Canadian rockers HELIX formed in 1974, to initially compete in a “Battle of the Bands” contest held in Kitchener, Ontario. With dreams of becoming a “TOP” international band, the group achieved extensive commercial success during the eighties, playing on almost every continent…& toured with the likes of Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Rush, Alice Cooper, Whitesnake, Motorhead, & WASP. Although the dream had come to fruition, Helix’s saga continues over 35 YEARS later, as they prepare to load up the gear once more & head coast to coast on a TWENTY DATE national tour. I had the privilege of catching up with Brian Vollmer, frontman for the group, & the individual mostly responsible for keeping the HELIX name alive throughout the years. Brian has seen many evolutions of the band, but claims that NOTHING will keep the veteran sensation from “Running Wild in the 21st Century” or from taking the stage.
Boe: When it comes to the history of Helix, you’ve accomplished a lot. You’ve had a career spanning thirty-five years, toured with some of the biggest names in rock & metal, & seen many evolutions & line-up changes. What’s kept you grounded & focused through all of this?
Vollmer: Well…the music. Writing songs, performing songs…that’s about it.
Boe: The album “Vagabond Bones”…can you tell me a bit about that?
Vollmer: Well, the album came about when I lost my band & writing partner, basically. I had written “Power of Rock & Roll” with Gord Prior. Then we did the Christmas album, where I used the band that I had been using in a LIVE situation. Well, the band quit at the end of 2008…& then, shortly after, the guy I was writing with decided that he didn’t want to do it anymore. When I got a new band together, the new bass player’s name was Sean Kelly. Sean & I started writing, & we discovered very quickly that we wrote well together. We brought Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness) into the picture & the album REALLY started to come together. But right in the middle of it, Sean got a job playing guitar for Nelly Furtado…& off he went. So, we ended up finishing off the album just before Sean left…it was very quick, & that’s basically how it came about. Now that the album’s out, we’re gonna’ work it all this year. The single just broke “Top Thirty” on radio, in Canada, last week…& the video has over 12,000 hits on YouTube! So…so far, so good.
Boe: Excellent…congratulations! So, Helix was one of the first bands to release an album on an independent label, & then in 1999, you took the group back to this type of structure. How has it benefitted, or compromised, the music?
Vollmer: I think it’s only benefitted the music, to tell you the truth. Um, we started off doing our own albums & that’s what got us our deal with EMI/Capitol…because they realized, after we had released TWO albums on our own label, that we were very serious about our career…& not only that, but…we were selling records. Then, in the nineties, we went back once again…out of necessity, the major labels wouldn’t have anything to do with the band. So rather than pack it in, which a lot of bands did do, I started recording my own albums & releasing them. At first, some of the albums were a little rough, because even though I had done albums before…I hadn’t really gone through the whole “process” of having to put together a studio & bring people in…hire musicians, engineers, & producers. So, it was a whole new process for me. But I worked the bugs out in the nineties, & things really started to come together on “Power of Rock & Roll” around 2005. And, I think, “Vagabond Bones” has taken it to another level.
Boe: So, how are you guys promoting & distributing the material?
Vollmer: Well, first off, we’re distributed through Fontana/Universal in Canada. In the United States, we are distributed by Perris Records, who distributes through “Selecta Hits”…which is basically the “Sam Phillips Family” of records, & Tom also distributes for me in Europe. So, that’s the distribution. As for promotion, well there are many different things we do to promote the record once it’s out. It’s released to radio, in Canada, through a digital service called DMDS – you buy the service, you pay for the service…then they digitally deliver the single to radio right across Canada – to different stations. THEN…you gotta’ do (what I call) the “grunt work” of following up with telephone calls. You phone the music director, or program director, at the station. First & foremost, you try to get the program director to listen to the track…that’s half the battle, just to get ‘em to listen to it. Once they do that, you try to get your foot in the door by asking to phone back…& if there’s a possibility to get added to the playlist.
Boe: Right. I’ve been told that, for radio, it’s about 30% of the TOTAL airtime…that they play new material. Is that correct?
