The Real Shade

The Real Shade is a band steeped in our landscape and the bands that make up Canada's sound. At the cross roads of stripped down vintage rock and new school indie pop, you won't find a sound like theirs anywhere else.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to chat all things music and the band with front(wo)man Jane Gowan as she chronicled the life of The Real Shade. Take a listen and if you like what you hear, check out their music! The Real Shade will be playing a residency at The Cameron House in Toronto every Wednesday in October from 6-8pm! I'll definitely be checking them out. Will you? - The Hippie Historian

At a point where gentle and drifting Americana meets ambient folk music and discerning indie explorations hook up with the infectiousness of pop, you find The Real Shade and songs such as Moving Gaze. It is a wonderfully lyrical creation and as part of the album Horizon Diaries forms part of a musical montage which explores all aspects of our world. Accompanied by a video which follows a film makers documentation of the diversity of our world and the people in it, the song becomes a soundtrack for how amazing, disparate, poetic and amazing the human population is.

This is a song of subtleties and understatement, of deftly and lightly woven musical threads, it tips its hat very openly to European folk traditions as much as it does a more countrified origin, is both dream like and grounded, worldly and often otherworldly. That’s a lot to fit in to one song, especially considering how much space they leave in the song. Some songwriters can just make a good idea go a long way. - A&R Factory

Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jane Gowan moved to Toronto from Vancouver in 2006 and formed Shade with bassist Mary Harmer (Weeping Tile) and drummer Cam Giroux (Oh Susannah, Violet Archers, Holly McNarland). Along the way, Shade picked up part-time band member and producer Tim Vesely of Rheostatics and Violet Archers, and put out last year’s Highway LP. For the new EP, One Last Show of Hearts, Vesley returned to the producer’s chair, but in lieu of the whole band contributing, Gowan and Vesley worked on the new songs alone on a “series of Sundays” this past winter.

The songs may be scaled back, but Gowan and Vesely have coloured them with unexpected hues and intricate instrumental weaves. There’s a smart and witty playfulness to the arrangements on these seven songs (I think it’s more LP than EP, actually, but I won’t get into semantics here) that offers a poignant counterpoint to the emotional vulnerability in the lyrics. Being my first introduction to Shade, I went back to check out One Last Show… predecessor Highway to see just how “stripped back” stripped back was. It’s subtle, but the EP takes a slightly more minimalist approach, really emphasizing the songs’ melodic structures and highlighting Gowan’s vocals. What’s interesting to me is that Vesley and Gowan were able to highlight Shade’s charms without falling into the trap of making it just a voice-and-guitar acoustic album, as seems to be the way so many other artists go. They’ve shown that a record can be stripped without being totally naked and vulnerable. That’s not an easy feat to pull off. - Quick Before it Melts

Shade, c’est avant tout le projet de la musicienne Jane Gowan. Elle mène ce groupe depuis 2006, moment de son déménagement de Vancouver à Toronto. Depuis, elle s’est entourée de musiciens afin de lancer un premier album, « Highway », en 2010. Gowan récidive cet automne avec un EP, « One Last Show of Hearts », accompagnée de Tim Vesely (The Rheostatics).

Le EP s’ouvre avec « False Start », un véritable faux départ. La réalisation ne fonctionne pas et la musique ne ressort pas. Derrière les quatre accords de la guitare acoustique et les sonorités folk rock, je ne mords pas du tout à l’hameçon. « Tried Too Hard » rétablit les choses à merveille alors que tout est beaucoup mieux placé. La mélodie rock va beaucoup mieux par-dessus les textes de Gowan, qui par la même occasion dévoile l’unicité de sa voix. J’adore son chant grave ainsi que sa manière d’aborder les paroles. On n’accusera pas Shade de faire preuve de redondances; la troisième pièce, « Does It Matter », est un morceau de piano pop, très 70's avec sa guitare slide. Je décèle une certaine influence de George Harrison dans cette chanson habilement construite.

