Episode 179: No Helmet

[00:00:01] So you want to check out some live music tonight in Ottawa, but you're not sure of where to start looking? Maybe you're not even sure what you're in the mood for? I've got a website for you. Go to ottawagigs.ca. They have everything you need. Bands, artists, styles, venues, times, even the cost to get in. It's all at your fingertips on an easy to use website. ottawagigs.ca. Go discover the incredible talent, the amazing venues,

[00:00:29] and the exciting nightlife that Ottawa has to offer. Start your night with ottawagigs.ca, your guide to the gig. Hey, this is Cyrus Robertson-Orkish from a bazillion bands around Ottawa. You are listening to the Ego & Vice Podcast. You've got a real attitude problem, McFly,

[00:00:47] you're a slacker. Hey, it's Mike. This is Ego & Vice. This is episode 179. Welcome back. I'm

[00:01:58] going to get right to it. I've got a million things on the go. In Southwood Studio this week, I had the two members of the duo, No Helmet. I had Cosmo. I had Chris. Super good dudes. I ended up knowing Cosmo for maybe the last 20 years. Totally lost touch. Didn't realize that we used to be in bands around the same era. Back in the good old days. Back in the big money shot days.

[00:02:26] Crazy. Yeah, small world, small scene. Great conversation. No Helmet. No Helmet and Goat, along with Victor Complex, have a show at Turbo House this Sunday in Montreal. That's August 9th. Hey Montreal friends, come check it out. This is Defiant Blue Skulls. This is No Helmet. This is

[00:02:50] Ego & Vice. Hey, we're back. This is Ego & Vice, episode 179. As promised in the intro,

[00:05:03] sitting in the beautiful confines of Southwood Studio, I have the two members of the local band, No Helmet. I have Cosmo. I have Chris. They made it down. How's it going? Awesome. Thanks for having us. This is quite a setup here. Well, I figure what is the recording studio? Who knows? What is the podcast studio? Who knows? It's just a room where you sit. I try to

[00:05:28] make it comfortable just so people can look around and maybe feel amongst the local music, I guess. Because the posters on the wall, that's basically what they represent. It's like a timeline. They are very random. It's a random timeline of some times in Ottawa. Awesome. This is one of the most professional rooms I've ever been in. Wow. Yes, sir.

[00:05:56] I'm going to have to cut that out and just put that on like the... No, the vibe is great in here. This is awesome. That's a quote. That's a quote. Oh, I appreciate it. It's funny, the more people I have, more bands that come in and out of this room. It reminds me how small Ottawa is sometimes. Because Cosmo, you walk through the door and I was just like, for some reason I was just like,

[00:06:20] dude, do we know each other? And we go back to... The first thing you brought up was the Live Lounge. Live Lounge, yeah. 88.5. Which was a huge, huge favorite time of my life back in the day. The big money shot days, 88.5, the Live Lounge. And you played in a band called Auto Racing. Yes. I remember that band. You remember my old band, Our Mistake. Yep.

[00:06:46] So we'll touch on some history. Chris, were you around in those days, the Live Lounge days? Uh, kind of. Not necessarily really in the scene. I was always playing in random bands here and there. As one does. Yeah. One of the former bands I was in, we actually got to play the big money shot and made it to the

[00:07:13] final five. And as you know, we were grouped in with the other four that didn't move on. So, uh, yeah, it was, it was a great time, but yeah, I was, uh, in, in and around. I only moved to the city in about 2000. So. Okay. Okay. Great. So you've all, you've both been playing, you've been Ottawa, been in Ottawa for a long time. No helmet. I looked back, um, through my crack, uh, um, um, research as I always do before a podcast, which is basically Instagram. Yeah.

[00:07:43] Um, the first post I saw on Instagram was around, uh, year, the year 2020, May 2020. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Does that make sense? Yes. Are you a pandemic band? You know what happened? We're cusp pandemic. Cusp pandemic. Okay. So we got together right before we, um, Chris was, I asked him to fill in for the final, was it the final auto racing show? Yeah, I think so.