Vollmer: Well, I think it’s even less than that. On any given week, on any given station, there’s maybe room for one track…at the most. Probably, it’s more like ONE add every TWO weeks! So…you’re looking at EMI coming in, Sony Records, Universal, or whoever…trying to get the station to add their single. You can see, it’s very competitive. For Helix to break “Top Thirty” in radio last week, for a classic rock act to do that, is INCREDIBLE…because in Canada, a lot of classic rock stations (people don’t realize this) will not play new music by old artists…unless you’re, maybe, The Rolling Stones. Otherwise, they won’t even listen to the song…& I’ve been told that, right to my face.
Boe: Have you ever been given a reason, as to why they take that attitude?
Vollmer: They say that classic rock audiences do not want to hear “new music” by “old artists”. That’s what their consultants tell them.
Boe: Hmm…well, I’ll believe that when I see it. That’s an interesting concept…I don’t know, it doesn’t really jive to me. Everyone has their own musical tastes!
Vollmer: I think, it’s underestimating your audience & putting them down. What’s happened with classic rock stations, is that they play the same ole’ songs by the same ole’ bands…OVER, & OVER, & OVER, & OVER again. There’s nothing to motivate them to play new material by older artists. There’s definitely a bit of “ageism” going on in radio.
Boe: You’re absolutely correct! But, I guess that’s where the beauty of the internet comes into play, cause we’re getting a lot of internet radio stations. Is that something that you’re utilizing to help market your music?
Vollmer: Well, we have been for years. But, I think, the real revolution in music on the internet has just come recently…& it’s with the advent of software that allows you to offer digital downloads for sale on your own website. Up to this point, you could sell CDs from your website, but not digital downloads. Now that this is in place, it’s really gonna’ change things.
Boe: A lot of people don’t want to buy full albums, anymore. They just want to have their favorite songs from different artists, so it needs to go in that direction. What inspired you to become a performer?
Vollmer: As a kid, I was a bit of a loner, so I gravitated towards music. I went to a rural, Catholic school where we had to sing at mass in the morning. One of my very first teachers commented that I had a very LOUD voice, & I thought “LOUD” meant “GOOD”. (BOTH LAUGH) Then, in that confusion of my understanding of what she was saying…that led to my love of music.
Boe: Who are your main “stage” influences?
Vollmer: Oh…I would say “The Guess Who” was a major influence, by musical tastes. Steppenwolf, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Steve Marriott & The Humble Pie, ah…Deep Purple…Johnny Cash.
Boe: So, there’s a wide realm there.
Vollmer: Well, I actually started off listening to Johnny Cash. That was the first artist that I ever listened to & that I followed to any extent, &…I still love Johnny Cash. I think he’s a great artist & he crosses that barrier between rock & country…because Johnny Cash’s music has that very “rockabilly” type of backbeat with Luther Perkins on guitar. So, it has very close similarities to rock‘n’roll. In fact…Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, & Johnny Cash were all on the “Sun Label”…so, you can see the influence they had on each other.
Boe: And he was the “REAL DEAL”. You could really relate to his music.
Vollmer: Well, all of these guys are the “REAL DEALS” – cause they grew out of the circuit. They weren’t some manufactured thing that got put together by a record company exec, or Simon Cowell.
Boe: Yeah, exactly. There’s so much of that happening today, & I think that’s why so many people are frustrated…& they just don’t wanna’ buy albums anymore.
Vollmer: Well, character is something that comes out of doing it. The problem with a lot of these young artists, especially artists that are manufactured or the product of these “contest” type of shows, is that not only do they NOT mature musically over a longer period of time…but, they don’t mature emotionally as a person. All that stress, & stuff you have to handle on the road, you grow into that over years of doing it. You learn how to handle that stress…& to cope, & pace yourself, on the road…is part of learning the craft & learning the job. They’re shoved into it, & they’re expected to learn overnight…&, I think, a lot of them are gonna’ FREAKOUT!
Boe: You’re right! You’ve gotta’ practice & learn as you go, & it takes some longevity to gain a “mature instinct” about it.
