The Helio Sequence
Benjamin Weikel is the drummer and keyboardist for electro-pop rock artist, the Helio Sequence. Along with guitarist and vocalist Brandon Summers, the band is one of Subpop records' featured artists and have seen their newest record, Love and Distance gain critical praise and independent record success since its release in June 2004. The album is the third full-length from the Portland band, and comes three years after their innovative Young Effectuals album. Love and Distance shows strong influences from electro-new wave, shoegazer, and various indie sounds creating a lush landscape that pushes the sound barrier while Summers' 80's pop-like vocals soar and shine on every track.
Benjamin Weikel has also recently been playing as stand-in drummer for Modest Mouse during their tour to promote their latest platinum-certified release, Good New for People Who Love Bad News. Filling in for then former drummer Jeremiah Green, Weikel fit in nicely and toured with Modest Mouse for a good chunk of late 2003 and 2004, along with his own band, the Helio Sequence.
Thanks to a few ins and outs, we were able to take a few minutes and speak with Mr. Weikel himself. We would like to thank Benjamin for taking some time from his busy schedule and allowing us to interview him from the comfort of his own home.
Hey, how are you today?
I'm good. Thanks for calling back.
How did you and Brandon get together and make Helio Sequence?
Well, Brandon was friends with my younger brother, and he was always hanging around the house. We’d do slumber parties and hang out. We became friends and started messing around and playing guitar and bass or whatever. I think it was around ’95. He wanted to play a show for a family get-together that his family would do. They had this piano crap, teasing family get together thing. I had a keyboard and I had this idea of sequencing keyboards, and at the time I didn’t even know what I was doing. Yea anyway, we did one show and next year we did another show. And the third year, we started to become a band.
What influenced your music? I’ve heard people compare you to Modest Mouse and Flaming Lips. I’ve heard Rod Stewart being compared to you guys. Do you have any musical influences?
I definitely have… I think we have influences that are stronger than others. It kind of depends on when, you know. Earlier on, we were definitely more into the Beatles. And at times I was into European rock, like My Bloody Valentine and like that. And at other points we were into local things happening like Sunny Day Real Estate and Pete Meiser and whoever, and classical music. We were kind of all over the place.
Yeah, I noticed your music has a lot of things going on in it.
One thing we do like is the full out sounds like Radiohead and Flaming Lips or whatever.
What kind of software do you use for your synthesizer, sequencer, and laptop?
I've been using Sonar and I used to use this Kicklock program called Kicklock 3.0. That’s my favorite sequencing program, but it doesn’t work with XP cause its so old.
Is there a reason why you’re using Windows while everyone else is using Macs and Powerbooks?
Umm... I’ve never really been into the Macintosh thing, honestly. It’s kind of, I feel like with all the stuff, there’s so much marketing behind it. It’s kind of, I don’t know, I’m just not really into the super hype thing, so Windows to me is much more of just like... I like being able to tweak the operating system, and I’ve just been happy with the Windows system.
I’ve gone to some of your shows and some of my other friends have too. We noticed that you drum a lot different from most normal drummers. Is there any reason you drum like that or how did that start out?
You know, I guess maybe everyone’s got different ways of expressing themselves. I guess maybe I just keep a lot of things inside of myself. So maybe I let more out when I’m drumming, so that might be it. I’m not the best communicator. Usually I’m a pretty quiet person. Maybe it's one of those things where I keep quiet, but if I have something to let out, I let it out on my drum set.
Yea, you’re a great drummer, and you're one of the best out there right now.
Thanks!
How was it like drumming for Modest Mouse, and how did you get that position?
Helio Sequence had toured with Ugly Casanova, and so we had met Isaac, and actually, Dan was playing with them too. We made good friends with everyone, and I actually had known Jeremiah for a little while too, cause he knows my girlfriend. So it was kind of like, we even played a show with them at some point with Ugly Casanova here in Portland. So they knew who we were and Isaac really liked my drumming and so, when it was happening, he called me up and asked me if I wanted to do it. And I was like, “Yea, I’ll give it a shot.” I mean it was hard cause it was like, “Yea, I’m really busy,” and he’s like, “Pleeeeeeeease,” and I said, “Okay.” None of us thought I was going to do it as long as I did, because I kind of told them that I wasn’t going to be able to do it that long, you know. And it just worked out, you know, me playing two times a night, with Helio Sequence opening up, and so I was able to do it a little bit longer. And you know, none of us wanted to stop playing with each other, but I felt loyal to Helio Sequence. It’s been our band since we were 13 and I didn’t want to bail out on him.
Brandon does this swirling thing with his guitar to open up his set. What does that actually do? It’s something I’ve never seen before.
Basically it’s like a very long stereo delay that he has kind of running. Each side runs two different guitar cabinets, and it’s just like a long delay. Also, the guitar amps hit a certain volume that it kind of smashes some of the ambiance out of it and it becomes just a totally different sound. That’s really all it is. It’s just a really long stereo delay and he just changes between two chords and each note kind of morphs into the next and creates a cool sound.
Any favorite venue or band you played with?
Favorite venue or band: Gosh, I’d say… there’s a lot. God, there’s a lot of great venues.
How about local venues?
Local venues, you know? I always had a good time at the Crystal Ballroom and the Showbox up in Seattle. I used to really enjoy playing at the, what is it, the Sit and Spin. I really liked the Sit and Spin. That was up in Seattle. Are you out of Portland or Seattle right?
I am in Seattle.
And gosh, favorite bands… There are just so many bands. I think… Gosh what comes to mind? There are just so many bands. There are just so many cool people, so like the lines get blurred between you know, kind of instead of what sounds the bands are making. It becomes more of just who were hanging out with. There’s a lot. I guess that’s one thing about the whole indie type thing. I guess you can call it whatever you want. There are just a lot of bands that are not making tons of money, but still putting their music out there. And there’s definitely a venue for it. There’s a lot of just really cool people in that scene, and it’s definitely a lot of fun.
Are there bands you really admire and would want to play with?
You know, My Morning Jacket. Their stuff is pretty impressive. I’m really into this band called the Movies right now. And there’s always all those bands that have been around for a while. We’re doing some shows with Blonde Redhead on their next tour and I’m really excited about that. And gosh, there are tons of bands that it would be hard to name them all.
That’s fine. What’s a CD you're currently listening to?
That I’ve been listen to right now? Umm actually, I’ve been listening to two back and forth. The Animal Collective. Their new record - I don’t know - have you heard it at all?
No, I haven’t.
It’s pretty good. You should check it out. Also the newest Walkmen record. Isaac was really into that and he was trying to convince me it was really good, so I’ve been listening to that.
Also, one last question. Joy Division or New Order?
Umm, I would vote for early New Order.
Like Movement?
Like
Movement probably, yea. 1981. That to me, sounds really similar to Joy Division, but is just a little different. I’d say that’s my happy medium.
Reviewed by: Anthony Nguyen.
