HELIX

HELIX - EMI Canada Pulls Classic 'Heavy Metal Love' Track From Trailer Park Boys Movie Soundtrack


HELIX mainman Brian Vollmer has posted the following update at the band's website:

"This week the song 'Heavy Metal Love' officially made the Trailer Park Boys movie soundtrack. Unfortunately, Dean Cameron, president of EMI Canada, decided to withhold the song from the movie soundtrack CD. He did this because the distribution of the soundtrack CD was being handled by Universal, not EMI. Even though EMI would have made money licensing the song to the movie people, Dean decided to make a point. Stupid. Sandbox politics at it’s best. The biggest losers here however are myself, Paul Hackman’s widow, and my former manager William Seip, as we would all have made money from the publishing generated by our song being on the CD, not to mention the exposure of the band which would have probably led to sales of Helix back catalogue which EMI owns. No wonder big record companies are going down the tubes when they do shit like this. And I think of all those years of loyalty to Capitol/EMI-not seeing our families, doing every interview they ever asked us to do, whatever… and this is how the company repays us. Pure bullshit. Thanks a lot Cameron.

The new CD: We’re going to begin mixing next week at EMAC studios here in London. We’ve already mixed The Past is Back to Kick Your Ass at Mole Studios with Rainer and this mix will be to compare; then we’ll decide where to go to do the remainder of the CD. We’re all excited at how the tracks are sounding and how easily the writing is flowing. Many who have heard the songs think it’s our best material since No Rest for the Wicked. That would be alright by me, as that is my favorite Helix CD.

We also have three new songs ready to record: 'The Tequilla Song', 'Living Life Large' and 'Nickels And Dimes'.

Western dates: It is now confirmed that we will be in Prince Albert at Kickers on Thursday, Sept. 28th, in Provost, Alberta on Friday Sept. 29th (with SWEENEY TODD and NICK GILDER), and Saturday at Casino Regina. (with Sweeney Todd and Nick Gilder). Bernie Aubin, our western Canadian agent, is trying to add Wednesday, September 26th into the mix as well. Stay tuned. Hope you all come out and catch the new line-up of the band. We’ll also be doing a couple of songs from the soon-to-be-released CD Get Up and shaking up the set with some songs we haven’t played for awhile like 'Good To The Last Drop', 'Does A Fool Ever Learn' and 'You Keep Me Rockin’'."

HELIX, RUSH Guitarist Confirmed For The Trailer Park Boys - The Big Dirty After-Show Party In Toronto


HELIX mainman Brian Vollmer has posted the following update at the band's website:

"Next Friday we’ll be going into EMAC Studios in London, ON to re-record 'Heavy Metal Love'. As I told everyone here on the Update two weeks ago, EMI Canada, under the direction of president Dean Cameron, decided to withhold 'Heavy Metal Love' from the soundtrack CD of the The Trailer Park Boys new movie The Big Dirty, even though the song can be prominently heard in the movie. 'Huh?' you say. Exactly! Makes no sense to me either. So to turn a negative into a positive, I’m going to re-record the song with the help of Gord Prior/Steve Georgakapoulos/Rob MacEarenern at EMAC studios next Friday. We are going to include it as a “bonus” track on the new Helix CD Get Up!, due out at the same time as The Big Dirty. We might even work the song at radio again.

The world premier of The Big Dirty is being held in Toronto on October 3rd, followed by an after-show party. Helix has been invited to attend. At the after-show party Ian Thornley’s band THORNLEY will play a 30 minute set followed by Bubbles and Alex Lifeson (RUSH) playing a couple of tunes each. Somewhere in there we’re hoping to play 'Heavy Metal Love' and 'Rock You'. I’d like to get Rob Wells (aka. Ricky) up there to sing 'Rock You' with me if possible that night. Rob, Jean Paul Trembley (Julien), and Patrick Roach (Randy), all came out to party with us in Halifax in May when we were there with Alice Cooper. I asked Rob to get up with the band that night and he said he would have but he had just shaved off his side-burns that day and wasn’t in character. He wasn’t wearing his trademark jogging pants either. Maybe this time I can talk him into it?????

