About Shaded Red
Brothers Jamie and Jonathan Roberts form the core
of the Christian Alternative band, "Shaded Red." Preacher's kids
from Denver, Colorado, Jamie and Jonathan both went on to study
music in college. It was during this time that the two very quickly
learned of their ability to play off of one another's emotions and
intensity.
"Shaded Red" formed in 1993 and was named after a
poem that Jon had written. The poem discussed the reality of Christ's
death on the cross and how He now sees us through "shades of red"
becuase we are made clean by the blood that He shed. "Shaded Red"
consists of Jamie (vocals, guitar), Jon (guitars, bass, trumpet,
piano), and Paul Kieser (drums).
The group released their first album, self-titled
Shaded Red in 1997 through Cadence Records in Nashville. It received
high acclaim by many critics, and the trio took to the road immediately,
touring with music icons such as Guardian and Petra.
The brothers are passionate about their music, but
they are even more passionate about using it as a testimony of what
Jesus Christ means to them. "You know what I want to see," Jamie
said in 2000, "I want to see a generation that will rise up and
say, 'God, we want you more than any other thing." www.shadedred.homestead.com.
In the midst of all their success, trajedy struck.
On January 11, 1998, the band was in a serious accident while on
their tour bus. The bus hit a patch of black ice. Chris Yeomen,
the drummer at the time, died, and Jon Roberts was left with a shattered
Pelvis. The two cancelled five months of touring and seriously considered
ending the band all together. They just did not have the drive in
them anymore.
God provided the comfort and strength they needed,
and they were eventually able to begin the healing process. Jon
regained the use of his legs and God restored Jamie's love for music.
The song "When God Ran", originally written by Benny Hester, was
the medium that brought Jamie through. "I started to play it, fumbled
over the words and cried uncontrollably because God just used the
chorus to touch my heart. I needed to know at that point the love
of God in my life like that."
After months of healing, Shaded Red came back with
their second project titled Red Revolution, in 1999. "We wrote about
anything and everything. It was exactly what we wanted to say."
Jon Roberts, 7ball Magazine. Issue 25. July/August 1999.
Many critics have claimed that the result was a stronger
musical sound filled with hopeful lyrics. General market publications
such as Billboard Magazine picked up on the album because of its
unique musical arrangements of Spanish trumpets, orchestra arrangements,
pop, and rock.
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