helms


home news shows merch posters photos mp3s links booking contact


october 2, 2002
Hi, Sorry it's been so long. We've had a busy summer recording, mixing, mastering ... We've also got a new booking agent named James and he's setting up an east coast tour for the first week in November, starting with a Kimchee Records CMJ showcase on November 2nd ... the tour dates will be posted soon.

Helms has a new record coming out in November and we'll be celebrating the release with Karate on November 23rd at the Middle East. We're lucky for that.

We also have a song on the Obey Giant compilation that was just released on Fork In Hand. The compilation's artful packaging was designed by Shepard Fairey and it includes a multimedia CD-Rom and tracks by The Hives, Modest Mouse, The Lot Six, Peaches and The International Noise Conspiracy, to name a few.

That's it for now, more updates on the way ...



july 10, 2002

Hello,

I guess it's been a while. The season has changed and everything. We've been super busy with recording, sorry no updates in a while. So, it's summer now ... break out your (man + sandels equals ...) mandels and mules and come by the Middle East on the 16th to see Sweep the Leg Johnny, Alotia and us.

We recorded an entirely new record last month with Andy Hong and will do bit more recording in August. The record will be out this fall on the ever-growing Kimchee Records.

Thanks to everyone for coming to our last couple of shows. I'll post some audience photos soon, and a couple new mp3's too. Meantime, take a look at Dan's newest poster masterpiece.

Tina



april 16, 2002

Not too much to say except for thanks for coming to our last couple of shows, nyc, providence, amherst were all really fun. providence might've topped them all off though, we got to do a show w/ a man covered in lemon meringue pie. then afterward we spotted roger daltrey doing karaoke.

dan did the A #1 best poster of all time for the show we're playing on thursday. Go see what you looked like at our last few shows if you like.

is anyone else ridiculously addicted to the osbournes? i almost embarassed to admit it, then i convince myself there's nothing to be ashamed of. see you on thursday. or wednesday, or friday. there are lots of good kimchee shows this week. wednesday's a regular kimchee bash over @ 608 (with such bands as victory at sea and chris brokaw), mid east thursday for some helms, and 27 & suntan on friday @ beckett's pub in allston.

yes, it's true. and then in may ... well i won't tell you just yet.

Over and out
Tina Helms of Helms



march 7, 2002

Our show in NYC was fun, all the McCarthy kids were there. Karin drew some nice pictures of Dan driving.

We ate breakfast at Enids in Bklyn Sunday morning and a guy from "The Mole" was there. No one knew what I was talking about, but ... really it was him. He was actually hanging around with an old friend from Boston who was rumored to have an exotic job at one point.

We're playing at U Mass Amherst tomorrow night with this band called the weigh down, and we're also going to play in Providence in a couple of weeks.

In some neato Helms news, we were asked to be on an upcoming Obey Giant compilation that's coming out in the spring. There are lots of cool bands on there, including Jello Biafra (featuring members of Nirvana and Soundgarden), Modest Mouse, Peaches, BS2000 (members of the Beastie Boys), and some other local bands too. So keep your eyes peeled.

Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms



february 18, 2002

Happy President's Day. I'm just sitting here recording a Trans Am LP to CD, drinking some red wine and thinking about how lucky we all are to live in such a good city. Lotsa schools, lotsa music. Not much snow this year. But plenty of ruckus when the Pats win the big game.

We're looking forward to spending the weekend with Tristeza, they're playing at the Mid East Friday and we're playing with them at Brownies, NYC on Saturday. I was going to link to their site, but just like Ted in my last entry, their site is down. Danny McCarthy made this to commemorate the Helms/Tristeza reunion.

At our last show on the 7th, a boy came up to me and announced that he'd lost his sweater. I think it was his favorite sweater. I hadn't seen it, but as soon as he left I found a sweater on the floor. Is this yours? I hope you're not allergic to cats if it is. I can wash it for you, we have a washing machine in our building.

I've posted some audience photos from the last couple of shows. Stay well, and listen, often, to Cornelius' new record "Point."

Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms



february 6, 2002

we're playing at the middle east tomorrow night with victory at sea. come by for their first boston show with their new drummer, carl. dan mccarthy made this poster as well.

we went to see --insert Ted's link here-- Ted Leo (ahem, his site is down right now), at Beckett's on Saturday and he covered "Dancin' in the Dark" by the boss. this lil' jersey girl almost had tears runnin' down her pretty little face. and then the tears almost started rollin' again when chan marchall hurt her finger and cancelled her monday show at the coolidge. but now i have tomorrow night to look forward to. i'm actually excited to see this band suntan who are opening up.

there was either a "allston girls gone wild" video-shoot going on sunday night, or a superbowl-induced riot ... not sure which. i'll post some pictures soon, bonfires and all.