This week we begin mixes on the first six tracks from the upcoming CD Get Up! at EMAC studios with Danny Broadbeck. Danny and I go way back, having worked together on When Pigs Fly, B-Sides, and several other projects. Lately Danny has been doing work for Clive Davis and has been involved with several major recording artists ie. Delores of THE CRANBERRIES. The songs to be mixed are:
'Get Up!',
'Boomerang Lover',
'The Power Of Rock n’ Roll',
'Baby Likes To Ride',
'The Past is Back To Kick Your Ass',
'Cyberspace Lover'."

(Photo - BW&BK's mascot Hendrix with Brian!)

HELIX Mixing New EP

HELIX leader Brian Vollmer checks in with the following update:

Dear Helix fans,

Today is a special day in the the history of the band as it is the day we begin mixing the new EP Get Up! at EMAC Studios here in London, Ontario with Danny Broadbeck. Danny has been working recently with Clive Davis, members of Paul McCartney's band, as well as other big name world class acts. We are confident that with Danny's expertise, Gord Prior's producing skills, and the strength of the songs themselves, that we are witnessing the release of one of the best Helix discs in years.

The EP actually features 7 tracks. 6 of them are brand new: 'The Past is Back to Kick Your Ass', 'Baby Likes to Ride', 'Get Up!', 'Boomerang Lover', 'Cyberspace Girl', and 'The Power of Rock n' Roll'. Bonus track 'Heavy Metal Love', a song I wrote with Paul Hackman back in 1983, can be heard predominently on the Big Dirty, the soon-to-be-released Trailer Park Boys movie. EMI owns the "masters" or recordings of this song. They licensed the song to the movie people and it ended up on the movie, but then refused to license the song for the movie sountrack CD, so we're re-recording the song and putting it on our new disc! Start spreading the word!

Brian."

HELIX Accepting Pre-Orders For Get Up

The following update has been posted at the HELIX website:

"Last Monday we finished the final mix on Get Up! at EMAC Studios here in London, Ontario with Dan Broadbeck. Next Wednesday the CD goes to John Ball Media in Brantford and then to Cinram in Scarborough to be pressed. John told me it would take 10 business days from the time I dropped the master off with him to get the first pressing.

Get Up! will contain 6 brand new Helix tracks and a newly recorded version of 'Heavy Metal Love' and sell for the low price of only $9.99 plus shipping. In the next week or so we will be putting abbreviated versions of the songs on helixonmyspace.com. so everyone can hear a little bit of the tracks. I personally think this is the best stuff the band has put out since No Rest for the Wicked album in 1983. Please support the band by picking up a copy and spreading the word. We are also in the process of getting T-shirts made with the CD cover on the front and “I LISTEN TO HELIX” on the back.

My writing partners on this disc were Steve Georgakopoulos and Gord Prior. I’ve known both Steve and Gord for years but for some reason the three of us had never written together. It was by accident (or fate) that we were brought together this spring. Initially I was planning on recording a cover CD of past Canadian songs and calling it Many Are Cold, But Few Are Frozen to get us to the next studio CD. Traditionally Helix has always been slow with follow-up albums/CDs, so I wasn’t expecting the next studio CD to be out for another two years. The first writing get-together that Steve, Gord, and myself had produced 4 songs in 3 hours! - 'Cyberspace Girl', 'Get Up!', 'Boomerang Lover' and 'The Power Of Rock n’ Roll'. Our next session produced three more - 'Baby Likes To Ride', 'The Past Is Back To Kick Your Ass', and 'The Tequilla Song' (although we didn’t get a chance to record it for this CD). I’ve written with different writers over the years and it is indeed special when you get a connection like the three of us suddenly had.

Why did we opt for a 7 song EP versus a full length disc? Even though we had 11 songs written, we wanted to get the album out before Christmas and to coincide with the release of the Trailer Park Boys movie The Big Dirty. If you go and see the movie you will hear 'Heavy Metal Love' prominently on the soundtrack, but unfortunately you will not hear the song on the movie soundtrack CD as EMI would not license them the song for this, so we decided to re-record the song and add it as a bonus track on Get Up! Now that this CD is finished we plan on forging ahead with the other tracks we have written: 'The Tequilla Song', 'Nickels&Dimes', 'Go Hard or Go Home', 'Eat My Dust', and 'Livin’ Life Large'. Expect that disc to be out by next summer."

