The Restless Shades is a local band with a fresh yet retro New Wave sound that takes listeners back to the very early ’80s work of bands like Bauhaus and Joy Division. The lineup looks like this: Mr. Sandman is on vocals and keys, Remy Brecht is on vocals and keys, Diesel is on keys and vocals, Michael Dobkowski plays bass, and Robert Mayes is the drummer.
GO woke up Mr. Sandman for a chat about the band’s brief history and what lies ahead.
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When did the band form, and how did you all meet?
We got together in April of last year. Some of us work together, some of us shop from each other, and some of us are married to each other.
Are there a few bands that everyone in Restless Shades have in common that are influences?
Yes. Love & Rockets, Joy Division, The Cure and Massive Attack.
How many songs have you recorded, and where did you record them? Where can they be listened to?
Roughly 12 songs are recorded, and 10 are posted on our Reverb Nation page (reverbnation.com/therestlessshades). Demos were recorded on PCs. We hope to do some all-analog recording sometime this spring for possible CD or EP release.
Who writes the songs, and are there themes that cross over to a lot of the songs?
The songs are primarily written by myself and Remy Brecht, though some songs have been built from bits and pieces pulled from our practice sessions. There’s a common thread of the darker side of life and its unpleasantries throughout the songs.
You played your first live show last month at 131 Washington. What was the response like?
There was a decent, enthusiastic turnout, and we have been getting a lot of comments that we don’t sound like anyone else in town. We take that as a compliment.
Online, you describe the band’s sound as “post-punk for the 21st century.” What do you mean by that?
Post-punk belonged to a certain time and place, one for which everyone in Restless Shades has a great fondness for. But you can never go back. We attempt to distill the essence of that sound and attitude, and frame it in a modern setting with the benefits of technology.
Staff Writer Aimsel Ponti can be contacted at 791-6455 or at:
aponti@pressherald.com
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