Interview: Shade

By Robert Isenberg

Shade has just recently come out of the dark, joining the ranks of up-and-coming-but-already-pretty-popular rockers. Celebrating their latest album, Fedra , and earning an enthusiastic nod in Spin magazine, the band has played everywhere from Garfield Artworks to Louisville , KY. The band's unique sound has been jubilantly compared to Manic Street and Radiohead. We caught up with bassist Brad Kiefer at the Koshechka Tea Room

DEEK: It's good to meet you, Mr. Kiefer.

SHADE: Please, Brad.

DEEK: I appreciate your coming. I know you guys are busy.

SHADE: Believe me, we were looking forward to it. The guys - they all send their love.

DEEK: I didn't know Pittsburgh had an authentic Russian tea room.

SHADE: Yeah, not many people do. It's been around for almost forty years, but it's still got that indie flavor, you know?

DEEK: Yeah.

SHADE: It used to be a sausage shop. Borscht, all that shit.

DEEK: Cool. So tell me about Shade. You guys are hitting some big stages. I heard you had to turn down the Cultural Trust for a gig.

SHADE: Yeah, well, we've always liked to travel. It's a pain in the ass sometimes, I'm sure you can imagine - but touring is really a dream come true, you know? It's all about hitting the road, meeting new people. And I'm glad to see people are as excited about Fedra  as we are. I mean, if we can help put Pittsburgh on the map - then it won't just be Esquire saying we're the most rockin' city in the country.

DEEK: Yeah - so, um, what is the inspiration for Shade? What drives you?

SHADE: Well, you can't be an indie musician and not, you know, be some kind of expert in the history of rock, you know? Everything in music is like a pick-and-choose: You take the best elements of, uh, whatever band, say the Rolling Stones, or Floyd, or - anybody , really. Elvis Presley. We're all about experimenting - and when I'm saying expert , I'm not talking like a professor or a historian or something. I mean.

ILYANA: { Muffled due to distance from microphones }.

SHADE: Just a sec, man.

DEEK: Sure.

SHADE: What's that, baby?

ILYANA: { Muffled } .can't find it anywhere.

DEEK: Uh, I think I have a light.

ILYANA: Oh, do you? Are you mind?

DEEK: No, I don't mind.

SHADE: Hey, Ilya, baby, we're kind of in the middle of an interview.

ILYANA: Okay, so sorry. Sorry !

DEEK: No problem.

SHADE: Listen, why don't you take this cash { sound of crumpled bills unfolding } and go get yourself a snack, huh?

ILYANA: Oh, you are not having to.

SHADE: Hey, hey. I don't wanna hear that, okay? It's my treat.

ILYANA: He's so good to me!

SHADE: Who's my girl?

ILYANA: { Giggling } Is me.

SHADE: Who's my girl?

ILYANA: { Laughter }. Don't tickle!

SHADE: You get outta here.

ILYANA: Outta here! { Laughter } You and your baseball!

{ Sound of cigarette lighting }.

DEEK: You want one?

SHADE: Maybe later.

DEEK: So, uh - is that your girlfriend?

SHADE: Her? No, that's Ilyana.

DEEK: What's her story?

{ Pause. SHADE put finger in front of mouth }.

DEEK: { Chuckle } What?

SHADE: I mean, I'll tell you, but you gotta turn off the tape recorder.

DEEK: You want this off the record?

SHADE: I have that right, right?

DEEK: Oh, yeah. No problem.

SHADE: So, you gonna turn it off?

DEEK: Sure, yeah.

{ Crackling sound of tape recorder being fiddled with }.

SHADE: Is it off?

DEEK: Yeah. So who's this - uh, Ilyana?

SHADE: Ilyana - yeah, she's from Ukraine .

DEEK: Cool. What does she do?

SHADE: Uh - everything. She's, uh - I'm not sure. I'm not sure how to put this.

DEEK: Take your time.

SHADE: See, none of us at Shade are exactly loaded , right? I think that's the safest way to say it. Can I have one of those, now?

DEEK: Cigarette?

SHADE: Yeah.

DEEK: Sure. You were saying?

SHADE: Okay. See - we were playing a gig in Baltimore , like six months ago, right?

DEEK: Sure, at-

SHADE: So at the hotel, we start playing pool with these guys. Just Dave Woods and me. The other guys were passed out. Long drive, you know?

DEEK: Sure. What guys?

SHADE: These two guys - I'll call them Dmitri and Pavlovich. Really nice, really funny. Bought us a lot of drinks, whatever.

DEEK: Vodka?

SHADE: Whiskey. They said they were sick of vodka. So we go up to their rooms for, uh - what did they call it? - oh, after party . And - I mean, we're really hammered at this point - they say, How would we like to make a quick six G's?

