A rare, intimate all-acoustic show recorded live at Seattle’s beautiful Triple Door!

Those who have been to a Helio Sequence show know what to expect: a sonic wall of electric guitar and synth, bombastic sub bass, and drum kit acrobatics accompanied by Benjamin’s many expressive faces. But for one special night on March 31, 2015 we rewrote the script. At a sold out show at Seattle’s beautiful Triple Door, we played a fully acoustic set.

The origins of our acoustic show lay in necessity. In spring of 2014, we were all set to play a benefit for our friends at the Children’s Book Bank at the Old Church in our hometown of Portland. Just a few days before the show, we got an understandably concerned call from the venue letting us know that the high decibel levels of a typical Helio show would quite probably cause structural damage to the fragile building. At first we thought we would just turn down for the event, but soon realized that we’d have to do something much more drastic. So, in a hectic couple of days of rehearsal, we put together our first-ever acoustic set. The show was a success and most importantly we didn’t knock down the Old Church!

In making the acoustic set we learned a new way of looking at our songs. We used different keys, new chord voicings, alternate tunings and a wide range of percussion. Songs that we had known and played for years took on a new life and we were excited about the prospect of sharing them with more people. In early 2015, when we finished up recording our new album, we jumped on the opportunity to put together a special acoustic eve at The Triple Door.

The night was even more magical than we could have imagined. We were both pretty nervous before the show, as it was such new territory to play without the high volume and layers of synths that we’re used to. And we had never performed to a seated, dining audience before. (Listen closely and you’ll hear the gentle clanking of silverware on people’s plates during dinner service!) But everybody was so overwhelmingly supportive and enthusiastic that our apprehension soon melted away. The evening flowed with a wonderful, natural energy. For part of the show, we were joined by phenomenal cellist Samantha Kushnick, marking the unique occasion of Helio Sequence as a trio. And as the show went on, it was a joy to hear people singing along, clapping, and laughing.

We’re so glad we caught the show “on tape” and can now share “The Helio Sequence Acoustic Live at The Triple Door” with everyone. That night served as an uplifting reminder that there’s as much power in the quieter moments as a full bore rock show. And it was confirmation that at root, a song is a form of intimacy and music is the power of a shared experience.

Cover Image by Victoria Holt

SUNRISE DEMOS (EXPANDED EDITION)

The Helio Sequence’s “lost” record “Sunrise Demos” is out now on Bandcamp! Previously only available in an extremely limited quantity available with pre-orders and on tour, the newly expanded and remastered digital edition of “Sunrise Demos” includes 4 unreleased tracks. (15 tracks total, 54 minutes.) Read below to hear the full story:

It all began with the “20-Song Game.” Some of our friends had been playing and explained the idea: everyone gets one day to record 20 songs. In the evening, you get together, listen to the results and talk about the process. The goal is to give up the overthinking that can stifle creativity, to break free of inhibitions and run with momentum. Inspired by this idea, we decided that we would play a sort of elongated “20-Song Game” to write our new record.

Starting in May of 2014, we gave ourselves one month to write as many songs as we could. We set out making keyboard loops, guitar passages, ambient sketches: anything and everything that was inspired in the moment. We worked separately at times, alone in the studio sketching ideas only to pass them off to each other. We also recorded a series of live jams together, playing to keyboard loops without any premeditation while improvising and keeping only first takes.

By June, we had transformed countless jams and fragments into 26 songs. In the continuing spirit of the “20-Song Game,” we gave the demos to a large group of our friends and family and asked them to give us feedback. The 10 songs with the most votes became our self-titled LP. We took 11 of the remaining songs and made the limited edition CD release the Sunrise Demos, which was only available with advance album orders and on tour.

Over the years the Sunrise Demos has become a kind of “lost” Helio Sequence record. The few who picked up one of the CD copies have written us often to say how much they love it and wish it would see a proper release. Many who have never heard it have written to us asking for a copy. And Benjamin and I have often talked together about how some of our favorite songs from that era actually ended up on Sunrise Demos.

We’re so happy to finally release the Sunrise Demos (Expanded Edition) for everyone to hear! We’ve added four previously unreleased tracks and remastered everything. All of these songs hold a special place in our hearts. Some of them are less finished than others, but we’ve left them as they are, blemishes and all. We’re hopeful that what comes through is the sense of possibility and the joy of living in the moment that drove us through that special time. Thanks for listening!

ACES: A QUADROPHONIC SURROUND COMPANION FOR NEGOTIATIONS

In addition to the "Sunrise Demos (Expanded Edition)", "ACES: A Quadrophonic Companion for Negotiations" is now on Bandcamp! "ACES" is FREE with a "pay-what-you-want" option ;)

ACES IS NOT A STAND ALONE RECORD.
IT IS A QUADROPHONIC SURROUND COMPANION FOR “NEGOTIATIONS”.

Here are a few guidelines and ideas for setup and use:

ACES is meant to be played simultaneously with the Negotiations album on two different stereo systems to create an enhanced spatial experience. Set up two independent stereo systems with speakers facing towards each other and the listener placed in the middle of the stereo fields as shown in the diagram below. The "Original" source of Negotiations should be played through "Speakers A" with the listener facing forward. The "Companion" source should be played through "Speakers B" to the rear of the listener. Start both sources in sync by pressing play at the same time on each independent system to hear a spatially enhanced version of Negotiations. Volume of the "Companion" source can be varied to create subtle to extreme experiences. The material on the "Companion" source can also be delayed (ideally anywhere within ~100ms) to create a bigger and more spacious effect by simply waiting for a very short amount of time after the "Original" is started to press play on the "Companion" system. Delay times of longer than 100ms will create more psychedelic and chaotic effects.For best results it is not recommended to start the "Companion" source before the"Original". It should be noted that every media player and computer sound card has a different internal clock, so the "Original" and "Companion" sources may slowly drift apart over time. In some cases it may be necessary to resync at the beginning of each song. There are no hard rules, so feel free to experiment and get creative with placement and playback variation.

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