"STUNNING"..."THE INTENSITY OF JEFF BUCKLEY WITH THE PASSION OF KATE BUSH"..."STARLIT & SPECTACULAR" *****.................................. *ANNE-MARIE HELDER*: English-born singer-songwriter, nicknamed the 'Little Red Rock Chick', who rose from the ashes of band-touring to fly solo & unleash her creative beast on the world!!!....................................................
............................................................
............................................................
.................................
Following the release of her debut EP 'THE CONTACT' (2004), Anne-Marie Helder (AMH) embarked on a manic touring schedule which would see her play from coast to coast, in every kind of venue, & alongside an impressive & eclectic list of artists: added to her own Headline shows, she has opened as official support for acts including Midge Ure (Ultravox), Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), Aynsley Lister, Limehouse Lizzy, and legendary Scots icon FISH. (Anne-Marie joined the band on their European tour, and was greeted with a warm and rapturous response from audiences across the continent! - from Germany to Holland, Luxembourg to Belgium, and beyond :o).
Due to record again in 2008, her first release 'The Contact' remains a cult classic; a mesmerising mix of melody & melancholy, a beautiful anarchy of love and rage.
.........*REVIEWS* include that from Classic Rock magazine, which described Anne-Marie's work as a 'Striking solo debut... Combining the intensity of Jeff Buckley with the passion of Kate Bush, this is emotive and powerful stuff.' The magazine further praised her with its highly-coveted 8/10 rating!
2005-6 was an intense time for the singer-songwriter from Essex, as she strove to make her mark in the world as a newly-'single' solo artist! She had spent many years in Swansea (Wales, UK) following her degree in philosophy there- the Welsh music scene had been her baptism of fire, where she cut her teeth and was playing gigs most nights, for several years; in bands ranging from funk & rock to Irish folk!
.........*BAND HISTORY*......... But then after achieving some regional success with her much-loved band 'Tigerdragon' - a collaboration between Helder & talented songwriter Chris Woodman, which had grown from a duo to a rockin' 6-piece - Anne-Marie was asked to join the rising Welsh band 'KARNATAKA'; and she then spent 2001-04 touring the world with them! Their brand of haunting, passionate, celtic-flavoured neo-prog (!?!) was to become Anthemic for their huge & loyal international fanbase; and it gave Helder the chance to perform on stages across Europe and the USA.
(see www.karnataka.org)
.........*GOING SOLO*......... In late 2004, & with 4 successful albums, 2 live DVDs and a vault of world-touring behind them, the band decided to go their separate ways. The timing shocked their fans, as they were on the tip of major international success. But, as with many bands, personal and professional lives cannot be 100% separated; & for Karnataka, the personal developments for the band members were just too overwhelming for them to sideline. The band knew it was impossible to carry on, & reluctantly had to split. By this time Anne had already begun her solo journey, performing acoustic gigs alongside her band commitments, & still working with some of her old Swansea bands too. But the time had come to make a leap of faith - and she knew without a doubt that her future path laid in the direction of the Solo Anne-Marie Helder. With songs she had written throughout her life, and already tried out in many Open Mic nights (she'd performed solo locally for many years), she now set about making it her life's work. And 2005 heralded the start of her biggest journey yet.
.........*TOURING*......... From London to Cornwall, from smokey pubs to cavernous clubs, the now-dubbed 'Little Red Rock Chick' (on account of her penchant for wearing every hue of red, from scarlet to burgundy!), was working the boards every bit as hard now as in her days with the band; but now, was walking out alone....
She has said that this experience is 'both terrifying and liberating', with the freedom to play what & how she likes, but also the solitude of making that walk out into the lights on your own... and sometimes missing the days of laughing & head-bangin' along with your bandmates!
.........*PLAYING LIVE*......... But, she finds companionship onstage anyway, in the form of her music; the beauty & intimacy of playing it, the way certain songs feel loke old friends, who've always been with you.
Of this she says: 'Playing on stage is my most spiritual time; I get nervous before i go on, of course I do! ...But once i'm inside the music, I feel the most at peace, & at home, that I ever feel in my life.'
People in the audience never fail to see this~ Helder's awe-inspiring performances convey not just incredible passion, but a warmth, intimacy, beauty and magic that seem eerily transcendant.
She feels these things as she sings and plays; & the audience 'get' this when they listen.
.........*2006*......... Following a 2005 that was all about touring hell-for-leather - ('Little Red' clocked up nearly 200 shows that year!) - 2006 was a time of collection, reflection, and careful choices; Plus, a lot of recording!!!........
She kicked off the year with a number of big performances, including guest spots in exclusive London showcases, and her own shows headlining theatres in the UK. She was then invited on board as official Tour Support to 'FISH' and his band (see www.the-company.com), playing every night of their EUROPEAN TOUR as opening act; which garnered her a huge new fanbase in Europe, & spread the demographic of her audience wider than she could possibly have hoped!