Have a good day today.
Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms
january 21, 2002

hi,

helms had our first encounter with the cops this past friday when we played at out of the blue gallery. apparently things were getting a little too loud and the neighbors complained, so we got shut down ... first time ever. but we did get to play with our friends longitude, the weigh down and a special kind of fall, bands you should definately keep an eye out for. it was a really fun night and we're glad we played at out of the blue. thank you for coming, if you did.

dan's posters have been featured at GigPosters.com and last week he was even named artist of the week. it's a pretty neat site with lots of cool stuff. you can comment on artists' work or just browse through. dan is still wondering how they found him.

we've got some shows coming up ... february 7th at the middle east w/ victory at sea and february 23rd at brownie's (nyc) w/our friends tristeza. last time we saw them we broke down for a day and a half in the town where twin peaks was filmed ... this time that will be impossible.

oh, and go find the secret machines promo record. it's the future of rock.

Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms



december 11, 2001

Hey there,

Believe it or not, our friend Ben surprised us and made a Helms video for "Smallest World in the World" using his stuff and some of Dan's art. It can be found here. It's positively amazing . . .

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at Wheaton College and New Haven. And take a look at the photos I took of Karate at Wheaton. Also, have a look at this sign that was taped to the Drumscape machine in the mall arcade. That's where you play drums along to the song of your choice. I don't want any disappointments now, maybe there's another Ozzy ballad on there. Oh, and I put up a couple more mp3s from our Pipeline show a year ago. Sorry it took so long.

We have an all ages show coming up at Out of the Blue gallery in Cambridge. That'll happen January 18th. In the meantime have good holidays.

Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms




november 15, 2001

Hi,

We're playing at the Middle East tomorrow night with The Dismemberment Plan and Lake Trout. Come early cuz we're on first. Dan made this. He's a super good artist.

We have some other shows coming up ... November 30th at Wheaton College with Karate (where is that, you ask? It is in Norton, MA. Yes, they use the 508 area code), and December 8th at Rudy's in New Haven, CT with Radio 4 (who are really good).

Oh yeah. Ben Jones is a cartoonist that recently moved away, but we still miss him here in Boston. At least we can admire his work over at paperrad.org.

Happy Thanksgiving, almost.

Tina
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms



october 5, 2001

Hello,

The Middle East is hosting benefits on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week for New York's Disaster Relief Fund and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross. We're playing downstairs Monday with the Swirlies, the Ivory Coast and the Lot Six. Come listen to our new song. And look at the poster Dan made too, in person.

Next Saturday there's an opening for Both Magazine, featuring artwork by our Dan McCarthy, music by Geoff Farina, Jeff Goddard and Gavin McCarthy (of Karate) and DJ Klaus. Plus there'll be some readings too. Stop by the Oni Gallery on Saturday the 13th. Here's the scoop.

Our song "Penthouse" appears on a new compilation put out by Mr. Records.

That's all for now.

Tina Mae
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms
september 16, 2001


This was the view from our best friend Deborah's apartment. It won't be the same for her in Brooklyn anymore, without a part of the city looming in the distance. And there are only birds in the sky today. It could just as easily have been us down in NYC, it could've been the Hancock or the Prudential. We all have friends in NYC and we are all affected by this tremendously, so we should do what we can to help, if at all possible.

Thank you to Andy Hong and Kimchee Records and Mahmood, the master booking agent, for being the most generous, patient people out there. We're lucky to have such friends. Also, an enormous thank you to Jon McCarthy-Martin for spending so much of his time to make sure we travelled safely in our van. And again, thank you to everyone who shared a part of our adventure across the country. Our thoughts are with all of you during this difficult time.

We are playing a benefit next Saturday, September 22nd to help support our friend Michael Broudeur's both magazine at Beckett's Pub in Allston. It's for a great cause and it will be a good reason to get together with friends.

Here is our summer tour diary.

Part 1
Part 2

Love, Tina.
--
Sean + Dan + Tina = Helms

july 8, 2001


Hi there
Hope you're having a good summer so far. We are. Our tour starts on Friday, but we'll be back in Boston on July 19th. We'll take off again the next day to NYC, so we'll have just about enough time to wash some laundry, grab a burrito and get a few hours of sleep, then back on the road. And never you mind about our van failing the Massachusetts emissions test when we took it in for inspection. Just don't worry about it, ok?

Dan did some new artwork for t-shirts and buttons, plus he made tons of these astounding tour posters and sent them all over the place for our shows. We really are lucky ... in so many ways.

Oh yeah, the Mister Records compilation is coming along nicely and we can't wait to get a hold of it and share it with everyone.

While we're gone, go here.

Tina.





june 13, 2001
   

Lots going on ... We've got a summer tour with The Album Leaf and Tristeza coming up, dates are posted here and information will be updated as it is finalized. None of us have ever been to the desert, driven up the coast of California, nor have we driven up the coast of California or through the desert without air-conditioning ... we are virgin to all of these experiences. I hope we get to see the Redwoods.