DEEK: Seriously?

SHADE: Seriously. And we're like, sure, why not? Dmitri says, "All you have to do is take this package, and carry it down to room" - whatever the room number was. "Slide it under the door, you're done." Six thousand dollars, in cash . I mean { nervous laughter } wouldn't you ?

DEEK: Since this is all off the record - I mean, fuck yeah .

SHADE: So we slide the package under. And, uh - that was it. We get the money.

DEEK: Jesus.

SHADE: So. { Sipping sound }. I don't know how they did this, 'cause we didn't leave any information or anything. Just a handshake and we're, like, gone , right? Dave thinks they followed us all the way from Baltimore . Which is fucked up, 'cause, we're just a bunch of twenty-something musicians, right? I mean { nervous laughter } why would they do that, you know?

DEEK: They found you here?

SHADE: Ssh.

DEEK: What?

SHADE: Ssh. { Whispering }. Just - just let me close the door, okay?

DEEK: Yeah. Is everything all r-

SHADE: Just a sec. { Door closing }. Okay, I feel a little safer now.

DEEK: Dude, what the hell?

SHADE: Dave and I checked for bugs. There aren't any, not in this room. Not that we could find. And these guys aren't, like, that sophisticated. But they listen. They're like goddamn hyenas. Some of them - man, some of them can't wait for us to fuck up.

DEEK: Hold on - so, you're in with the Mafiya ?

SHADE: Dude, in Pittsburgh , we are the Mafiya .

DEEK: But, are you even Russian?

SHADE: Ukrainian. And no, we're not. What does that even matter? We've got vlast' i svyazi .

DEEK: You've got what?

SHADE: Power and connections. See, Dmitri was a smart guy. He saw an ordinary - well, let's say a little extraordinary - Pittsburgh rock band. Who's gonna suspect? We get in touch with other bands, they give us CD's - pretty soon the Internet is flooded with pirated Pittsburgh rock.

DEEK: You - pirate other bands' music?

SHADE: That's just a day job, man.

DEEK: For who?

SHADE: Who do you think? For the Ukrainians. For the Georgians. Anybody who'll pay top dollar for it.

DEEK: For Pittsburgh bands?

SHADE: Are you kidding? Anti-Flag is totally the big name in Dnipropetrovsk. And Shade - shit, we've like taken over the Kiev club scene. I mean, don't get me wrong: It's a little scary, but it's kind of exciting, you know? We get to play live shows in the states - tour around, maybe make some connections in Philly or Boston - and meanwhile we get famous in Belarus without lifting a fucking finger. It's brilliant. You want a ponchiki ?

DEEK: Is that a doughnut?

SHADE: Oh, they're a wesome . Have one.

DEEK: { Muffled }. That is good.

SHADE: Believe me, these guys hook you up. Dmitri's father - we call him the dedushka - he's really cool. We see him in Center City all the time.

DEEK: Philadelphia ?

SHADE: Well, that's where they headquarter. Great apartment, man. Overlooks the river and everything. What river is that?

DEEK: Uh, is it the Pennsylvania River ?

SHADE: That sounds too obvious, doesn't it?

DEEK: A little.

SHADE: Anyway, great apartment. Great food. The guy's always got a shisha to smoke. He's big on that.

DEEK: But - they're watching you?

SHADE: Well - see, we're not family , you know? So there's always this security concern. This guy Alexandr - real fucking asshole - he's always complaining to the dedushka , saying how we spend too much of their money, which is a total lie, and how we're gonna rat them out. I mean, really, when you get free hookers whenever you want, and you don't have to spend a dime, are you really gonna bite the hand that feeds you?

DEEK: I - uh, I guess that makes sense. Did you - free hookers ?

SHADE: We're talking, like, a high-class interdevochka , you know? None of this street riff-raff, but like Moscow 's finest. So Alexandr can fuck himself. { Sipping } I really don't hate the guy. He's not that bad. He offered to be my god brother, but I think that's just to make up for that Fourth of July party. God, he was such a fucking asshole.

DEEK: What did he do?

SHADE: He just - embarrassed himself. Set this girl on fire. I can't even go into it. Listen, I gotta go. We've got a gig in a couple hours, and I should really get rid of this headache.

DEEK: No problem. You okay?

SHADE: Yeah, I thought the tea would help, but I think it just made it worse. If you see Ilyana passed out out there, just nudge her a little, will you?

DEEK: Uh, sure. Good luck with everything.

SHADE: Yeah, thanks. Dasvidanya .

DEEK: Dasvidanya .

SHADE: Off the record, right?

DEEK: Totally.