[00:08:12] So we, we got together, did that at Mavericks. At Mavericks, of course. Yeah. And then right after that, um, we continued playing and I had a scheme and I was like, you know what, let's, let's start new name, start fresh and music is going to be a bit heavier. Mm-hmm. As soon as we did that, we wrote some songs. We shot a video. Yeah. For a song called I Fire You. Things were looking up as they say. Ah, yeah.

[00:08:41] Future's so bright, right? Gorgeous, yes. Future's so bright, I gotta wear a mask. So then what happened is we released this video that was shot in my basement. So, and whoever's going to go watch it right now, light flashing warning. It's very, very. Yeah. If you're susceptible to certain things, don't watch it. What is the video called and where can we find it? It's on our YouTube. It's called I Fire You. It's our very first video. We shot in, I think it was in 2019. Oh, check that out. Yeah. So then we put it up in 2020. I think so, yeah. Cool.

[00:09:09] So we had that going and then right as that happened, we put it up in March, I think. I think it was March. And then. Yeah, I think that was the big, the big time, the big date, right? Yep. March 20th or something. I think everything went. So, yeah. So I was expecting to go to practice or whatever. And the usual thing, like the, the ascension, the, let's say called the, the, the ascension of us. We're like brand new, so to speak. This was our project. Chris and I, no helmet. And then that happened. And so we had to pump the brakes, as they say. Yeah. You and the world. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[00:09:39] So you weren't alone, but I can relate to the story. I think a lot of people, a lot of listeners, a lot of bands remember that time. It was March. Yeah. And it was, it was all kind of up in the air around February. It's like, well, maybe it won't be. And then it was just boom for three years or whatever it was. Yeah. So how, how did you, how did you keep the momentum through the, through the dark times? Yes. Well, we kind of didn't.

[00:10:05] With one great big, you know, I'm thinking of a word. With one great big stipulation is that he lives in Ottawa and Dum Dum over here lives in Quebec. Oh. I'm over on the Gatineau side, over on the dark side, as they say. But yeah. So cross, cross provincial borders weren't really friendly. That's true too, eh? Couldn't do that. So we kept in touch.

[00:10:33] We'd, we'd always try to, you know, send a few emails and whatnot, just to kind of let, let each one of us know that I am indeed alive and he is indeed alive. You know. Which is always a good start for, for, you know. Well, yeah. And it was just one of those wild things that we, I wasn't sure if it was going to continue. I'm like, maybe he's just going to get sick of waiting. And he's like, well, this guy's right, you know, beside my house. I'll just go talk to him and get him to play music. But no, it, it, it worked out. It's stuck. We stuck through. So. That's great. Yeah.

[00:11:02] I find that the pandemic either created bands. Yeah. Um, which is incredible because out of the pandemic, there was just a whole new music community. Or a lot of the old guard sunk. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Um, I was just saying this to a friend the other day. It's like, uh, my band Goat has been around since 2011. 50. We're just about to spend, celebrate 15 years. Saw the flyer. Yeah.

[00:11:31] Before the pandemic, we were doing great. Our last show actually was at Mavericks. Everything was rolling around, rolling along. And then after the pandemic, it was like, we were a brand new band again. Where it was just like, holy shit, we gotta, we gotta try and like get, get our name out there. Cause nobody, nobody remembered. Like memories are short and, and it's just the way it goes. And if you're, you're out of sight, out of mind, I find if you don't keep it up. So, um, lesson to be learned, I guess. It's the momentum.

[00:12:01] Yeah. But you don't need a pandemic to disappear either. Sometimes you just get forgotten, left behind because Ottawa is like a really rich music scene. There's a lot of bands. I wish there was more venues. Yeah. There's a ton of bands out there that are, that are working hard. So, um, no helmet is a duo. Yes. It's a two piece. I envy you. I envy you that you can make it work with just the two of you. No, no herding cats on your, uh, on your side.