Vollmer: It’s a hard business to learn how to cope with all the stresses of just being away from your family, & it’s not what anyone would call…by any stretch of the imagination…a “normal life”.
Boe: Can you describe one of the most profound moments in your musical career?
Vollmer: Well, I probably think, a pivotal gig we played was the “CNE Stadium” with The Scorpions…just when we got signed to Capitol. But, there were many of those moments in our career. The “Kiss Tour” in Europe, there was another one…our first tour of the United States with Motorhead, subsequent tours with Motorhead…with Heart, touring the United States with Whitesnake & Quiet Riot all through 1984 (I think it was)…or five, I can’t remember now. Going to Sweden & touring right inside the Arctic Circle, playing East Berlin & drinking Jagermeister (for the first time) with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple…doing “The Trailer Park Boys Movie” a year & a half ago & to be in the same scene with Alex Lifeson in drag. Pick one!
Boe: I know…just so many good things, hey?
Vollmer: Taking Alice Cooper’s snake out to the east coast – on that tour.
Boe: WOW! It’s a good thing that you wrote the book “Gimme An R!” (BRIAN CHUCKLES), cause there’s just so much to be told. Helix is known as being one of the hardest working bands in the Canadian music industry. How is it that you have come to gain this reputation?
Vollmer: We got it mostly out of when we played the bar circuit. Back in the day, we did over 300 dates a year, & that’s where the reputation came from.
Boe: And you’ve maintained that all along?
Vollmer: Well, we tapered off in dates around the nineties, cause there just wasn’t dates there. And at one point, I think, we only played ONE date the whole year…around…it was somewhere in the nineties there, at a real low point in the band’s career. But, nowadays, it’s the same thing…we’re gearing back up to play as much as we can.
Boe: So, in the fall of 2009, you held a Canadian tour…& now there’s gonna’ be another one. What motivates you to keep an active touring schedule after all these years in the business? What motivates you to keep goin’ out on the road?
Vollmer: Well, it’s fun & we make good money doin’ it. Those are the two main reasons, right there.
Boe: What’s the BEST thing you get from it?
Vollmer: (LAUGHS) You want me to choose between fun & money? I think they go hand in hand…I can’t have fun without makin’ money.
Boe: That’s true. But if you could pick ONE element that brings you the greatest pleasure, about bein’ out on the road, what would it be?
Vollmer: Geez, the thing I like the best about bein’ out there……you know, just the thrill of bein’ on stage & doin’ it.
Boe: What do you hate the most about it?
Vollmer: (PAUSES) Um…sometimes I hate the stress of, just the business, having a lot of money on the line. You have thousands & thousands of dollars out on flights & everything else. If somethin’ screws up, or somebody rips you off…you’re done. Toast!
Boe: Do you think it’s harder for Canadian artists to sustain a viable music career, as opposed to artists from the US or other countries?
Vollmer: No.
Boe: Is the market approach different, when you’re from Canada?
Vollmer: I don’t know…I just do it for myself. I think that, ah…when you get into the music business, you’re doing it on an international level. So, I don’t think of it as being Canadian bands/American bands. I just think that it’s hard for everybody.
Boe: There’s just always been this perception that if you really want to get the publicity & exposure, you’ve gotta’ move to The States…you know? I don’t really understand that mentality myself, because you guys were inspired to become a “TOP INTERNATIONAL BAND”, & you accomplished that. Fifteen albums…that’s AMAZING! I (often times) ask Canadian artists that question…to gain some knowledgeable insight.
Vollmer: Well, the reason you have to break into The States is because you need the money from American audiences, like…it’s a matter of money. If you sell a kazillion albums & you make a kazillion dollars, it’s a hell of a lot better than if you sell two albums & make two dollars. That’s maybe a bad example, but…many bands in Canada need to break out into the United States, because after you rise to a “HEADLINE” status – you tour Canada for two weeks. What do you do for the rest of the year? Once you’ve gotten to the point that you’re a concert band, an arena band, there only is about two weeks of dates across Canada. Look at how many cities there are! So…either you start playing markets too much, or you drop into secondary markets, or you don’t play. But, none of those is really a viable alternative. You have to go to the United States to survive. You have to fill out your year…you have to go somewhere.