(Helder's EP 'The Contact' has sold to most corners of the globe - partly thanks to her Karnataka profile - so the international fanbase is strong. But to meet & sell cd's in person to thousands of new fans across Europe, was both reassuring and exciting for her!)
.........*SUMMER FESTIVALS*......... In the summer of 2006 she collaborated once more with Fish & his band to play at his internationally-attended 'Convention' (in Haddington, Scotland: a festival flocked to by his loyal worldwide fans).
Helder was asked to also collaborate with Fish & his band, with two other famed British singers - Heather Findlay and Angela Gordon (of British band Mostly Autumn - see www.mostly-autumn.com) - as Floyd-ian backing singers, in what proved to be a legendary event! The band & the girls pulled off two highly-memorable shows, consisting of Fish acoustic material played live at the atmospheric Abbey in Haddington (- now available to buy as the 'Communion' Live CD, from www.the-company.com) ...and the girls also joined forces to provide bv's for the full rock show that the band played to finish off the weekend.
The connection between the 3 singers was very natural and powerful, as was the resulting sound; so they vowed to work together again in the future.
(And it didn't take long for this to happen: the following summer (07) they collaborated on a series of joint gigs ~ AMH solo, with 'Odin Dragonfly' (the duo comprising Findlay & Gordon, who'd just released their debut album that Spring. They gave a tour of shows across the UK, and were met with rapturous response. (see Top Friends list, or www.odindragonfly.co.uk)
In October 06, Anne-Marie joined her partner, Dave Kilminster, when he was out on the road touring with Roger Waters in the USA. (-A lucky break, for a truly talented guitarist!) While she was visiting him, (& being a 'WAG'! ;o) she took the opportunity to play a debut solo show in LA, at a songwriter festival. She fell in love with California, and her plans/dreams to return to the USA & gig, from East to West Coast, are ongoing!
.........*2007*.........A new year meant new adventures; & new albums!! In 2007 Anne recorded guest vocals for two releases - 'Scarlet' , the debut album of proper-songs by guitar virtuoso Dave Kilminster! (see Top Friends below, or www.davekilminster.com); and 'Heart Full of Sky' by the York-based rockers Mostly Autumn. In May her vocals were also heard on the release of Fish's Live Album, 'Communion', harmonising like a bunch of Floyd babes with fellow songstresses Heather Findlay and Angela Gordon!
The summer was consumed with finishing the debut album she was working on with 'PANIC ROOM' ~ a band project she was co-writing with Jon Edwards (of fellow ex-Karnataka fame!), and which also stars Paul Davies & Gavin John Griffiths (of Karnataka) and legendary bassist Alun Vaughan (see Top Friends!). This was the band's first release, so it had to be momentous!! And as it was wrapped up, they were all pretty astonished by the results. 'They Saw, and it was Good'!! ;o ...The album is set for official release in April 2008. Anne saw off the rest of 2007 with more work on the Panic Room project, solo work, and - the debut of her appearances with the band 'Mostly Autumn'!!! Fans of the band were already familiar with her work from her days with Karnataka (-the two bands often played the same venue & festivals etc), but until now there had been no crossover. But with a heavily-pregnant Autumner (Angela Gordon) needing some light relief as she concentrated on slightly more pressing matters (!), Anne was asked to step in and 'dep' for Angela during the band's December 'Christmas shows'. This gave her chance to jump back on the keys again (it'd been a while! - & much rust was scraped off!)...and also drag some sparkly festive dresses from the back of the wardrobe. Well, any excuse!
.........*2008 - THE FUTURE & beyond!!!*.........2008 is looking like a scorcher for AMH : *She'll be celebrating the release of her co-written album by PANIC ROOM - 'Visionary Position' - in April... *Touring with the band to promote the album, in April & again later in the year... *Joining MOSTLY AUTUMN on the road again, to help fill the shoes of former member Chris Johnson (keys & guitar); possibly a little flute too (as, since she took up the gauntlet of helping on keys & guitar, Angela Gordon has also left the band- so now, there are a few different boots & heels to try on for size now! But a good challenge for a Little Red Rock Chick ;o) ..... *She will also continue to tour Solo, and in the future hopes to play Live all over the world- reaching the fans on many continents who all love her EP! Very soon, she will look to touring with a dedicated AMH BAND around her too, after recording some of her next cd in that format:
.........*STUDIO RELEASES*......... Her catalogue of songs is pretty full to bursting; a prolific & insightful writer, she is always adding new material to her shows... but many of them remain untaped as a result of her being so busy! But, amongst the touring commitments of this year, she hopes to get her head down & work hard on finally getting these beauties out there on disc - the AMH solo album should be out by the end of 2008, & then she will tour intensively to promote that.
* PANIC ROOM also plan to release another album within the year, and are already working on the new material for that; & you may even see a small EP emerging from them later in 08!.... ;o) .......AMH is a born performer, & a born songwriter; whichever she's doing, she's happy as a star in the sky.
Anne is just happy to be doing what she loves... and what she Is.
made with the Cosmoedit Myspace editor
..m/i/s.gif" border=0/