[00:12:28] Hey, how did, uh, was auto racing just a duo? It was. It was. Yes. Okay. Yes. Auto racing was a duo. Same, same bass and drums. Yeah. But you're, you're like a, you're like a phenom though. Like, oh yeah. The, uh, your, your bass playing is, is, uh, and you probably get the reference a lot, but the Les Claypool, just that, just that really innovative. Yeah. Um, technical kind of. Yeah. Creative sound matched with some amazing drumming.

[00:12:58] You have to be an amazing drummer. Solid. Yeah. To keep up with this, with this crazy guy. Yeah. I, that's definitely for sure. I'm not sure how I do it most days. Um, I, I sit down behind the kit and then when we're practicing, I kind of blank out and just, he calls out songs and I just play them hopefully the exact same way every time. Yeah. Um, and in shows it's almost the exact same way. Um, like the show we were talking about that he got me to fill in the first show ever.

[00:13:28] Sure. I was so nervous and may I say scared that I'm not going to do this any justice. Cause I mean, if you've heard anything he's played, you kind of get that same feeling. So I was like, ah, you know, I don't, I don't know. I can't do this. I was ready to just kind of, I'm like, I could just leave all this stuff here and go home. Like, I don't really need this. I have extras. I don't, I didn't know. I didn't do that. Well. It was nerve wracking, but it was a lot of fun. It's a, and then it, you know, spawned, uh, no helmet, which I'm, I'm pretty stoked about. Yeah.

[00:13:58] I have, I have no doubt. It would be intimidating to, I am a four, four time, uh, four on the floor, uh, GCD kind of guy. You know what I mean? So, um, auto racing was a two piece. Yeah. No helmet is a, is a two piece. What's the difference? What differentiates to you in your, in your opinion, auto racing vibe style songs to no helmet, or is it all just you? No, there's a different, there's definitely a difference.

[00:14:26] The auto racing stuff was the easiest way I could put it is like, it was a lot cleaner, no, no pedals, no distortion. I just plugged my bass into my amp. It had more of like the, um, that sounds slap bass kind of sound tapping and stuff like that. You can hear it. No helmet. Uh, it's a lot heavier distortion, fuzz pedals. Um, I split the bass into two. So there's like a bit of a guitar vibe or the higher octave parts on one end, and then it's the regular bass on, on the other side.

[00:14:54] So it's a bit heavier, um, same kind of techniques, but not so much, um, uh, the same sound for sure. Cool. Still a bass though. Yeah. Would you, uh, have anything to add to that? Uh, now, now that you're a full-time member of the, of the band. Yeah. Um, wait, what did you say? I could say, no, I'm just kidding. No, it's even just playing or learning some of the previous, um, some of the auto racing

[00:15:20] songs, even just the way they were arranged. I mean, obviously it wasn't me, but just in the way that he approaches it, I guess, seems to be a little more of a, I don't want to say straightforward because you know, his playing is anything, but, um, but it's a little more based on the heavier, um, dronier is the right word of a little, a little more direct and in your face kind of thing. It's, uh, it's, it's a lot of fun, a lot more energy.

[00:15:50] Right. Um, to me anyway. And that's, yeah, that's actually, I forgot to say that. Well, well said. Okay. So picture, picture craziness. And then in this version of the bass and drums, I need to make the craziness sound like G, C, and D. There you go. That's literally what I try to do. I'm like, how can I make all this sound like G, C, and D? That's what we're looking for. I know those chords. Yeah. Yeah. I know those notes. Yeah. Oh man, do I feel left out. That's right.

[00:16:19] So, um, you've released some music back in 2022. Yep. Still pandemic-y. That's, yeah. You released a self-titled EP number one. Right? Yes. Um, all original songs. Are you the primary songwriter? Yeah. Okay. You're the, I'm just hanging in there giving her. I'm just, I'm riding in the back of the limit. I love it. Well, you guys suit each other super, super good. I've been listening to a lot of, uh, No Helmet just periodically through the course of knowing that we're playing a show. Yep.