Le reste sera composée de hauts et de bas. Parmi les bons coups, « Understand », belle pièce créative et accrocheuse. Pour le reste, Shade tente de toucher au folk de nouveau et ça ne lève pas du tout. « One Last Show of Hearts » est inégal et c’est dommage. La réalisation n’est pas toujours à point et Shade tente de toucher un peu trop à une variété de genres musicaux au point où cela dénature les forces du groupe.

Shade présente une musique bien accessible et tout de même bien intéressante. Certaines chansons ressortent particulièrement du lot, surtout quand Shade concise les sonorités. Je vais avant tout retenir les excellentes chansons de « One Last Show of Hearts ». « Understand », « Does It Matter » et « Tried Too Hard » sont de très bonnes chansons qui méritent une écoute attentive. - 500khz

Shade/One Last Show of Hearts— Jane Gowan has a bit of Laurie Biagini in her in that she reaches back into the past to create music. When she put together the Highway album with her band Shade, she caught me totally off guard and in a review I made a couple of comments I shouldn’t have without more hearings and, boy, did I learn something. I learned that sometimes you need to hear something a lot before you really get it and that it doesn’t have to do with the complexity of the music. I learned that Gowan is on to something and has this sound in her head that has to get out. I learned that I love that sound (I listen to the Highway album in the car regularly) and that I want more. Gowan gives us more with One Last Show of Hearts, a Highway of a different color. More sparse, thanks to the two-person approach of Gowan and cohort Tim Vesely, but as good. This is pop, my friends, honed to a shady edge. I am surprised at how much I like this, but I do. Gowan has a sound. It’s way cool. - Bob Segarini - Don't Believe a Word I Say

Of all the subjects that popular music has tackled over its long history, one of the most attractive is that of life on the open road. Sure, nearly every artist has an on-the-road song in their catalogue so it is hard for anything on that topic to sound new nowadays. (And let’s face it, the road song as a metaphor for life’s journeys is one of the laziest clichés in music.)

Nevertheless, the Canadian pop-rock band Shade decided to record its debut as a tribute album full of songs about the road or music that is meant to be heard while traveling. The end result is a 10-track collection of tunes called Highway and it is a surprisingly strong, original effort despite its mostly mellow vibe.

Regardless of the drastic change in tempo throughout, Highway works well as a whole because of Shade’s talented members which include lead singer and guitarist Jane Gowan, bassist Mary Harmer, and drummer Cam Giroux. (Guitarist Jon Wood and multi-instrumentalist/producer Tim Vesely also provide spirited work on the album.)

One of the highlights of the cd is the title track which opens the album in fine form. The song, a mid-tempo pop number that showcases the group‘s cohesiveness, reaches an intriguing finish as an understated trumpet backs Gowan’s lush vocals as she sings “Doesn’t everybody want to run away sometime?”

Another standout is “Loneliness or Freedom” which, musically speaking, is arguably the most complex with interesting layers that reveal themselves with repeated listening. The song also is home to the album’s most captivating lyrics. The track is about how hard it is sometimes to distinguish between being free or being lonely and whether one is possible without the other.

Even though those two songs are strong, the faster, more upbeat numbers on Highway like “Closer” and “Drive Backward” tend to be the most memorable and that is because their sound fits the album‘s themes best. Both numbers seem like they would sound great on a car radio with their 80s era college rock vibe of jangly guitars and catchy melodies.

As for the rest of the album, there are some ballads and melodic pop songs sprinkled throughout that remind one of Cat Power but they don’t grab one’s attention as much as the other tracks.

Still, the entire album sounds professional as hell and Gowan should get plenty of credit for that. The lead singer has played with numerous bands in the past both as a leader and as a featured player. It will be interesting to see how Shade evolves in the future with the combination of her and her band mates’ talents. For now though, Highway is a fine debut for the Toronto band and its originality should open up some new roads for the group.