Ok, just the facts ... we gave a couple of older Helms songs to some friends of ours who are putting out compilations, more on those releases later. And go see 90 Day Men tomorrow at the Middle East. It'll be really special.

Love, Tina.



may 21, 2001
   

Hey,

Thanks everyone for coming to see us last Thursday. It's always good to play with friends, it was kind of like a party. But since I'm not too big on parties, I'd say it was more like a reunion or a celebration. Did you see these guys? I've been listening to them non-stop. Victory at Sea is back in town too, and it's nice to have them back here where they belong.

You're going to like by Dan.


Check yourselves out at the show. Such a good looking bunch of kids.

If you're not doing anything on Tuesday, come see The Mercury Program at the Middle East on Tuesday. It's Kolya's record release party too, I promise you'll like it.

Come see us at the Beachcomber on the Cape on June 29th. The Ivory Coast will be there too. We're going to have a tight party on the beach right after.

Good fun.

Love, Tina.

PS. I've been listening to eleven:eleven again lately. Go see Thalia and Chris at Lilli's on Thursday, it'll be amazing. Oh, that ... and I've been and watching HBO documentaries.





may 16, 2001
   

So, have you heard about this yet?

Dan did some posters for Kimchee Records showcase. They're very nice.

More of Dan's artwork will be up this week ...

We've been extra busy the past few weeks, getting some songs worked out, practicing for our show on Thursday with Victory at Sea, Rosa Chance Well, Tigersaw and PADS. It will be a "night to remember." Come to think of it, that was the theme of my junior prom. And guaranteed, it will be much better than that evening.

We've got a summer tour in the works right now, more on that later.

Oh ... check out Brian's artwork and music while you're here.

See you Thursday,
Tina.





april 1, 2001
    

Last night we almost got poisoned from the fumes creeping into our van while we drove back from Plymouth State. Tom made sure we got home safely though. Oh, and the show was lots of fun. There was a giant television right behind us and I turned on a movie about giant spiders taking over Earth. In the beginning when they were still small spiders, before they took over, there were scenes of people stepping on them, trying to kill them off. The fake tarantula spiders they used were filled with some sort of twinkie filling, so when people stepped on them all this white creamy stuff came pouring out.

We're not playing for a while, but we are looking forward to taking some time to write new songs. Meanwhile, take a look at Sean's favorite window in Allston.

Take care,
Tina.



march 29, 2001:
    

Hey, look at this! Our friend Mahmood was looking through the TV Guide Ultimate Cable magazine and spotted a Lynx t-shirt on some guy in a band called "SoulCracker."

We're playing at Plymouth State, NH on Saturday.

Tina.



march 21, 2001:
    
Henry and Dan



It's been about a month since our last update. A lot has happened.

Our tour went really well, and except for a few minor kinks we had a really fun time. The tour diary should give you a pretty clear idea of what we were up to, whether you want to know that much about us or not. We all had a fantastic time.

We played a show with Rainer Maria and the Elizabeth Elmore 4 at the Middle East on Sunday. It felt good to be playing at home again; it had been about 2 months. Except for an unfortunate encounter between my lip and someone's fist, it was a pretty alright night. Girls need to stick up for eachother, not bash eachother in the face. That's not so obvious to everyone.

So, enjoy the new photos and tour diary. We're writing some songs now, getting our van fixed and looking forward to spring time.

Take care tina.
february 20th, 2001:
    
Henry and Dan

We met Henry when we played in New Haven, CT at Tune Inn. He was the most enthusiastic person I'd ever met and it is truly an honor to call him our new friend. Andrew, thank you for having us play, it was so much fun.

We drove 4 hours to Colgate from Amherst on Saturday and the roads were slippery and scary. The roads weren't plowed or sanded and route 20 was empty, except for two vans full of musical equipment and nervous travellers. When we got there we entertained ourselves by writing songs on the piano with Rose of Rharon. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to stop at the Petrified Creatures Museum on the way back home.

Thank you to Phill and Chris for everything.

We play with Arab on Radar and Tom Kinsella (Joan of Arc) this weekend and next week the tour begins.

tina.
february 4th, 2001:
    

Thanks to everyone who came to see us in Providence. Unfortunately we did not, for some reason (beer?) remember to take a picture of the nice audience . . . oh well.

We've added some new shows to our schedule, including one with The Shipping News next weekend in Connecticut which we are very excited about.

And here is a review of Karate's "Unsolved." I know I've already talked a lot about this record here, but it is months later now and I still listen to it all of the time.

sean
january 21st, 2001:
    

hi - i guess it's been a while since we've written words here. thanks to everyone who came to our last couple of shows. the lapse, denali and hour glass lake were especially amazing to play with.

we're working on new songs right now and have some upcoming out-of-town shows booked, so take a look at the schedule for that data.

dan is now selling posters, so if you see one you like, let him know. we are putting up some more mp3s this week, so keep an eye out for them. sean is going to be back with some music review action soon. other than that, check out the audience photos to see how good you looked this time.

bye,
tina