"In an age where style is rewarded over content, cynicism inevitably becomes second nature. Passion and originality have given way to cut-and-paste songwriting and carbon-copy imagery churned out for commercial mass consumption. All is not lost. There is a light that still shines...this is HELEN STELLaR."
Listening to the complexity of their sound it's hard to believe that HELEN STELLaR is only a threesome: Jim Evens on vocals and guitar, Dustin Robles on bass, and Clif Clehouse on drums. Originally hailing from Chicago, the trio is now based in Los Angeles.
In 2002, HELEN STELLaR caught the attention of KCRW's Nic Harcourt, host of the world-renown radio show "Morning Becomes Eclectic". A week after receiving their first release, The Newton EP, Harcourt put it on the air. "That was a crazy time for us," says Jim. "We started getting all these emails from people we didn't know asking who we were and where we came from. Then Nic Harcourt himself called us because his listeners wanted to know about us and he didn't know what to tell them." This attention brought HELEN STELLaR to L.A. for the first time, where Harcourt attended their first show at The Knitting Factory. When the show was over, he asked the band to play live on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" an honor given to only two unsigned bands before them.
The endorsements kept coming as Richard Milne of Chicago's WXRT 93.1 FM exalted, "<[i>The Newton EP] is so good that if I could play all four tracks off this EP, I would, because they flow so well; everything segues beautifully. Just phenomenal better than 99% of the stuff I get."
Most recently, HELEN STELLaR's music made its way to former Rolling Stone rock critic turned filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Singles, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky), who fell in love with and included the track IO (this time around) from the Below Radar EP in his upcoming film Elizabethtown .,"He uses music so well in his films and to hear he wanted to use IO, we were extremely flattered," says Dustin.
HELEN STELLaR draws comparisons to London's "shoegaze" movement of the early 90's with thunderous drums, thick-grooved bass melodies and distorted guitar bliss. But elements of their sound transcend the genre. For one, the vocals Jim's voice soars above these huge compositions with its emotive capacity, bolstered by heart spun lyrics: "There's more to life than death, moonlight in every breath and love is ocean deep/There are stars that you can't see, stars I swear we'll reach/You need me to lead - I need you to believe..." - Our Secrets, from the band's latest EP I'm Naut What I Seem. But their recordings are only the tip of a multi-sensory experience that is HELEN STELLaR. Not to be missed, their live show has become increasingly powerful. In person, the music has room to breathe, to come alive with an encompassing quality that allows it to not only be heard but felt as well.
HELEN STELLaR's artistry comes from remaining open to all possibilities, long or short, make believe or real. With three EPs under its belt The Newton EP, Below Radar, and I'm Naut What I Seem - HELEN STELLaR has laid claim to a brave and beautiful sonic niche combining the best elements of space-aged electronica and legendary rock 'n' roll.
I'm Naut What I Seem EP Amoeba Music Los Angeles Number One selling indie release, December 2004
Below Radar EP Amoeba Music Los Angeles Top 10 for the week of January 29, 2003
Newton EP KCRW 89.9 FM Santa Monica Most Requested CDs, week of 12/21/01
Pop Song EP Featured MP3 Download at RollingStone.com 8/01, Reader Rating: Five Stars
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