Author – Todd Sikorski - Skope Magazine

Even as MP3 storage capability grows exponentially, the space available for bands that hint at Belle & Sebastian, The Velvets or (in a more modern spin) John Roderick becomes more exclusive. Music fans surround their choices with velvet ropes, refusing entry to intelligent, gritty, vintage pop and tasteful arrangements but openly welcome next-blog-things dubstep, witch house and horrible rape friendly horror raps acts for their 15-minutes of fame (you’ve all moved on from Odd Future right?).



Thankfully, there are still artists like Jane Gowan who refuse to stop fighting the good fight. She — under the moniker Shade — is back with a follow up to the oh so delightful Highway, and even if the sound and end results are slightly different, her talent still shines through. In fact, I think the scaled back, straight ahead songs actually highlight Jane’s strengths. Instead of recording with her full band, she recruited Rheostatic Tim Vesely (and part time Shade member) to record the songs and add valuable textures to the new seven song EP, One Last Show of Hearts.



The stripped back, lo-fi arrangements shine the spotlight on the gentle acoustic, piano and Jane’s heartfelt words, but never make the songs feel half-finished or rushed. Tim and Jane know exactly what sound they want added to the mix (case in point: the nice steel and uke interplay on “Peace of Mind” changes the feel of the song, but doesn’t crowd the melody and the nice electric work that fills out “Tried Too Hard” is note perfect) and firmly believe that less is more.



I know Shade won’t turn the blog world on its axis, but there should be a home for bands that can so consistently craft smart, crisp pop songs and as long as Shade keeps writing records like One Last Show of Hearts, herohill will proudly yell from the rooftops hoping people to listen. Plus, how fantastic is the covert art??? - herohill.com

Even as MP3 storage capability grows exponentially, the space available for bands that hint at Belle & Sebastian, The Velvets or (in a more modern spin) John Roderick becomes more exclusive. Music fans surround their choices with velvet ropes, refusing entry to intelligent, gritty, vintage pop and tasteful arrangements but openly welcome next-blog-things dubstep, witch house and horrible rape friendly horror raps acts for their 15-minutes of fame (you’ve all moved on from Odd Future right?).



Thankfully, there are still artists like Jane Gowan who refuse to stop fighting the good fight. She — under the moniker Shade — is back with a follow up to the oh so delightful Highway, and even if the sound and end results are slightly different, her talent still shines through. In fact, I think the scaled back, straight ahead songs actually highlight Jane’s strengths. Instead of recording with her full band, she recruited Rheostatic Tim Vesely (and part time Shade member) to record the songs and add valuable textures to the new seven song EP, One Last Show of Hearts.



The stripped back, lo-fi arrangements shine the spotlight on the gentle acoustic, piano and Jane’s heartfelt words, but never make the songs feel half-finished or rushed. Tim and Jane know exactly what sound they want added to the mix (case in point: the nice steel and uke interplay on “Peace of Mind” changes the feel of the song, but doesn’t crowd the melody and the nice electric work that fills out “Tried Too Hard” is note perfect) and firmly believe that less is more.



I know Shade won’t turn the blog world on its axis, but there should be a home for bands that can so consistently craft smart, crisp pop songs and as long as Shade keeps writing records like One Last Show of Hearts, herohill will proudly yell from the rooftops hoping people to listen. Plus, how fantastic is the covert art??? - http://www.herohill.com

Are you ready to learn more about Jane Gowan who is the founding member and lead singer/songwriter of the pop/rock band Shade?  I hope so because Jane has lots to say about this and that.  Find out about the new album ‘Highway’ or how “If you don’t know how to play hockey in Canada, you get your citizenship revoked”.  Jane Gowan talks about it all so grab some nice, quiet Shade and relax!

Jimmy Rae:  I first have to ask how the group name Shade came about back in 2006?

