Helmet: the future?

[eht13]

So it's 2010 and Seeing Eye Dog has been released. Page turned 50 earlier this year. As most of us know, a couple years ago in multiple interviews after Monochrome came out, Page stated a goal of releasing two more albums and then retiring the band in 2010, the year he turned 50. One album has been released since he said that, but 2010 is already almost over. As the band has now finished their US/Canada SED supporting tour and prepares to head for Europe, I wonder what the plans for 2011 and beyond are.

Maybe some know more and can't say, or maybe there are no solid plans or goals anymore at this point. Maybe Page does want to put out that other Helmet album (or even others beyond that), even though 2010 will be in the past when that happens. Or maybe he does have plans to retire the band and do something different in music, with more production, soundtrack work, etc. that he has also been working on already. So I'm curious... what do you hope to see out of Page and Helmet in the future? I'm kind of torn; I really like Seeing Eye Dog and I always look forward to another Helmet album, plus the possibility of seeing Helmet in concert again. But on the other hand, I was intrigued by his original goal, because at some point it is time to move on and do other things, and it is obvious that music will always be front and center for Page regardless. Thoughts? Thanks.

[Jot]

They're done. It was a double album...

[eht13]

They're done. It was a double album...

Haha, never thought of counting this as two albums, or as a double album, because of the Warped Tour live disc.

[land it74]

My hope is that they get their winter break, relax and maybe get inspired in that time to do a bit more touring next year. Perhaps there would be some not-yet-released Helmet pieces Page has to get out of his system and try out with a handful of shows in next season. I wouldn't mind seeing his side project, Jazz Wannabes, play more low-key places around the country, too. My pipe dream is for them to come through my city for once before the next long moment between a future album or the band's (sigh) retirement. Who knows...

At this moment in his career, PH could probably keep making a living producing albums or being a session player for soundtracks, other artist, etc. No doubt he has the know-how and abilities to sustain himself that way, but I do like that he's carried the Helmet torch just a bit longer us small band of fans to enjoy. He seems to have fun gigging with his fellow band mates, so I hope the live music lingers a bit despite plans he may have laid out for himself in interviews past.

[eht13]

^ Well said, thanks.

[bornannoying]

I think a lot depends on how this current album sells, how it's received, what turnout is like at shows, etc. I'd be interested if someone could link me to something that shows otherwise, but as far as I remember, Page never said anything particularly absolute about wrapping the band up. I know there was talk of 2 more albums, turning 50 and all of that, but those statements struck me as very loose, non-specific assessments of – not prescriptive scripts for – the future. His mantra has always been "as long as it's still fun", so if it's still financially viable, people are buying records/tickets, and they're having a good time, I can see it continuing a little longer yet.

[eht13]

Thanks BA. You're probably right, he may not have meant it to be that hard of a goal, but that is how many people took it at the time. I recall seeing the idea repeated by him in different interviews, one of which is linked below.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/intervie ... fifty.html

In addition, though, I also wanted to hear what people hoped to see out of Page and Helmet in the future... as I said above, I'm torn between "more Helmet" and "post-Helmet Page doing solo stuff, soundtrack work, etc. musical endeavors".

[bornannoying]

Thanks BA. You're probably right, he may not have meant it to be that hard of a goal, but that is how many people took it at the time. I recall seeing the idea repeated by him in different interviews, one of which is linked below.

You're most welcome, sir.

Looking at that article you linked to, I can see how people might take what he said as a fairly definite statement; Page had clearly been considering the band's future viability, his own physical ability to continue, and so on, in fairly concrete terms. But at the same time, it's couched in decidedly non-concrete terms like "Yes, I think so" and "…as long as we can go play shows and people come out to them and I feel good about what we’re doing, then we’ll do it.". There's an ambiguity.

This topic has come up a few times in the past, and I've always found it interesting that some people seem to regard those statements with far greater seriousness than I do. Personally, I took the view that Page was communicating a thought process, rather than a decision, and so I never gave it any more credence than I do my own vacillations about where my life's going.

I think that it comes down to excitement: we all know it won't go on forever, so when something that looks like a statement of intent comes along – 2 more albums, 5 more years, 3 more bassists, whatever – there's a tendency to cling to it as an absolute, rather than something less defined. This makes sense because interpreting it as, say, a definite "two more years and then I'm done" is much more appealing to us than the uncertainty inherent in interpreting it as "well, I could end it tomorrow, or I could end it in 10 years".

Anyway, I can end all the speculation for you right now. I asked Page about it yesterday, and he says he wants to do another album.

