Shade of Blue ready to rock Englert Theatre

It was a good news/bad news situation for Shade of Blue.

After 30 years of delivering its soulful blues, the Iowa City area band learned in 2019 that it was slated to be inducted into the Iowa Rock ’n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame.

The bad news was that the pandemic delayed the induction three times. However, the honor was bestowed upon the band this past September.

“It was neat once it happened,” vocalist-guitarist Dave Rosazza said on a recent Zoom chat with saxophonist Saul Lubaroff and keyboardist Sean Seaton. “Sean (Seaton) and Denny (Ketelsen), our two keyboardists, were with me. It was fun to accept the awards and it was great to see each other.”

Shade of Blue gets together one, sometimes two weekends a year to play.

“We miss each other,” saxophonist Lubaroff said. “We enjoy each other’s company so much that I can say that this is the only band that I look forward to rehearsing with, since we're good friends and we don't see each other as much as we'd like. We very much look forward to the shows we do, like this one coming up at the Englert.”

Shade of Blue, performing Saturday at the Englert Theater in downtown Iowa City, will play a mix of originals and covers.

“Dave will put a list together and work so hard on it and we'll just change it,” Lubaroff said with a laugh.

Part of the reason Shade of Blue is on ice for part of the year is because of vocalists Joan Ruffin and Simone Green. The former lives in Florida and the latter resides in Chicago.

“They have their jobs and lives,” Lubaroff said.

The band has had its share of breaks. Shade of Blue reunited at The Mill in 2013, but that venue has been razed.

“The Mill no longer being open is a huge loss,” Rosazza said. “It felt so good when we played there in 2013. It was like home. I had my wedding reception there 26 years ago.”

The Mill is history, but Shade of Blue lives on and will continue to stay alive, since the members of the group are friends first.

“I'm in a bunch of different bands, like we all are, but this is different,” Lubaroff said. “Everybody in this band would die for each other.”

Seaton, 51, who is the director of technology at the Solon School District, concurs.

“We would do anything for each other,” Seaton said. “The difference between us and those in a lot of other bands, is that we spend time with each other when we're not playing. Dave and I will go to basketball or football games together. We all go to our kids’ graduations, birthdays, bar mitzvahs and parties.

“I knew Dave when he was with the band The Eight Balls and I would see them at Chauncey’s. At that time, I was in a band called Blueprint. We needed a sax player so we contacted Saul,” Seaton added. “We all go way back with each other and that comes out when we play.”

Lubaroff, 57, who works as a radio announcer at KCCK, gives music lessons. Same for Rosazza.

“I enjoy teaching piano and guitar at my studio,” Rosazza said. “I've been unemployable for 30 years.”

Give Rosazza, Lubaroff and Seaton credit for continuing to make music as Shade of Blue, and never leaving the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area.

“We love it here,” Rosazza said, “and we're all here, which makes it better. We've been through it all here. We've been through things like cancer and divorces. We've gotten better as musicians. ...This band has always exceeded my expectations. It's been such a great experience."