Jane Gowan: I had been using the name “The Jane be Janes” back in Vancouver, but I wanted to “de-Jane” it and make it more of a band name. I also like the one-syllable feel. We had a few ideas, but then one day I was thinking through a list of my favorite words, and “shade” was at the top of that list. It won, but as it turns out there are a lot of bands named “Shade” out there. I may have to switch the pronunciation to “Shadé”.

Jimmy Rae:  I know that Shade is a 4-piece pop/rock band from Toronto and you are the founding member and lead singer/songwriter.  So how did you initially form the group and get all of the pieces of the puzzle put together just right?

Jane Gowan: When I moved to Toronto I knew I wanted to start a lo-fi pop/rock trio or quartet, a la Velvet Underground. I met Mary through a mutual friend and she and I had similar tastes in music and furthermore she’s a great bass player and singer, who happened to not be in a band at the time. So we hooked up and practiced in my living room for a few months. Mary knew Cam from way back (Weeping Tile days) and so he was recruited one night at the Cameron House after a Violet Archers show. With the trio it worked really well and I loved the spare and raw feel. We recorded the first album as a trio, with friend/producer/multi-instrumentalist Tim Vesely (Rheostatics, Violet Archers) adding a lot of extra guitar work. Once we started getting more shows we needed another electric guitarist, and that’s when we hired Jonny.

Jimmy Rae:  Besides fronting Shade I saw that you are also the co-founder of the pop/rock group Spygirl.  I couldn’t help but notice that you have a TON of experience playing trumpet, keyboards and accordion for several Vancouver bands.  I think it’s safe to say that you are indeed musically-inclined to say the least!  I just wonder though where this deep passion of music originated from?

Jane Gowan: Well, thanks for saying that. I guess I’ve always loved music. My Dad played classical piano every day and took us to the symphony a lot. So I started with piano. Classical music was a great introduction to sound, but as a teenager in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I naturally listened to pop and rock albums endlessly, hunkered down on the yellow shag rug in front of the turntable with headphones on, reading the liner notes over and over again. At the time I didn’t think about forming a band; that happened much later.

Jimmy Rae:  You have a debut record out titled ‘Highway’ and so I have to ask why it took so long to record this album? (Five years in the making!) 

Jane Gowan: Well, let’s see… we started recording in 2009, and released the record in April, 2010. I guess before that we were getting to know each other, doing some shows, learning the tunes, and becoming a band. I was also still going back and forth a lot to Vancouver in the early days, playing a few dates with Spygirl and Neins Circa; so that sucked up some time.

Jimmy Rae:  Your new record is said to have a life-on-the-road feel with songs to drive to.  First, is this true and if so why did you decide to go with this approach?

Jane Gowan: Well, I’m not sure if it’s true. Have you driven with it? Did it work? I love driving on empty 2-lane highways in the sun. America is made for driving, although I believe car culture has had its heyday. The first song I wrote for the album was “Highway”. I was in California at the time with my band Spygirl and a friend there inspired that song. Then I drove across Canada in 2006 when I moved from Vancouver to Toronto. My good friend and bandmate Belinda drove with me and made sure I got here safely. I knew I was going to miss her a lot and I do. The song “Closer” is partly for her. It all made sense to go with this theme.

Jimmy Rae:  ‘Highway’ also exhibits some catchy tunes where melodies & harmonies are on point such as on “Loneliness or Freedom” where this is displayed wonderfully.  Would you say that melodies and harmonies are key toward the success of Shade?

Jane Gowan: I’d say the harmonies are a big part of our sound. Mary’s great at singing them as well. Her voice is very clear in comparison with mine and it adds this lovely counterpart. I’ve never felt that I’m a strong melody writer, but nothing hits you where it counts like a good melody; whether it’s The Beatles or Schubert or Duke Ellington or Otis Redding. It’s a lifelong pursuit to hear them all, and a lifelong pursuit to write one.

