About
Shades of Grey
Originally formed in 2007, Shades of Grey, has appeared on stages all over Kansas City in various forms. They have opened for 38 Special, played Kauffman Stadium and Hy-Vee Hot Zone at Arrowhead Stadium as well as Argosy Casino.
The current musicians in Shades of Grey are from all over The Midwest. They found their way together through their shared passions for sound, rhythm and beats. Each member brings a unique musical aesthetic to the band and over time grown comfortable jumping genres and mashing up influences.
Rob Gray: Founder of Shades of Grey : Lead Guitar / Vocals
My musical journey started at an early age listening to my dad play trumpet and guitar. By the age of 6, I had learned a few chords on guitar and was learning scales on the trumpet. Fast forward to 7th grade I was in the middle school band as a trumpet player. By the time I reached high school, I had moved from trumpet to the dark side and joined the low brass world finishing high school playing trombone, baritone and tuba. Even though I was a horn player I still snuck my dads guitar out of its case and played. I got my first real electric guitar during my sophomore year of high school and I was off and running. Somewhere along the line I learned to play drums, and bass guitar. My musical influences range from MoTown, Funk, Blues, Country, and Classic Rock. I have been fortunate in being able to play with some amazing musicians. From Afterschock, Southbound, The Highway, founding Shades of Grey(in 2007) it’s has been quite the ride that I’m excited to continue as long as I’m able too…
Doug Vaughn: Lead Singer / Acoustic Guitar
I was born in South Carolina. We moved around quite a bit as a kid in a military family but wound up in KC as a teenager. My favorite bands influencing me the most were Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Eagles. I couldn't ever get any girls so I decided to became a musician. Still didn't help.
I have been fortunate enough to have played on KKFI radio, and open up for .38 Special in 2017.
Brad Bond: Rhythm Guitar / Vocals
Like many musicians, I did not start my music journey playing my main instrument of guitar but rather playing the trumpet in the 5th/6th grade school band. That did not last long once sports caught my attention. In my younger days it was a constant mix of baseball, football and wrestling, not music that kept my attention.
I started playing guitar around twenty when I began taking lessons from Jerry Chambers, a former member of Kansas City rock group “Morningstar”. It was not long until Jerry connected me with a band in need of a bass player and told me that playing “live” would help me get better, faster, catching me up on a few of the years I missed by not starting younger. I have always appreciated his guidance from those days, because I would not be a guitar player today without it.
Fast forward all these years later…. well in between then and now there has been a marriage of 34 years, a wonderful daughter and now a son-in-law, along with a sixteen-year break from playing. Once our daughter was ready to head to college, I had to find something to do with my time so I picked the guitar back up. The invention of the internet and YouTube made the return learning curve a whole lot shorter. That was ten years ago now and the love of playing “live” has never been stronger. At my age, many players only want to jam, or record, or not even play anymore, but me, I feel like I am having a second childhood. So….Rock on Good People, Rock On!
Andrew Gerstner: Bass/ Vocals/ Pirate
I started playing Bass at the age of 13. I saved my money and bought it out of the Sears Catalog. Not knowing how to tune it, I immediately broke the G string, but since I spent all my money on the Bass, I was a 3 string Bass player for the first 3 months. I played in several groups through the 80's . In 1989, I moved to Seattle, WA and attended the Art Institute of Seattle. I played in several Alternative groups through the 90's. In 2000, I moved back to Kansas City and was involved in some original music groups until 2006 when I helped to form the cover band LEGAL LIMIT. After 10 years, Legal Limit disbanded and i spent the rest of the time between groups like ROUTE 291, The Highway, Stone Canyon, and currently with Shades of Grey. In my free time i enjoy spending time with my teenage Son.
Steve Bister: Drummer
On a cold Sunday night in February 1964, in a drafty old farmhouse in rural Nebraska, the world changed. I was 7 years old, watching the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, along with my 16-year-old brother, who was already learning guitar. 5 months later, he sat me down behind a 5-gallon metal bucket, with a seat cover from an old Dodge stretched tightly across it. He handed me a couple of Lincoln logs and said, “You’re my drummer”. That was the start. I’ve been hooked ever since. By 1978 and the birth of my first son, I left it behind me as we raised our kids. Following a move to Kansas City I began playing again with my church praise band in 1998. By 2009 I was starting to hit local blues jams and getting acquainted with other musicians. In 2012 I joined a band called Briar and then moved on with some of my bandmates to Finnegan’s Crossing in 2015. That ended in late 2019. I met Rob in 2020, just in time for Covid to hit. Now, I’m a proud member of Shades of Grey. Since 1976 I’ve been married to my beautiful wife, Nancy. We have a total of 6 kids, 11 grandkids, and a variety of “grand-dogs”. My day job is as an outside sales rep in the swimming pool industry.
Kevin Robinson: Keys/Piano
Kevin Robinson has been playing piano since the age of six. He continued and expanded his music education through high school, experimenting with several other instruments, studying music theory, and singing in musicals. He performed with the percussion section in concert band, played xylophone in the marching band, accompanied the choir, and performed in an award-winning jazz band. Although majoring in business and finance, he continued his study of music theory in college.
In addition to playing in Shades of Grey and One2Go(Omaha, which he's done since the band started), Kevin also keeps music in his life by playing solo piano at weddings and other events and is the choir accompanist for Kiewit Middle School.