acoustic guitar. He looks like a possessed Quentin Tarantino with a harmonica strapped around his head, staring off into space. Each song is received by raucous applause and cheers, and initiates movement from even the shyest of dancers. Not all of the band’s songs are comical. Some are straightforward rocker’s that display the impressive talents of guitarist Mike Dashnaw and drummer Bill Bougill. The sounds ringing out from the Shameless Strangers instruments remind the listener of Camper Van Beethoven, ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic, and the celebrated Plattsburgh-bred jamband the Ominous Seapods.

The Shameless Strangers have been recording new material over the past few weeks. “We’re working on a new album,” bassist and producer Cody Reid says, “we were recording from 3am last night until 10am this morning.”

The music makes local fans and bar patrons happy. It also makes ‘Shameless’ Will quite happy as well. “I would like to listen to a CD of our band,” Will says at an intimate after party, “that’s the kind of music I like to listen to on my computer or whatnot.”

Who’s to say that there won’t be a day when thousands of fans want to listen to the Shameless Strangers on their play lists. The band’s music and personalities warrant the possibility of a very successful musical career.

“Will writes great songs,” says Cody, “they have great lyrics, structure, and are fairly easy for the band to learn.”

Will has a different take on his songs, “Around here, I don’t think music fans like us that much,” he says “but I do think drunk kids do.”

He pauses for a moment, and reassess his thought, “Some people around here like us and they come to every gig,” Will says, “but I don‘t think our band is ‘cool’ though.”

Crowds show their appreciation for the band’s quick wit and songs such as “No Bananas in the Sky,” “Murder Mystery,” and “Gary,” which is about a man in a hat made of fruit.

“People love that song [Gary], and I love it too,” Will says, “but I think the band hates it. So I wrote a new song, with the same riff and different lyrics.”

‘Shameless’ Will began working on his songwriting skills after picking up the guitar at the age of 16. He grew up near Philadelphia and moved to Plattsburgh over a decade ago. When he started playing music, he never looked back. “I’ve been playing for a long time,” says Scheifley, 30, “and we’ve been playing together as a full band (with a drummer) for just over four years.”

Will maintains a strong outgoing personality and has a great, if somewhat deranged sense of humor. He can be creating rumors about Cracker’s drummer Frank Funaro’s fictitious porn collection one minute, and humping TV’s the next. The antics crack his friends up, and it is easy to see how Will’s sense of humor bleeds into his music and other artistic outlets.

‘Shameless’ Will considers himself more of an entertainer, rather than an artist. Which is understandable because at first glance the words ‘music’ and ‘art’ seem to imply two different things. However, Will is an artist, especially when one considers the various mediums he works in.

For the past few years, Will has delved into the world of cartooning and graphic design. His Panda and Monkey cartoon strip has been a long running feature in Fourth Coast Magazine, a popular concert and music guide available in the icy North Country of New York. It’s an exciting time to be the artist for the cartoon. Recently, The Burgh, a local publication picked up Panda and Monkey, marking the strip’s debut as a weekly feature.

Will has always enjoyed drawing, and the creation of Panda and Monkey sprang to his head while at a previous job.

“I was sitting at this job and drawing all the people I worked with. I drew this one comic and it was about, I don’t know… work. And how the guy that we worked for was probably on crack or something,” Scheifley says, “and everyone laughed at them. So, I kept doing it and volumes and volumes of it came out, you know what I mean? Volumes. We all laughed at it so hard. ”

His family and coworkers were a big influence on his cartooning skills. “My sister worked there, so she was egging me on,” Will says “ I never stopped drawing it. I always wanted to do animation, so I used that as my muse.”

‘Shameless’ Will mastered Photoshop while working on Panda and Monkey, which also comes in handy for creating concert posters, and fake advertisements that he hopes will get him noticed in the graphic design world.

Will’s ambitious endeavors are exciting, creative, and garner continued local support. But they don’t always make enough profit to stock the refrigerator shared by himself and Dashnaw at Casa de Shameless. He has worked a variety of day jobs to “pay the bills,” including a stint at a local Thai eatery, and his current position at Target.

Going to work at 4am puts a cinch on band sessions and gigs, and artist’s are of a different breed within the confines of the superstore.

A woman approached Will on a blustery January morning and asked if the store sold sketchpads. “I wasn’t sure if we did, but I found them and showed them to her,” says Scheifley.

Realizing the woman was an aspiring artist, Will felt he could help her out by making a friendly suggestion.

“I told her these sketchpads suck,” Will says, “you might want to try Michael’s art store.”

The woman pursed her lips and snapped back at Will, “No, I don’t think so. There’s no difference. This one’s fine.”

The woman had put the unsuspecting struggling artist in his place. The confrontation left Scheifley staggered. While smiling and wishing her a nice day, he thought to himself, “Alright, have a good day with your fuckin’ shitty sketchpad. You’re probably gonna use a marker on it, or a sharpie, and it’s just gonna bleed everywhere. Then you’re gonna be pissed off, and you’re gonna be like ‘Man, that guy was right. I should have went to Michaels’.”

Unlike the irate customer, many people are in fact grateful for Will’s contribution’s to the Plattsburgh arts and music scene, and gladly accept his assistance. Each month, Scheifley helps run the sound at a local bar & restaurant for the improv comedy troupe Completely Stranded. The show has similarities with the TV hit Whose Line is It Anyway? But the cast and sketches certainly have their own North Country flair. In addition to working the soundboard, Will portrays famous Hollywood directors, freaked out superheroes, and crazy game show contestants in some of the sketches.

Many members of the Completely Stranded cast come across as seasoned professionals. It is obvious that Will is the team’s rookie, but he holds his own onstage in front of a packed house. When he is not performing in a given sketch, Will watches while leaning against the wall offstage, smiling, laughing, and showing genuine appreciation for his cast mate’s improv skills.

Will takes a vital role in helping others get a break in the local and regional music network. He assists bands from other areas in obtaining gigs at Plattsburgh venues, and collaborates with fellow artists.

Walking along Margaret Street on an unusually warm February afternoon, Will says he wants to stop in the local coffeehouse “to book a [Shameless Strangers] show.” He is greeted by the café’s owner and engages in some small talk at the counter. While setting up the show’s date, he is asked if there will be any additional performers. “Yes,” he replies with a beaming grin, “Ryan McGrath.”

McGrath is a fellow local musician that plays his own variety of comedy-rock. Scheifley is currently assisting McGrath by guiding him through the early phase of his career. In addition to booking him gigs, Will took an important role in the recording of McGrath’s first single.

“None of this would have happened for me if it wasn’t for Will,” says McGrath, 33, a veteran of the Iraq War, “he is such a nice guy. I really appreciate all of his help. He’s a great musician and knows his stuff.”

Will Scheifley does indeed know his stuff. By broadening his artistic experience and trying new things, he continues to add to his talents and acquired knowledge, which means the best is yet to come.

If you ever find yourself walking down the street on a cold evening, and you notice that there are no bananas in the sky, but you overhear people talking about the aliens, and the men in hats made of fruit that are inside the local bar… Stop in, hop on the Shame-train, get lost in the groove, and dance until last call. “You might want to get a drink first,” laughs ‘Shameless’ Will.