Shades of Dawn

A soundscape of sound fantasies on the edge of reality - where dreams begin. Impressive arrangements which can almost be called rock symphonies. Filigreed, sensitive melodies, and a bombastic musical universe create a unique synthesis, requiring each other. This is the music of Shades of Dawn, a progressive rock band from Duesseldorf. Where powerful guitars, elaborated melodies and varied keyboard parts alternate, parallels to CAMEL, YES, GENESIS and ELOY become apparent. Nevertheless, SOD have created their very own special style.

Shortly afterwards, the group's name was changed to SHADES OF DAWN. 
In autumn of the same year, after playing a gig at an international street fair, 
original lead guitarist Karl Nothen quit the band which at that time had comprised six members.

Without him, in 1994, SHADES OF DAWN started recording the music on 
which they had been working prior to Nothen's departure. 
The slight blues touches introduced by the excellent guitarist Nothen were replaced 
by a more melodic style due to Hans-Juergen Klein who since has taken 
over all lead-guitar work. Due to financial problems they were forced to put the entire 
project aside for a while.
 
In 1995, former KAWUMM mastermind, guitarist and bass player 
Wolfgang Schmidt and female keyboard player Annette Schepermann left the band.
They were replaced by keyboard wizard Cyrill Stoletzky 
and bass player Theo Labs after some time of searching. 
 
These changes acted on SOD's sound like a fresh breeze.
During the summer of 1997, SOD embarked upon recording sessions 
for a brand new album entitled "The Dawn Of Time" and played together 
with POVERTY'S NO CRIME and THOUGHTSPHERE at the "Night in Progressive Rock" 
festival in Duesseldorf. 
 
The album was released in April 1998 on the new Early Birds label, 
a division of the well-known re-issue specialists "SECOND BATTLE".
 
In July 1998, the band successfully played, along with COLOSSEUM, 
WISHBONE ASH, CARAVAN, MAN, EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND, JOHN MAYALL
and others, at the Burg Herzberg Festival, Germany's most famous Hippie Festival. 
 
Then, in August, bass player Theo Labs left the band and Hannsi Weber made himself
 familiar with SOD's live set to help them out as guest musician. Hannsi had 
initiated the production and performance of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" show 
as a benefit spectacle in 1992 in which Chris Struwe, Peter Schneider, 
Karl Nothen of KAWUMM and others also played, as well as a music 
theatre named SPIRENZIO which had been performed successfully
 featuring Chris Struwe as an actor in the beginning of 1998. 
 
Thereafter, pianist Cyrill Stoletzky quit but later returned as guest musician for 
live performances. At the end of 1998, Theo Labs again promised to return for
 live activities, which enabled the band to perform in their CD line-up again.
 
In February 1999, Edzard Schmidt, former bass player of Osnabrueck's 
progressive rock band AREA 51, joined the band. 
In March, Shades of Dawn appeared together with ELOY, CAMEL's bassplayer COLIN BASS, 
ETERNITY X and others on a sampler released by the German PINK FLOYD 
Fanclub "Eclipsed". SOD's epic "Plenty of Gold", which has almost achieved c
ult status with the fans, was chosen for this sampler. 
 
In mid-April, bass player Schmidt left North-Rhine-Westphalia, having been 
offered work in Hamburg which he could not decline. At about this time the band 
was asked to do soundtracks for TV Productions. In August of 1999, master 
keyboardist Cyrill Stoletzky rejoined the band. 
 
By the end of September, Eddy Schmidt surprisingly showed up again. 
He was back in the Dusseldorf area and looking for a band playing progressive rock. 
SOD finally seemed to have a permanent line-up after more than a year of changes.
 
However, in February 2000 Eddy Schmidt went to Osnabrück 
for a two-week project and did not return. A few unsuccessful bass 
candidates later, Theo Labs turned up in June, unexpectedly offering his 
collaboration once more. In December 2000, after not having showed up for 
several weeks, Labs informed the band of his intention to leave yet again.
 
Bass player Wolfgang Rose encountered the band in March 2001 
and tried taking over Labs' job. Unfortunately, he did not progress 
on bass and was unwilling to practise. Finally, the band kicked him out
 in January 2002 because he jeopardised the group's performance 
on the German "PROGPARADE NO.3" in Neustadt. 
 
