Shades
Des Moines, Iowa, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Press reviews coming soon... - n/a
Discography
SELF-TITLED (2009)
In what might be the epitome of the shoestring budget for the do-it-yourself musician, the initial creative offering by Shades features an 11-track ensemble of songs written while the band was splintered in different places across Iowa. The record is an introspective journey focusing on human intellect throughout history and into the future.
Notable tracks: Devil at Play, Optimize/Satisfy
CITIES LIKE CIRCUITS (2011)
Embracing guilty pleasures of synth-pop and urban/indie vibes, this follow-up record blends progressive rock with the effort to cross over to other genres. Lyrically it’s a glimpse at a community struggling to embrace one another despite the demons we all face finding love and acceptance. Featuring Liana Prudencio on guest vocals, Shades also gives a nod to legendary rock influencers, Fleetwood Mac.
Notable tracks: Just a Glimpse, The Chain
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Bio
A collection of musicians, hailing from distinct genres. A love of music brought us together. Let our music bring you to us. We are Shades. So are you.
Shades is an alternative rock band from Des Moines, IA. The group found itself falling into place and into rhythm early in 2009 with a mission to write original music which conveys the same tangible sense of emotion the artists felt when creating it.
After a lengthy creative process which included emailing songs and ideas across the state to various members, their debut album dropped in 2010. The band set out to establish
a following in Des Moines and Ames playing a series of shows in central Iowa. Those fans soon rallied to help pick Shades as a finalist for the 2010 play-in competition for the
80/35 music festival. Even the founders of Des Moines’ own artistic promotions agency, On Pitch, gave Shades praise for their ability to utilize social media to rally the support of
their fans.
Live shows continued throughout the state of Iowa and out into the Midwest, hitting up cities such as Omaha, Chicago and the Twin Cities, doing show trades with various local
bands and growing the fan base as well as contacts within other music communities.
While on this run of live shows, the process of emailing ideas for new material began again and soon enough, a new EP was released in September 2011. This new batch of
songs shows a dramatic shift in the sound of Shades, focusing more on blending the band’s progressive roots with the needs of their more pop-sensible fans. The band also sought to deliver a unique method for distributing their music by emulating the “name your price” method, made popular by Radiohead. Their live show also saw a facelift with a fully custom on-stage lighting and costume setup.
The future is optimistic for Shades, with a new record already in development and a Spring/Summer tour schedule in the works.
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