[00:16:48] This Sunday, which we'll get to. And, uh, also that I knew you, you two were coming in. Mm-hmm. So I've been trying to listen. Uh, it is heavy. Yes. Yeah. It's heavy. And it's, um, I don't know if it's angsty. It's angry. I love it. Sure. Yeah. I like heavy stuff. I'm a punk guy. I'm a rock guy. I'm a kind of like a guy. So it was like right up my alley. And I really, really am looking forward to seeing you guys live. Awesome. Uh, where did you record your, uh, the EP in 2022?

[00:17:17] Oh, in my, my bedroom, my spare bedroom. I have, uh, I try to create a home. Not like, that's what I'm saying. Dude, nothing like for those who are listening. If it looked like anything like this room, it would, my thing would sound a lot better. You don't have, you don't have leopard skin sheets over your futon? No. No. No. I'm kind of disappointed, guys. You gotta step up your game, John. Step your game up. I got an N64 with a TV in there though, so there's that. Oh, sweet. I have a GameCube. I have a GameCube. Yeah. Nice. So yeah, recording in the spare bedroom. Um, I tried to make a studio in there and that's what we've done most of it.

[00:17:47] Uh, it was a learning process for myself. I've always, I've always gone to studios to do things, but I'm learning. Like you probably heard some of the recordings, a little compressed or squashed. I'm, I'm getting better. You know, I'm in the process. I have actually remastered the second EP, which we'll be putting out, but, uh, I'm always getting better because for other music I can do it, but for this type of music, it's, I have way too much of a bass bias, obviously. Yeah. And that just kills all the headroom for anyone listening. I'm the wrong guy to do that, but I'm getting a bit better where it's like, I understand

[00:18:17] how it's supposed to sound a bit more. Whereas before it was just like crushing everything and trying to make it. Right. Right. Um, I think recording yourself, uh, God, it's just, I just came back from the studio. Um, over the last couple of months I've, we're making a new EP, Goat Is. And I'm working with a producer and an engineer that I've worked with for the last 20 years. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. So we know each other upside, like upside down. You know what I mean? Yep.

[00:18:42] But it's like the tracking super easy, but it's the mixing and that's the part that drives me crazy. It's just like, I'd send him a text, you know, it's like, ah, there's this part of the thing that can, can you do that? He's like, oh yeah, but I'm out of town for two weeks. I'll get it as soon as I get back. It's just like, Jesus. I know the only thing I could do it myself. I do demos down here and whatnot, but I can't record drums. Mm-hmm. If I could record drums, I could write my own ticket.

[00:19:08] And then I could sit here and like a mad scientist in his little office and mix the shit out of it for hours and hours and have 1900 different versions. That'll never be finished, but yeah, that's cool. I said that this winter, I'm going to devote my hobby to learning how to record drums properly. Yeah. I'm going to, I'm either going to purchase or I'm going to buy a purchase or rent. I mean, like a really good digital kit. You could, yep. Yeah. Nice. Do it, dude. Do it.

[00:19:38] And yeah. Anyway, I got off track. No. Cool. Where are we at? 15, 16? 15, 16. Anything off that first EP you want to let the good listener hear? Off the first EP, let's, I'd say listen to the version on there, iFireU. iFireU. Oh, that's the one. Yeah. That's what you're talking about. All right. This is iFireU. A video at No Helmet on the YouTube page. Yep. And bring your sunglasses for that one. Yeah.

[00:20:08] Careful. It's a little flashy. This is No Helmet right here on Ego and Vice.