They asked Edzard Schmidt for a little short term help.
The end of February 2002 brought bass player 
Christian Waelter to Shades of Dawn. With him, the band successfully 
performed at the "Unterrather Rocktag", among other events. 
Having fitted perfectly to SOD's sound, he unfortunately had to leave the 
band in January 2003 for reasons connected with his work.
 
Therefore, from mid-2003 on, Shades of Dawn played on stage 
with Edzard Schmidt again, for instance at a fund-raising event to benefit the homeless. 
 
Starting in September of the same year, Peter Schneider, Hans-Jürgen Klein 
and Chris Struwe revised the unreleased tapes the band had made in 1994. 
The recordings were sonically improved and some overdubs were newly recorded.
 
In 2004, among other gigs, SOD played at the Reichenbacher 
Bergkeller in eastern Germany, legendary by now, and finally did a concert 
with the band MORPHELIA in Aurich which had originally been planned for the 
preceding year. By this time, Shades of Dawn were presenting more than 50 minutes' 
worth of new material from "Graffity's Rainbow" which was to be the band's third album.
 
Meanwhile, the older recordings had been optimised and were now being 
completely re-mixed, and bonus material was being recorded as well. 
The album "From Dusk till Dawn" was finally taking shape and was mastered between 
October 2004 and January 2005. At the same time, SOD started recording the new album.
 
Moreover, the band rehearsed their live set with bass player Andy Brück,
 formerly of "NOW IT'S DARK". In January 2005, however, SOD's 
former bass player Theo Labs got in touch with the band again, 
dropped in for a session and it resulted in the decision to collaborate anew 
from March 2005 on. In this reunition they played on a Progressive Rock Festival 
in Essen, Germany in July.
 
End of October Cyrill Stoletzky quit. Theo Labs also had disappeared from earth 
without saying a word.
 
In 2006 the remaining trio continued working on their new recordings 
but, were facing tape damage amongst other issues up to almost disbanding the group.
 
July 2006 brought new keyboardist Uli Moosbrugger to the band and, 
in September bassplayer Klaus Lohr - formally of the progressive group FARN - joined in.
 
In October the band signed a worldwide distribution contract on the french label MUSEA.
MUSEA was asked for release of the album “FROM DUSK TILL DAWN” now.
Meanwhile Shades of Dawn had been working on 60 minutes of their live set with
these new musicians. But then Uli Moosbrugger unfortunately left mid November.
 
Mid February 2007 finally brought “From Dusk till Dawn” -
 the band’s long expected next CD - worldwide into daylight. 
 
At the same time the band rehearsed with Dirk Schlott on the 2nd keyboards.
In April however, Bernhard Marx got engaged as a firm bandmember.
He plays keyboards, piano, saxophones and sings.
 
The band played live with him at an open air event in Dusseldorf in August
and did a concert together with the German Rock legend Jane in Jever. 
 
In October Shades of Dawn played together with Vertigo on the Bulmker Progfest
in Gelsenkirchen and in November with Papa’s Finest in Leverkusen. 
 
2008 brought gigs in Bonn, Siegburg and Duisburg, and the 1st Wuppertal 
Krautrock Open Air Festival together with Jane, Birth Control and Baumstam. 
Besides that the band worked on new music and carried on with the recordings.
 
In the beginning of 2009 finally all tracks and instruments have been recorded.
The band played in Troisdorf and started mixing the recordings.
 
 
Then Klaus Lohr announced his departure.
 
SOD therefor looked for a replacement and
continued mixing their ready recordings also. 
 
In Janurary 2010 Lohr returned to the band and, 
all performed together in Frankfurt with Mother Jane. 
Further shows took place in Leverkusen, Düsseldorf, Rodgau, and Borgholzhausen. 

The album “Graffity’s Rainbow” has been mastered in April. 

In the 2nd half of 2010 planned shows in Rüsselsheim and Troisdorf could not take place.
In November a further show in Leverkusen and an appearance on Cologne Kreativ Rock Nacht
had to be cancelled due to Bernhard Marx’ sudden illness. 

Due to problems in creating the booklet the release date of the new CD had to be postponed
to February 2011. 

February 2011 brought terrible news: 
Chris Struwe was brought to hospital because
of lung cancer and further deseases. 

In March finally the new album appeared.

In April Klaus Lohr leaves the band again. 

 Chris Struwe died in June

 
To be continued ...

Shades of Dawn Line-ups :

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