Former HELIX Guitarist To Release Debut From New Band, DECIBEL

Former HELIX guitarist-turned-'guitarpenter' (Guitarist and Carpenter) Brent Doerner and his new band, DECIBEL, are set to release their debut album. Armed with a three guitar attack, this 'Blue Collar Rock' record is destined to be a sure-fire hit.

Composed of Chick Schumilas (guitar), Shane Schedler (guitar), Dan Laurin (drums) and Brent Doerner (guitar/bass/lead vocal), Decibel is a collective encyclopedia of musical knowledge and experience. Bringing their own unique styles together, these seasoned rockers blend heavy guitar riffs with country picking, throw in a whole lot of blues, and kick in some raw emotion to make one truly original band making truly unique and inspiring music.

Brent Doerner began his musical career at the age of 13 with a set of drums his parents gave him. They were taken from him by his twin brother Brian (SAGA, ex-Helix) shortly thereafter so he turned his attention to guitar. Having toured worldwide with Helix Brent has earned 4 Gold and 3 Platinum albums.

Chick Schumilas (Juno, Direct Drive, etc.) has been playing for years and has written music with the likes of Keith Gallagher and Cheryl Lescom.

Shane Schedler is a semi-taught player with a keen eye and ear for detail. He has been involved with a couple of successful guitar driven CD's over the past few years. He is no stranger to the live Blues/Rock scene.

Dan Laurin became inspired to play music on that night when Ed Sullivan said "Ladies and Gentlemen..... The Beatles". The British rock scene of the 60's and 70's were his main influence and his hard-hitting style proves this. Having played in several Toronto bands such as HARBINGER and MARTYRS OF MELODY, Dan has toured extensively.

Things began when Chick called up Doerner to check out some tunes and ideas. After becoming inspired by Chick, Dan, and Shane's enthusiasm, they decided to make them into real songs. They had enough gear and talent amongst themselves to pretty well cover all aspects of making a record. They started quickly thereafter chopping down walls and pretty soon "The Bunker" was born. They continued to rehearse there as construction and demolition was going on. The album was recorded as the studio was slowly being built.

This is one album were the Decibel needs to be cranked up (earplugs not included).

More info at http://www.myspace.com/bdecibel .

HELIX Frontman Brian Vollmer - New Interview Online, Photos Included


Metal-Rules.com has issued an interview with HELIX frontman Brian Vollmer, conducted by Celtic Bob. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Q: The new CD (Get Up!) sounds amazing. Very much along the same lines as No Rest and Razor's Edge. Was this intentional?

A: Yes, I think it was to an extent. Lyrically I wanted the CD to be a crusin' rock n' roll party CD in the tradition of what fans expect Helix to be. The other stuff just fell together naturally. Steve is heavily influenced by guitarists like Ace Freley, Joe Perry, and Angus Young and the riffs on Get Up! reflect that. Helix was greatly influenced by all 3 bands, especially Paul. When Paul was killed in '92 a large part of our sound died with him. I spent most of the 90's trying to find people to write with, with not much luck. Writing with Gord and Steve intinially came about as a total fluke."

Read the full interview, along with some cool pics, at this location. http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=704

HELIX - New Album, Get Up!, In Stores Now


"Canadian Rock legends HELIX return to the public's eye with a disc of 6 hard driving brand new originals as well as a bonus of a newly re-recorded cover of their 1983 classic 'Heavy Metal Love'. The re-recording coincides perfectly with the new Trailer Park Boys movie that prominently features the original version of the song in one of it's key scenes.

With over 30 years in the business Brian Vollmer shows no sign of slowing down. Like a fine wine Brian's vocals get stronger and stronger as time goes on. His classically trained voice creates a unique rock and roll package. The combination of the classical singing applied to heavy rock and roll is truly original and unmatched. This release brings Brian together with Gord Prior (BLU BONES) as a co-writer and producer as well as Steve Georgakopoulos as co-writer and guitarist. The CD credits are rounded out with Helix's Jeff "Stan" Fountain on bass and Rob MacEachern (Blu Bones) on drums. Together they have made an amazing new product for public consumption.

