Shades of Grey

Shades of Grey first came on the Cleveland scene in the early 90s, led by Lakewood favorite son Jacob Brady (guitar, vocals). The rest of the band then, following early lineups with vocalists Maribeth Higgins and then Jeremy Christensen, included Jake's brother Nathan Brady (percussion, vocals) and Kyle Curley (lead guitar, vocals). They played everywhere and picked up a huge following, going stronger and stronger up until they went on hiatus in 2001 to write new material.

Two years later, Jacob died suddenly and tragically of complications from a grand mal seizure. As devastating as this loss was for everyone in and around the band, there was comfort in the many new songs Jake left behind (not to mention all the old favorites). What's more, this sad turn of events somehow sparked a super-intense creative period for Kyle and Nathan that produced new songs by the day, day after day, for months. They each produced a solo CD, backing one another up with vocals and instrumentation. Kyle has since moved to Boulder, Colorado, to attend Naropa University but plays with the band whenever he's back home. (Indeed, Shades of Grey is an extended family that has included various artists along the way, who are still considered band members, a la Wu Tang Clan.)

It was like Jake knew his time was coming. Among many other signals he sent out shortly before that bitter late-November morning, he contacted a number of long-ago musician friends out of the blue and urgently pumped them up about doing music again. His message was impossible to forget, and slowly a new band began to gel. Nathan gradually assumed his older brother's mantle as leader of the band and set up a studio in his home. He was joined by step-brother and outstanding drummer Tim Babcock (a Shades of Grey regular and former drummer in Bronwen's Gift, another successful Cleveland band) and friends Aaron Bennington (who, by the way, left his home in New Hampshire to move to Cleveland on the very day Jake died), cookin' bass player Jimmy Crompton (also from NH), and seasoned ace axeman Don Torok.

It can well and truly be said that, in the fullness of time, Shades of Grey rose from the ashes of despair to once again thrill and inspire audiences across the Cleveland area. And everyone in the band can feel Jake's presence each time they play, which imparts a high energy and cohesiveness to the band's driving new brand of rock and roll.