Boe: You’re trained in classical & operatic vocals. What is “Bel Canto”?
Vollmer: Well, it would take me hours & hours to explain. But, the biggest difference between “Bel Canto” & any other vocal technique out there…is that when you sing “Bel Canto”, you inhale your voice, versus pushing or belting your voice…as most singers (I would say) do when they sing.
Boe: It must be very difficult?
Vollmer: It takes years to learn. Basically, when you inhale your voice, you’re drawing breath into your skull…which, in turn, draws breath up out of your lungs & across your vocal chords. It’s the only way to sing without having any tension on your vocal chords.
Boe: And how long have you been practicing this technique?
Vollmer: Since I lost my voice, way back in about 1975, & I was told that I would never sing again. I had no choice, & was sent to Edward Johnson…who taught, at that time, in Hamilton. Edward Johnson is the youngest member of the North Metropolitan Opera. He also taught everybody in rock‘n’roll, on the Ontario circuit, back then. Beverly D’Angelo, Daniel Lanois, Andy Curran & Coney Hatch, Gil Moore (Triumph)…you name it, he taught them…because he taught “Bel Canto” – which is the only singing technique which allows the singer to sing & totally relax the vocal chords.
Boe: That’s amazing. And you are teaching this technique now?
Vollmer: I’ve taught it since 1988.
Boe: That’s very interesting. I’m gonna’ have to read up on that. So…if you could have any band perform one of Helix’s songs, who would the band be?
Vollmer: Johnny Cash. (CHUCKLES)
Boe: (GIGGLES) Okay, what song would he sing?
Vollmer: Um, let me think. What song would I get him to sing? Ah…“When The Bitter’s Get The Better Of You” off the new album.
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Brian’s eclectic sense of humor has not failed him throughout his career, & has driven his stamina for creating the rousing “party rock” style that only HELIX can deliver. He will be reuniting with the original eighties line-up on this tour, consisting of: Greg “Fritz” Hinz (drums), Brent “The Doctor” Doerner (guitar), Daryl Gray (bass)…& newcomer to the group, Kaleb Duck (guitar). Although “Vagabond Bones” was primarily written & recorded by other musicians, it will be interesting to see if the team can “pull it off” in a LIVE setting, bringing justice to an album that has already been receiving rave reviews. With millions of record sales under their belts, including FIVE gold & TWO platinum selling albums, these vintage rockers are not estranged from success. Charming an audience with a POWERFUL repertoire of classics, or even new material, should be rather “simplistic” by nature.
In 1992, tragedy struck the band, when guitarist Paul Hackman was killed while on tour in British Columbia. A van, carrying the 39 year old musician, plummeted down a 40 foot embankment…& he died on way to the hospital, as a result of being ejected from the vehicle. I discussed mentioning Paul, in this article, with Brian. It was agreed, that Paul be remembered for his stunning contributions to this amazing Canadian act. I encourage you all to watch the video “That Day Is Gonna Come”, which contains tour footage from over the years (shot by Brian, himself)…& was recorded as a tribute to Mr. Hackman.
There, literally, has been no rest for Helix’s “Vagabond Bones”. Scores of hits, large international achievements, grueling schedules, intense pressure to perform, & constant band metamorphosis have kept these rock renegades VERY BUSY over the past three & a half decades. The group is STILL at the mercy of uncomfortable hotel beds, watered-down drinks, & heavy touring crates. Do they mind??? Not at all. They think that it’s worth it – just to hear the resounding audience cries over the screeching guitars & see the vivacious energy that can be sculpted amongst the crowd. “You can’t win the lottery, if you don’t buy a ticket. Life’s kinda’ like that too.” proclaims Brian Vollmer. Well, HELIX holds a “Winning Ticket” in the hearts of many fans around the world & let’s hope that they continue to play their numbers right for many more years to come.
*** All photos courtesy of HELIX.
BPatoine – March, 2010
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