1998 marks the 25th anniversary of HELIX as a recording and they are continuing their musical journey with the release of their 11th album "Half Alive" on D-Rock Records. The following is an interview with Brian Vollmer done on June 15,1998

Helix By: Scott Redeker

Will any of the older material like Breaking Loose and White Lace & Black Leather be re-released?

The first 2 independent albums were re-released as the Early Years. Presently unavailable. See discograpy.
 

What about the cds that were released on Capital Records? I still see a strong demand for these cds.

The Capitol catalouge we will try to lease from them for re-release.

Was Long Way To Heaven ever released on CD?

Long Way to Heaven has never been released on CD.

Were the videos The Big Ticket- Live from Edmonton, Alberta and Waltzing in Vienna ever released? Are they available anywhere?

None of the videos you mentioned have ever been offered for sale.

You have a huge list of bands you have toured list on your web site. Is there one band you really enjoyed touring with?

Our favorite band to have ever toured with was KISS

Which was the biggest mismatch between bands you toured with?

The biggest mismatch was Split Endz, but there were many.....

Where was the biggest crowd you played for?

The biggest crowd we played in front of was 35.000. Scorpions, at CNE Stadium in T.O. on the Walkin' the Razor's Edge Tour.

I heard the S.E.X. RATED has been banned. Then I read it is still for sale in Canadian video stores. Was it really banned?

Sex-rated should still be available. As far as I know, it has never been banned.

Is Greg 'Fritz' Hinz still in the music industry? If not, what is he up to. What are other past members up to?

Greg lives in Clearwater and plays in a retro disco band called Super Freak. Brent {the Doctor} has his own construction company and plays with a variety of bands on the weekend.

Are there big plans for the 25th anniversary tour yet?

We are would love to have a huge celebration next year for our 25th anniversary. It depends if we have enough time with the new album being out, etc. etc,

I read in an newspaper article from the Ottawa Sun that It's A Business Doing Pleasure should have been a solo cd. Do you think it was just the Helix name that may have caused some stations not to play it. To me is sounded more like a solo cd than a Helix cd. It had a more serious and softer sound than previous Helix cds.

This album should definetly have been a solo album. In retrospect, it was a mistake to release it as a Helix album, but that's the way it goes.....

How old are the new songs on the Half Alive cd? I absolutely love the song Big Bang Boom.

Big Bang Boom was written for the Back for Another Taste album and never released. Same Room was written by my good friend, Doug Weir, from the Canadian band, Syre.

I also read the live songs were recorded from different tours. Why werenít they recorded from one tour or even one show? Will one entire show ever be recorded and released?

No particular reason. We just wanted the best sounding versions. We're working on re-releasing Live at the Marquee.

Is it disappointing that the cds Back For Another Taste and Wild In The Streets were a huge success? Songs like Dream On and Good To The Last Drop should have been huge in that time.

It's never disappointing-that's just rock'nroll!!!!

Will there be another studio cd? The first three capital releases were 1 year apart. The next cd was 2 years and the following two were each 3 years apart. Finally Half Alive was 5 years from the last cd.

We will shortly begin work on our new CD. I would like to see it released by next summer.

What do you think sets Helix apart from other bands now and in the past? One thing that comes to mind for me is the way you treat your fans. I saw Helix 3 times and every time the band members would come out before and after the show to talk to fans. You really seemed to enjoy talking to the fans. That is very rare. I hear the same thing happens at shows today.

I don't know what sets us apart. Maybe it's just the fact that we act ourselves and the fact we truelly love what we're doing.




Copyright 1998, Perris Records