Well-travelled Helix set to rock Fort Erie Race Track
Variety, it seems, is the spice of life for Canadian metal stalwarts Helix.
The band, which will be performing at Fort Erie Race Track on July 30, will then be jetting off to Sweden to take part in the Skogsrojet Festival.
“That’s nothing,” said singer Brian Vollmer. “We played in Athabaska (in northern Alberta) on July 7 and the Round Lake, the Cree Nation that’s almost on Hudson’s Bay. It has a population of 2,500.”
So, it seems no matter the size of the crowd, whether it be in the hundreds as it was in Round Lake, or the thousands the band will perform before in Sweden, Helix is ready to rock.
“People are people,” Vollmer said. “We go out and we put on the same show.”
The band is best known for its anthem, “Rock You,” with its “Gimmie an R, Gimmie an O” chorus.
While the group may have experienced most of its success in the ’80s, it continues to record and tour today. For Vollmer, it’s something that keeps him going.
“This is what I do. I get a real charge out of writing, recording and playing live music,” Vollmer said. “I always say this is the most expensive job I’ve ever had.
The band’s latest album and 14th studio effort overall, “Old School,” was released earlier this year. It’s made up of tracks the band had written for records released back in the ’80s but never made it to the albums.
“People who had heard the songs always asked why they were never on the albums,” Vollmer said.
The group is already looking ahead to album No. 15, one which will be made up of new material, Vollmer said.
“This one will be with the guys in the live band. They deserve it.”
And nearly four decades on, Vollmer has no regrets over his chosen career path.
“I grew up on a farm and we were dirt poor,” Vollmer said. “Music has given me the freedom to go anywhere I want.”
Admission to the track and the concert are both free. The concert, which begins once the day’s racing ends, is expected to start at about 7:30 p.m.
The show is sponsored by the Fort Erie Rona home improvement store.