Getting to Know… The Purple Helmets | Interview

In the 474^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from the Nova Scotian indie alt band, The Purple Helmets.

“We’ve always wanted to be a cool little indie band from Nova Scotia that writes good music and offers a killer live show.” Killer, The Purple Helmets! The Purple Helmets describe themselves as  “a band that sounds big live, with all the vocals resting on top of a foundation of indie rock sensibilities.” Rock on! In our 474^th Q&A, we get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… The Purple Helmets: Interview No. 474!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes The Purple Helmets distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

First off, we’re from a fairly small town on the east coast of Canada in the province of Nova Scotia.  It’s called Yarmouth.  We all grew up there as friends, formed a band, and then learned how to play and become more proficient with our musicianship and songwriting as we got older.  We don’t use a lot of effects and enjoy organic and raw guitar sounds driven with melodic bass and steady drums.  A lot of bands can play, but not a lot of bands can sing.  We bring in a lot of two- and three-part harmonies into our music, both recorded and live.  This is a band that sounds big live, with all the vocals resting on top of a foundation of indie rock sensibilities. There’s no acting with the four of us.  What you see is what you get in person, on stage, one-on-one.  We are all very transparent and keen on being positive and adding value.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did The Purple Helmets form, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

Chris and Mike were neighbors and had initiated their own metal band.  Donnie was very proficient as a lead guitar player in other bands in town, and eventually we all started jamming together in our late teens.  Jonathan joined as our lead vocalist, but the band eventually started incorporating more singing from Donnie, and then later with Chris.  In the early days, we started playing covers and local establishments eventually taking us to Halifax as the main city on the East Coast.  There we began writing and recording our own material, eventually signing a distribution deal with EMI and touring across Canada.  Our early sound mixed hard rock and pop sentiments but always stayed melodic as we found that was often the most evasive ingredient to highlight. It was fun for sure, but it’s difficult to sustain when careers and families take priority.  We always remained good friends and would play the odd show or 2 whenever it made sense.

In the past year, we became inspired to write and record again, eventually connecting with Paul Suarez, who has recorded Biff Clyro, Gojira, Korn, and Guns and Roses, to name a few.  He helped to fatten our recorded sound on this latest record and make it the highest of fidelity.  The main objective has always been to push the envelope and write a good song that is memorable and stands the test of time, both musically and lyrically.

Juicy back stories?  Here’s a couple: Donnie was once Jim Cuddy’s guitar tech (Blue Rodeo).  TPH was invited to join the bill for the Melbourne, Australia Pop Festival at one time, but couldn’t afford the price of the airline tickets. One time playing live in Sydney, NS, Canada, TPH were joined onstage by Canadian music icons “the Inbreds: and “the Rheostatics” late one evening to finish the set playing only Beatles covers on queue.  Then, there’s the road stories, but they’re typical: vehicle breakdowns, stolen gear, accidents, arguments, late nights, long drives, camaraderie, and all the laughs, 4 guys against the world.  Not many people get to experience what a band experiences.  It’s special and keeps us as good friends….almost brothers.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

The goals are much the same. We simply continue to strive to write and record the best music possible.  When friends and peers enjoy it, that makes us happy.  When a new audience member enjoys it, those moments are special. We’ve always wanted to be a cool little indie band from NS (Nova Scotia) that writes good music and offers a killer live show.  We never want to disappoint and work hard to retain the reputation we have.  At this point, I think we’d like to get some help with online PR and marketing to promote the new record, perhaps with a small boutique indie label of comparable acts and catalogue.  This would allow us to focus on writing and recording more material. We’d like to record again with Paul Suarez in the Cayman Islands and put out a record annually.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences, and how are they influential?

We’re all over the place in our musical tastes from Brit Pop to Indie rock, to American, folk, and metal.  It would not be unheard of for us to listen to a playlist with Tom Waits, Oasis, Mastodon, (old) REM, the Kinks, Bowie, Sloan, Duran Duran, and AC/DC.  I think you’d hear elements from all these artists in our songwriting.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

We once played a show at The Royal Albert in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Keep in mind that if you drive that far from Nova Scotia, you are only halfway across Canada!  (3500kms / ~2175 miles!) At that time, the venue put you in rooms to stay/sleep there after the show.  It was wintertime, and the windows in the room were broken, and we had no heat.  Mike slept in the Van to protect the gear.  During the show, we were solicited to buy stolen cartons of cigarettes out of black garbage bags from some guy in the audience. Quite a place and certainly quite a memory.

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

We all have our favorites.  Many of them are among the newer songs.  “Moon Base Alpha – Space 1999” can be fun with the call-and-answer singing between Chris and Jon. Donnie’s solo in “Highway 17” is unique and killer.  Mike’s drumming during “In the Queue” is really cool.  A band fave for all may be “Weirdo Squad” due to the attractive chord progression (around C# minor 7) with the 3-part harmonies.  There’s a lot happening in that song at once.  Audiences that know us always demand to hear “Cheyenne” and “Mud In your Eye” from our earlier records.  In fact, “Cheyenne” was recently recorded as a cover by A.A. Wallace (Cheval) and Dale Crover (Nirvana, Melvins.  Check it out.  It’s so good!

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about The Purple Helmets? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

We all have our quirks and hobbies.  Donnie owns a yacht and sails Lake Superior in the summer.  He once sailed from Southern Florida up the east coast through canals and channels to Thunder Bay … solo!  He also enjoys motorcycles.  He’s the ‘James Dean’ of the band …a Rebel sometimes with a Cause!  Mike enjoys the outdoors, camping, cooking, BBQ, and his dog.  He’s the ‘Julia Child’ of the band and can sound like her from time to time.  Jonathan likes to explore and travel, coach football (soccer in Canada), and entertain with friends.  He’s a frontman on and off stage, telling jokes and entertaining anyone and everyone, putting smiles on faces.  He’s the ‘Chevy Chase’ of the band.  Chris travels a lot and lives in the Caribbean, enjoying boating, tennis, and restoring old Land Rover Defenders.  He’s the pragmatist in the band assigned to curb our enthusiasm from time to time.  He’s probably the ‘Larry David’ of the band.  Which probably then makes Mike the ‘Leon Black’ (J.B. Smoove) of the band.

What is The Purple Helmets currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

We’re currently promoting the record Weirdo Squad, which is available on Spotify, iTunes, and most streaming platforms.  We’ve done a home brew video for each song, which is good fun.  We don’t take ourselves too seriously!  We’re talking to a few small boutique labels to help support us with online PR, and we hope to choose one in the next few months. We also continue to write new material and hope to record another record later this year if we can.  We’re also talking to a few booking agents about getting on a bill with similar acts for a short trip to the UK or US.  Something different this time, perhaps.

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.