Artist Spotlight: Helios

CD/Song Compilation – Move Me
Genre: Rock
By Aaron S. Harris 

After several years of hard work, dedication, and focused passion, Helios is beginning to glow bright on the radar screen.  And, the group’s grassroots momentum isn’t showing signs of stopping anytime soon.  They have performed at music festivals, opened for bands like Switchfoot and they even performed on the Chevrolet Cobalt launch tour. The first time I saw this band perform was back in 2005 during the Atlanta Music Conference.  Since then, I’ve noticed that Helios has developed into a group of seasoned stage performers with songwriting maturity. 

Recently, I was able to spend time getting to know this very talented, determined band in-person after a show.  I was impressed with their responses and the genuine desire to make an impact through their music.  In this spotlight article, I will share some of the conversation I had with Helios, a band that is doing their part to change the world by being a positive voice.  Enjoy!

ASH: How did you come up with the name?

CK: I was sitting in church one day and my pastor was talking about the original meaning of some words and how they’ve changed over time.  The message was about a whole lot more but, at one point he referred to heaven as Helios.  He was talking about all of the glory and grandeur that is a part of heaven.  I just loved the name and the image that is put in your head about all these great things.

©2006 Used Film 

I said if the band ends up changing its name or we need it for something else, we’re totally using Helios.

ASH: You’re Christians but, you’re playing at secular venues, Why is that?

AJ: Basically, it was one of those things where the band was primarily performing at churches in the beginning and other places every now and then.  It came to the point where we realized playing at church was not part of the plan because we were reaching out to people who already knew what we were talking about.

DN: Of course, we want to encourage Christians but our heart is really for people who don’t know God.

AJ: The fact of the matter is that most people don’t listen to music, they hear it.  There are tons of people who run up to us at shows or reach out to us online and have no idea what we’re about.  The big question is “What makes Christian Music?”  You don’t have to put the word Jesus in every song anymore.  We can take the obvious words out and the message is still there.

CK: Some people are really funny about whether you’re Christians in a band or your band is Christian but, to me it’s like why does that matter?  You live your life a certain way and when religion is part of it, it affects the way your write, perform and do everything.  For people to expect it not to affect our lives is insane.  So, why limit yourselves to playing only at churches?  That limits us from doing what we feel like we’re supposed to be doing.

ASH: Do you pray before your performances?

CK: Yes. Because it’s part of who we are and for us, this is who we want to be.  And, it’s not really about us anyway.  We’re not all about being rock stars.  We’re about the music and what we represent.

DN: You have to think that everyone comes from a different background and a lot of people are offended by the church.  So, we try to live our lives in such a way that we represent through what we do.  It’s like what Andy Stanley from North Point Community Church said in a message recently about us being salt of the Earth in everything we do and how that affects people around you. So, we want to be in an environment where people need salt.

ASH: Josh, you were in the band when Helios went around with Chevrolet and did the Cobalt tour.  Tell me about that experience:

JL: We went down to Daytona and Panama City in Florida to play a few shows.  The people and the response were amazing. They called us back on stage for a triple encore!  We actually ran out of songs to play.

DN: That was another opportunity we had to be salt because it was Spring Break weekend.  There were a lot of people who came up and talked to us afterwards who may have been a little too drunk to remember but, we tried to really meet them where they were at and to talk with them about God.

ASH: Kevin, you’re pretty much the newest member of the band. How did you join the group?

KG: I was delivering pizzas to make extra money and delivered one to someone who knew Helios but the pizza was wrong.  We started talking about music and I said I was a drummer.  The person knew that the band was looking for a drummer and it kind of went from there.  But, I didn’t meet any of these guys until the first practice. 

CK: Kevin had been practicing with the group for about a month before I met him because I was recovering from surgery.  Adam is actually our first Helios guitar player.  We had been originally going by the name Water-Proof Feet when Adam joined the band.  At our first show as Helios we played in Virginia and they announced us by our old name, Water-Proof Feet.  We were like “nooo!  We’re Helios!”

ASH: Helios is an Atlanta-based band.  Do you normally tour around the Southeast or around the country?

CK: We really go wherever the bookings will take us.  We’re being booked for a gig in Monterey, Mexico.  And, we went to Ireland a few years ago.  A guy from Ireland saw us during his vacation here and said "I want to bring you to Ireland."  He had just opened a Christian coffee house North of Dublin.  So, we went over for 14 days and played 15 shows.  People freaked out because we were an American band so it was crazy.

ASH: Since you’ve been playing for several years now, do you still get nervous before going on stage to perform?

CK: We don’t really get nervous anymore.  Now, if things go wrong, it’s just really funny and we say whatever.  Plus there’s nothing like playing live shows and getting up there and giving your best.  There is definitely energy between you and the audience.  And, it’s different every time you play.  There’s nothing that is exactly the same every time. 
AJ: We just go out there and do it!

ASH: Do you find it hard to fight off temptation and the pressure to succumb to rock star vices like drinking, drugs, etc?

DN: We don’t really do a lot of shows where there are a bunch of people doing stuff like that and most of the other bands around town know us and know how we are by being a part of the circle.  So they don’t try to push that on us.  Plus, you get to a certain age where you kind of know what’s right for you.  I understand people have other stuff in their lives and may not be Christian while others drink until they pass out.  But, I still want to be around them to be a positive influence. 

CK: I really don’t care about fitting in because I know what I’m supposed to do and that’s what I’m going to do.  I know for me, I really don’t care to do drugs because I would rather keep my mind sharp so I can do what I love to do.

AJ: If there comes a time when your influence is being ignored, you just have to leave.  There is always a point in a situation where you’re looking at it from a different perspective and you’re like I’m glad I’m not at this point.  One example that talks about us as a band was this time when we were at a club with some friends of ours.  They were all at the bar getting their shots and we were standing there in the corner.  One of the guys turned to us and said -”you guys are different” and we were like “Yeah. Exactly!”

To learn more about Helios, visit: http://www.heliosmusic.com