[00:20:13] Well, out of the pandemic, when did you, I guess No Helmet didn't play any shows prior

[00:22:16] to the launch in 2020 as No Helmet? Yeah. We did. We played a couple. Oh, you did? A couple of shows. Yeah. Okay. Two or three, I think. Yeah. Before it all shut down. Yeah. And then when you came out of it, around 2023, I guess, everything started kind of moving again? I'd say so, yeah. How was it getting back to like full-time? Are you, you're a full-time band? Yeah. Try to be. Active band, I guess? Active. Yes, definitely. All right. How was it to blend back into the world?

[00:22:47] Oh, it was hard. It was, there was so many unknowns, you know, like, well, you know, didn't know what was going on. Should I contact the same people that we were using before? Are they doing shows? Started there. They kind of weren't, you know, or it was, they didn't know either. And then it was like the restrictions and can you get in? Can you do this? Can you do that? So it was hard to navigate. It, I'd say it was probably when things started to open up, it was probably like half a year,

[00:23:14] even after that, till we got going again. Mm-hmm. And it was right before maybe, yeah, 2023, 2024, even. Yeah. I'd say. Yeah. When everyone felt, when it was worth it, when everyone felt kind of better about gathering, I find. Because I, I think I went to shows earlier and they were just, they had a weird vibe to them. Yeah. Where nobody, everyone wanted to be there, but they weren't, no one was really ready to be there yet. So it was like, why am I here? Yeah.

[00:23:42] Anyway, I went to the DOA show. Oh, cool. At the Dom. And I got COVID. So did half the room, but it was a good show. Nice. Yes. 2024, you released EP number two. Yes. Self-titled. Yeah. How was that as an improvement over on the recording over the first one to the second one? Did you learn lots over the couple of years? Yes. Yes. So if I'm being honest here, cause we're all, we're all friends here. Sure.

[00:24:11] So the recording sound took a hit. So the better I thought I was getting with it, I started to add more and more bass and distortion. You Chinese democracy'd it? I started to add more bass, more distortion. And I was believing in isolation that it was heavier and better and ended up being just squashy. And, you know, so I, I realized what happened now, but I was excited for the, the songs, the songs that we created were, they were, they were more of our own.

[00:24:41] Yeah. Cause I'd bring Chris the songs and it'd be like, learn this. Yeah. Or I'd give him a demo, learn this. And then over time, as you know, you get in trust. Yeah. Then I'd start thinking not out of laziness, but out of need, you know, to be like, maybe I'll bring this riff to practice and then he can finish, finish it there. Write his part. Yeah. It's like, maybe he can start, maybe, I don't know. You know, I get it. I get it. That's a, yeah. I get that control thing. It's not control.

[00:25:09] It's just the creativity and you hear it, your head and you work so hard on it and then you bring it to somebody else and you're sharing it and they immediately go, what about this? And you're like, you don't want to, you don't want to like shit on anything, but you all still want to be like, well, why don't you try it a little bit completely different? Yeah. Well, yeah, that, that has definitely happened to me before, but with Chris, I think it was more so of like, I had a lot of trust in him because all I ever wanted was, was him to play the same beat the same way. Oh, it's working.

[00:25:36] Just go G, C, D. Like no weird stuff. Uh, even though he's capable of doing a lot of things between us, I was like double kick. This is the way it goes. So then I started being able to lay off on some of the demos. Right. And just bring in the riffs and then say, put some of that stuff on there and then we're up. We're good. And she's done it. Yeah. I think songwriting and band dynamic, it's a, it's a whole other podcast that we could just talk about forever. And there's so many different methods and styles.

[00:26:03] I'm the same way where I'll come home and I'll demo something out fully. It might be on a drum machine or something like that, but I'll bring it to band and they'll be like, well, what do you want us to do? I'd just be like, well, just listen to the fucking demo. Yeah. Just play that. Figure it out. But sometimes they'll, they'll like my guitar, other guitar player, Shane, he'll do some kind of weird riff and I'll be like, what was that? Yeah. Yeah. What did I think of that? Yeah. But it sounds, keep doing that. You know what I mean? They put their own little flair and their own personality into it. My drummer and goat, I've been playing with them since I was a kid. Yeah.