Jimmy Rae:  Your music, lyrics, sound and vocals all ha - Skope Magazine

This Toronto group’s resume should leave any fan of independent Canadian music sick with anticipation. The band is made up of Mary Harmer (Weeping Tile) on bass, Cam Giroux (Violet Archers, Holly McNarland, Weeping Tile, and more) on drums, and Jonny James (Gentlemen Reg, Swallows) and Tim Vesely (Rheostatics, Violet Archers) on guitar. But they’re all there to support the beautiful vocals of Jane Gowan, who joined forces with Harmer after she moved to Toronto in 2006.

They wrote some catchy lo-fi rock songs and had Vesely record their demo. This all leads us to their 10-song debut, Highway, which features rolling melodies not too far removed from Belle and Sebastian or a much simpler New Pornographers.

Gowan’s vocals are wonderfully clean with a wide range that complements the musicianship of the other band members. The individual experiences of those in Shade must have lent themselves to a building of confidence that isn’t often found in pop-rock. The music is sharper than you’d expect in indie-pop and it changes tempo and tune at times when less-confident players might hesitate.

This one’s a no-brainer – listen to Highway. - Canadian Musician Magazine

“I can't get rid of it...” So goes the chorus on Los Angeles, the second track on Shade's recently released album, Highway, and I find myself in the enviable position of experiencing just that. Shade has packed this album so full of pop hooks and melodies and harmonies that I can't get away from them. I didn't think I would become as enamored as I am of the music, but I have.

First impression, and take into account that it was the very first, I thought maybe the band could have upped the production a little. Jane Gowan's voice maybe isn't the perfect voice for the songs she writes, but I have to tell you that the songs are something else. Sure, I've heard songs as good maybe, but a string of them? Very seldom. And here Gowan has strung together ten beauties.

About that voice, though. After that first impression, it sucks you in and before you know it, you find yourself looking forward to that upfront and almost in-your-living-room tone. She hits the notes all right, and at times it sounds a bit raw, but the smooth, harmonic background vocals supplied by Mary Harmer (sister of Sarah) and drummer Cam Giroux are perfect antidote and offset Gowan beautifully. Indeed, on track one (Highway), you hear the barest hint of what The Cascades had going for them on Rhythm of the Rain, the background is so woven into the mix. Listen closely and you find yourself realizing that her voice isn't the perfect voice. It is the only voice. Very immediate, it sets up the group sound for as straight up as the band sound is, it needs that smooth backdrop. This is pop, my friends, and very good pop at that. Very good.

This low-fi approach favored by the band actually ups their game a bit as it allows the song rather than the sound to dominate. Simple lead vocal, simple background vocals, simple rhythm section and simple unencumbered guitar can make for exceptional music if given the right song. Did I mention that Gowan supplied ten? Ten solid songs which crawl under your skin and make you itch. You start out thinking it's more of the same until you find yourself mentally humming a tune you don't recognize with these exceptional background harmonies and find out later that it is Los Angeles by, uh, Shade? And you think, what the hell? Or hear the lyrics and sound of Closer and think it's off of Brian Larsen's surprisingly good BREAKing album, only it's not. Or you have this line going through your head--- “It's all I can do to keep moving...”--- trying to place where you heard it before and, damn, it's another Shade song. I'm not lying. It's happened to me and is happening to me.

I tell you, I love these guys and I can't tell you why! There is something beneath the music or in the music that I can't get rid of. I mean, I know I shouldn't like these guys as much as I do, but I do. Another one of those odd instances in this incredible world of indie music, I suppose. I guess if I knew everything, I would be a rich man. God knows, that ain't happening anytime soon. But I'm rich in my own way. I have music. I have Research Turtles and Ash Ganley and Soundcarriers and Zoe Muth and, yes, now Shade, and so much more. I keep telling people that music is better than ever. I just wish someone would start listening. Not to me. To the music. They're missing a golden age. They just don't know it yet. - Rock and Reprise

April 27th, 2010 / by ack

Pedigree and experience are two things that can’t be faked in rock n’ roll. Sure, an up-and-coming act can knock your socks off, hitting on the right touch stones and displaying energy and potential that let you know something special is happening, but timeless whip-smart pop songs take time to create.

