The Blue Shades

The Blue Shades are a rock 'n roll band from Amsterdam with nothing to lose and the world to conquer. Their style revolves around 70s rock and takes bits and pieces from various other genres, like blues, funk and boogie. The band is comprised of two schooled musicians and two self-taught players, which results in a balance in the playing and songwriting, and many a lengthy, heated argument over a particular lick or riff. They do have a common goal though, which is to perfect the music and make it come alive.

Over the course of the last couple of years the four boys have found themselves down in the rehearsal studio three times a week constantly working on the sound, new songs and polishing the old tracks, all the while with the big picture in mind: playing for an audience. With about thirty shows to their name, they are slowly, but steadily, building up a reputation in the Amsterdam music scene as a great live act.

Currently they are riding the waves of their newest demo album containing five tracks, all recorded and engineered in their own little recording studio by Ruben and Moos, lead singer/guitarist and guitarist/harmonica-player respectively. With the addition of three background singers, who will occasionally play live with the band, the sound has really matured.

A quick glance at the lives of Ruben, Moos, Arno (Bass) and Wilfred (Drums) would show you that these boys got the talent, are immensely dedicated are willing to make sacrifices to make it happen. Ruben Seyferth has regularly been compared to Steven Tyler and Axl Rose, for his appearance and stage presence. His singing makes you see that the thing is real, alive and well. Moos Lamérus will tell you how a song works. Having played classical piano for fifteen years he has a great technical perspective and a perfectionist attitude towards music. On stage he looks good enough to eat. Autodidact Arno Kort has an unusual, but great, creative playing style. Whether something needs to be slapped, pushed or pulled back, he's the right man for the job. Wilfred Boelhouwer (dubbed by his fellow band mates as Willy or Dr. Groove) is another schooled musician, often bringing in pieces of paper with some new grooves and paradiddles. "Can't we play 9/12th?" He'll also be the first one to bring in the metronome to get steady.

All in all, this band is definitely worth the while, exciting to see and see them grow. Don't miss out, 'cause heed my words: they're gonna be big.