In the annals of defunct Las Vegas bands, few are spoken of with as much consistent reverence as Faded Grey. When guitarist Shay Mehrdad returns home to play a much-anticipated reunion set this weekend, however, old-school fans will turn out not for the melodic hardcore outfit that ruled the all-ages scene from 1998 through 2002, but for the one that spawned that band.
Tomorrows Gone “wasn’t a terrible band” in its own right, Mehrdad laughs over the phone, “especially the stuff we were doing from the middle to the end of the group, like on our [1997] 7-inch. The songs were headed in a cool direction, and they laid the groundwork for Faded Grey. The bands were two parts of a similar coin, but they both had their own personalities.”
Mehrdad will rejoin vocalist Lance Wells, guitarist Jeff Dean, bassist Mike Rosati and drummer Fred Abercrombie Saturday night at Backstage Bar & Billiards, part of the third Las Vegas Punk Rock Reunion. Also on this year’s bill, which focuses on ’90s hardcore: Lady, The Reform, Nonoxynol 9, Boba Fett Youth, Bent Tool and Intentions of Hate.
For the 39-year-old Mehrdad—a Vegas native who left in 2004 and now works as a web developer in Long Beach, California—2015 has unexpectedly become the year of the reunion. In September he, Wells and Rosati teamed up with guitarist Joe Schoser and drummer Mike Randazzo for Faded Grey’s first performance in a decade, at NateFest, a benefit for cancer-stricken Ensign bassist Nate Gluck, held in Anaheim.
The success of that event—which raised some $20,000, Mehrdad says—and the experience of being onstage with and surrounded by old mates has Faded Grey mulling future possibilities. “There were so many people from Vegas who came out to see it, it felt like a hometown crowd,” he says. “But we know a lot of Vegas people couldn’t make it, so there was some chatter after the show that we should do a Vegas show, maybe something next year, maybe for charity.”
In the meantime, Mehrdad has concentrated on relearning Tomorrows Gone’s catalog, much of which he last played in 1997 (not counting a one-off 2002 reunion at Cafe Espresso Roma). He’ll get in one practice with the guys before the band plays a house show—all-ages, he stresses—at the Womb Room Friday night, and then Saturday’s main event. “I feel pretty sharp with the songs, especially since a few spilled over into the Faded Grey years,” he says. “It’s gonna be a different dynamic when we all get in the room, but hopefully it’ll come back to us quickly.”
It also turns out this year’s Faded Grey and Tomorrows Gone reunion shows and warm-up practices won’t mark the only times Mehrdad and Wells have played music together in 2015. Mehrdad reveals that the pair have been working on a new Vegas-based project called Remainder, which also features ex-Of Faith and Fire members Randazzo on drums and Bobby Franks on vocals. Wells, who contributed the songs and the band name—which, like Faded Grey, was an old Tomorrows Gone track title—plays bass. “We’re getting ready to hopefully record a demo soon and start playing some shows,” Mehrdad says. “We’ve practiced a handful of times when I’ve been in Vegas, and the tunes sounded really good.”
Tomorrows Gone With Lady, The Reform, Nonoxynol 9, Boba Fett Youth, Bent Tool, Intentions of Hate. November 7, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Backstage Bar & Billiards, 702-382-2227.