After one listen, it’s obvious that Shade (a Toronto based quartet made up of members of The Jane be Janes, Weeping Tile and The Rheostatics and the latest creative vehicle for song writer Jane Gowan) has learned from years of playing music and knows what sound they want to play. Obviously the melody and lyrics are important but it’s the musical relationship Gowan shares with Mary Harmer, Tim Vesely and Cam Giroux that creates the relaxed feel the band emits.


If I was asked to describe the band’s sound in words, not paragraphs I’d be forced to rely on classics like Crisp. Professional. Tasteful. Unfortunately, with the abundance of reviews and reviewers bombarding you with those same words daily, the most apt descriptors are overused and seem more like a dismissal than a compliment. Shade exists in a world of effortless melodies and transitions that you can’t help but enjoy the listen. Whether it’s the hint of Nico era Velvets that creeps into the title track before the summery horns float in or the infectious What I Mean, the whimsical pop of Drive Backwards or the subtle haze they layer on Loneliness or Freedom, you realize that not one note on this compact 10-song, 36-minute record feels forced and that is very, very rare these days.
- Herohill.com

Shade is mellow pop folk in the fashion of Belle and Sebastian, Mates of States and a post-psychedelic Velvet Underground. They hail from Toronto's ever expanding indie music scene. Highway was recorded and produced by Tim Vesely (Rheostatics, and Violet Archers).

Vesely decided to help the band record a demo after watching their first live show. However, what began as a demo quickly turned into a full length, ten track album, recorded at the Tragically Hip’s Bathouse Studio.

Shade is fronted by Jane Gowan, a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, who was a cofounder of the decadent pop rock group Spygirl, and also side member of bands such as, The Neins Circa, Belinda Bruce, Little Wonder, and Fear of Drinking. The band also consists of Mary Harmer (Weeping Tile) on bass, Cam Giroux (Weeping Tile, Oh Susannah, Violet Archers, Holly McNarland) on drums, and Jonny James (Swallows, Gentlemen Reg) on lead electric guitar. Tim Vesely often joins on either drums, or keyboards/guitar.
Highway: A Reflective Cohesion of Escapism and Carpe Diem

Highway is a summer road-trip album. It should be listened to on an open highway at dusk; It is feel-good adventure loneliness. Gowan's voice is a high contralto layered with falsetto. The album starts with the self-titled track, "Highway", a solid combination of upbeat folk and mellow pop. Gowan's vocal hook in the chorus lyrically initiates the theme of the album and sets the tone, "Doesn't everybody want to get away". This song will take you from your driveway to the highway, ending with the line, "Are you ready?"

The second song, "Los Angeles", is a mellow tune that cruises with california warmth like sitting on a cool beach soaking in orange firmament, Which, as Gowan sings, "has a way of sinking in". Track four, "Loneliness or Freedom", is a definite highlight to the album. It's a night drive contemplation that presents the main conflict of the album's theme, "is this loneliness or freedom? it's so hard to tell between them."

Highway ends in self-reflection while anticipating future possibilities, which is what a good road trip will do. The last track, "On and on" honestly reflects "How far have we come, look back, it seems to go on and on. How far will it go, never yours or mine to know." Gowan's lyrics are genuine and real. The music is both polished and raw, as well produced indie music ought to be.

Highway is available for download on cd baby, itunes, and zunior.com. For more information visit their website: www.shademusic.com

Read more at Suite101: Shade Debuts Their First Album: Highway http://indiemusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/shade-debuts-their-first--album-highway#ixzz0pzZxnCSF
- suite101.com

Shade is Jane Gowan who’s music has a lovely warm tone and a bit of a vintage feel to it. Her album One Last Show of Hearts is perfect for the coming winter as it was recorded on a series of Sundays in the winter months. Through the album she ponders about the victories, the defeats, the way home in life. Her music is produced and also backed by Tim Vesely. - Ride the Tempo