The Helix live band consists of Brian Vollmer (vocals), Jeff "Stan" Fountain (bass), Jim Lawson (guitar), Rick Van Dyke (guitar) and Brent "Ned" Niemi (drums). These talented and experienced musician's are sure to please any crowd with their energetic live show. They create a good time party atmosphere weather they are in front of 30 people or 30,000. They deliver the ultimate rock and roll show.

HELIX vient de sortir un nouveau EP 7 titres intitulé Get Up!. Au menu : 6 nouveaux titres + une version réenregistrée de Heavy Metal Love.

Ecoute de tous les titres et commande sur le site officiel :

http://www.planethelix.com/Albums/Album18.htm

HELIX vient de sortir un nouveau EP 7 titres intitulé Get Up!. Au menu : 6 nouveaux titres + une version réenregistrée de Heavy Metal Love.
Tracklist :
--Get Up
-- Boomerang Lover
-- Cyberspace Girl
-- Baby Likes To Ride
-- The Past Is Back (To Kick Your Ass)
-- Heavy Metal Love (re-recorded 2006)
-- Do You Believe In Rock and Roll?. Ecoute complète + commande sur le site officiel.

HELIX Guitarist On New DECIBEL Project - "If You Don't Write Good Songs, It Ain't Gonna Fly Baby

A brand new interview with former HELIX guitarist Brent Doerner regarding his new DECIBEL project is available at Bdecibel.com. An excerpt reads as follows:

One of the most iconic images in Canadian rock is from the music video 'Rock You', by Helix. You know that image. The guitar solo kicks in, and the guitar player emerges from the water, Gibson in hand. Anybody who has seen that video remembers that solo. It's just one of those things: an image that's etched into our rock and roll memories. It clearly stated who this band was, and what their purpose was. They were here to rock you.

That guitar player was Brent Doerner, who played on and wrote many Helix classics. Brent Doerner left the band in 1990, but never quite left the Helix family. He rejoined the band briefly for their It's A Business Doing Pleasure album, and has made guest appearances on many of their CDs since leaving the band. If you picked up a CD like Back For Another Taste, B-Sides, or even the recent Rockin' In My Outer Space, you'll hear Brent playing some guitar.

Aside from these guest shots, Brent's been fairly quiet…until now. In late 2006, Brent was ready to make some rock and roll noise again. The result is Brent Doerner's Decibel, which is both the name of his new band and new album. It's an album he's very proud of, and justifiably so. For him, it's all about songwriting.

"If you don't write good songs, it ain't gonna fly baby," he says in his friendly, jovial way. "That's it, it's over. You can be the best players in the world, and it won't save you. A lot of guys could play like the wind, or drum like the wind." The result is an album of what Doerner calls high-energy rock.

Decibel is a record of unique songs. The lyrics are fun, out of leftfield, and catchy. The guitar playing is hard and smooth all at once. It's been a true labor of love for Brent Doerner, who's been working on these songs for the better part of a year.

"I was bound and determined, come hell or high water, to make an album. I bought a 24 track, one of those digital things, and I said, 'I'm making an album, I don't care how I do it.' I still had all my guitars, or some, and I just started writing." He also hooked up with his new band, consisting of Shane Schedler on lead guitar, Chick Schumilas on guitar, and Dan Laurin on drums. There's even a smattering of guest appearances on the CD. Perhaps most exciting is a guest shot by Brent's twin brother, and ass-kicker on the drums, Brian Doerner.

Interestingly, with Brent playing guitar, the band has three guitar players. Brent tells the story: "We kind of like the idea of three guitars in the band, with a bass player and a drummer. I met these other guys, Shane, Chick and Dan, when I was living alone in my house. I was writing songs, and going at it with a vengeance, really. These guys kept coming by to my house and saying, 'We got all these songs too!' I got to their hall, with some beer, and I sat down, and they blasted away for a friggin' hour, just earthquake volume. When they're done, they say, 'Well what did you think of the songs?' And I said, 'Well I didn't hear any songs, just all this music.'" The band responded to, 'Well we did the hard part. You just have to write the melody and the lyrics!'

Brent continues, "But they were bound and determined in the end that they wanted three guitars. And what's happening with me when I lead sing is, I stop playing so I can sing, because some of this stuff I can't sing and play over it. I can sing and play over a lot of shit, but it seems that I can't sing and play over some of the stuff that I wrote!"

Read more here.

(Thanks Michael A. Ladano)