In addition, though, I also wanted to hear what people hoped to see out of Page and Helmet in the future... as I said above, I'm torn between "more Helmet" and "post-Helmet Page doing solo stuff, soundtrack work, etc. musical endeavors".

Ah, that's just asking for trouble…

I want more Helmet, but not much more. I don't want him to wear it out and get to that point where everyone wishes he'd quit while he was ahead.

I'd also like him to do some sort of fusiony jazz stuff… I know in my head what it would be like, but I can't describe it terribly well. I want it to be like the sort of cool shit you might see on one of those weird, weird TV shows you sometimes happen across at some ungodly hour of the morning. Sort of thing where you might see a lesbian in a kaftan playing a djembe and reading feminist poetry, a German chamber orchestra playing their instruments with power tools, you know the deal… and then this great rock/jazz/drum 'n' bass fusion band comes on and it's the coolest thing you ever saw or heard.

[eht13]

Anyway, I can end all the speculation for you right now. I asked Page about it yesterday, and he says he wants to do another album.

OK, well there we go then; that answers that. I look forward to it.

I want more Helmet, but not much more. I don't want him to wear it out and get to that point where everyone wishes he'd quit while he was ahead.

I guess that's kind of what I'm getting at. It's like a good TV show or series of movies, or dare I say, a good band. Go out while you're still good and relevant. I know someone may come along here and say something like, "yeah, he never should have restarted the band in the first place back in 2004, without John and Henry". But I think it's been a good band as Helmet again, so that's another argument.

I'd also like him to do some sort of fusiony jazz stuff… I know in my head what it would be like, but I can't describe it terribly well. I want it to be like the sort of cool shit you might see on one of those weird, weird TV shows you sometimes happen across at some ungodly hour of the morning. Sort of thing where you might see a lesbian in a kaftan playing a djembe and reading feminist poetry, a German chamber orchestra playing their instruments with power tools, you know the deal… and then this great rock/jazz/drum 'n' bass fusion band comes on and it's the coolest thing you ever saw or heard.

Umm, yeah... something like that.

[MilktoastAnTea]

I'm Just glad I got to finally see the band live! The Middle east club show was incredible and I met the band, had my ticket signed and everything. I talked to some people who became new fans that night, Page was on fire, I think there's more helmet to come, at lest for awhile.

[eht13]

For anyone that's interested, Page touches on a couple of these areas in the good recent interviews that are linked to in the recent interviews thread.

[markofcain]

My hope is that if he ends helmet, he re-activates Ghandi. Even though i love Helmet, i think that ghandi gave him more of a broader spectrum to work in. With Helmet he is restricted in what he can write because he is torn between being creative, and staying true to the "core" fans and Helmet sound especially with the minimalist approach that he delivers with helmet. but regardless of what he does, i will be a fan...

[bornannoying]

Gandhi did seem to provide a broader spectrum in many ways, but on the other hand, if SED is anything to go by, he's not feeling too constrained by the Helmet vocabulary. Some of the tracks on SED are definitely closer to the Gandhi aesthetic than a strict interpretation of the Helmet model. Also, I increasingly have the impression that what we call Gandhi might more accurately be a loose-ish collection of ideas that grew out of various collaborations, one-off projects and assorted noodling resulting from his downtime between incarnations of Helmet. Some of that became Helmet material, of course, but there's some that he clearly wants to leave out of Helmet's sphere.

Either way, there was a definite sound to the Gandhi demos – distinct from, but related to Helmet – that I'd certainly like to hear more of. I think a lot of what made that stuff interesting was the collaborative element, and I really enjoy his contributions to other artists' material, so I wonder if a collaborative effort might be the most promising avenue for new PH stuff. Not to say that he's not capable of coming up with the goods on his own, but I do get the impression that he benefits a great deal from bouncing ideas off people from different musical spheres.

[eht13]

Wow, this forum has gotten s l o w.

Well, it's already been a year since I started this thread, and it seemed an appropriate thread to bump given its discussion of the future of Helmet. The 2011 tours have finished up, and I guess now we are just waiting for some kind of news on the post-SED album that Page told BA he intends to release (?). I even started following Helmet on Twitter in case some tidbit from the band came that way, but there's been not a tweet since I started following them.

Any other relevant thoughts or musings from anyone else on any of this, or on any of the earlier conversation points in this thread?

[bornannoying]

Hmm. I still think Facebook and the like is killing fora like this, but I shan't get into one of my little tangential rants.

I haven't heard anything about future albums, tours etc. that I haven't already spilled the beans on. Maybe I should poke the embers and see what comes up. Regards Twitter, I keep meaning to talk to them about that: they really don't use it well.