[00:26:33] Like we've always been. Anyway. Yeah. We don't want it, but, but to be, we don't want a songwriters. We don't want anyone's other. We don't want anyone's ideas. Yeah. Come on. Come on. I can tell by those tattoos. You don't want anyone's ideas. Just kidding. In the end, you got to be cute. You got to be quality control, right? That's pretty much what it is. You know what? That's true. It's about quality control. It's not about like, you don't want to collaborate. It's just, you know best. Yeah. Like if we're going to, if we're going to do a cover song, play what you want, put your flair on it.

[00:27:02] But if we're going to play, nobody writes and plays goat songs better than me because they're my songs. So, you know, and unless you have like, it's like, my thing is like, I'm completely open to ideas. But if you don't like something and you don't have any idea of how to replace it, then it's just like, well, I guess we're going to stick with the, you can't not like something and say, well, what do you got? No, nothing. A hundred percent. You don't like it. Well, maybe you're in the wrong place. Maybe go start your own fucking band. Yeah. You got to add something. Yeah.

[00:27:32] I love my guys. I do. Oh, a hundred percent. They're amazing. And I don't mean to sound callous or cold or, you know. It's a good conversation to have because I think it's reality for most songwriters, let's say. And it's, you know, there's always trying to be nice and we're nice guys. Yeah. I think everybody's, everyone's nice, nice. You know what I mean? But it's just like, you're not going to let someone else, I don't know, dress your kid for the first day of school, I guess. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know.

[00:28:02] I don't know these things. I don't have kids. Yeah. That was a good one though. I'm proud of myself. That was a good one, dude. That was pretty good. That was pretty good. Chris, do you write songs? Are you a songwriter? Oh God, no. That's why we match so well. I keep saying this to anyone who's, you know, ever brings up the conversation of bands or anything I play is that it's nice to have someone who knows in his head, front to back, at least a general direction. Yeah.

[00:28:32] Because I can't play guitar like you guys were talking about chords a while ago. I don't know if you couldn't see my eyes cross or the wind pass through my ears or anything. I know nothing about that. And I should learn. You'd think I've been here long enough. I would try. But it just, it works out great because he can do all of that. And I'll never say, oh no, don't do that. Because I, like you said, I don't have a better suggestion because when I hear it first, I'm like, yeah, that sounds badass. Let's do that. I'm trying to put my own touch on it, you know, from time to time.

[00:29:01] And, you know, for the most part, it's generally well received. Sometimes it's like, ah, maybe that doesn't work. Or you're starting on the wrong. Because, you know, when he plays the first couple of times, I'll admit, I don't always catch where to start or where I should come in until he explains it. And then I'm like, oh yeah, that makes total sense. See, I told you, Kaz. That's where I should have came in. Yeah. That's the whole joke. But no, it seems to work out because I'm really open and we seem to have a very similar,

[00:29:30] at least direction in terms of what we want No Helmet to sound like. And I mean, it's heavy, it's fast, it's got energy and aggression. Absolutely. Yeah. And I love it. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. And you know, I've never been a jammer. Like, hey, let's jam on F for an hour and a half and maybe we'll pluck something out of it. You know, it's just like, just I'll leave now. I'm just unplugged now. That's awful for me.

[00:29:57] Anyway, teach his own, but I like having something there. Yeah. Let's build off, let's build off this little pound of shit I've made. Yeah. No, it's your way. It's your way. Yeah. And then, you know, it is what it is, but teach his own and to, you know, luckily there's all types of musicians out there, just like girlfriends or boyfriends, you know, sometimes you got to, or psychotherapists, you just have to work your way up to the right one. There you go. So, and band dynamics is huge and chemistry is huge. Yes.

[00:30:24] And everyone having their place and knowing their roles in the band and accepting their roles in the band is huge too. Yeah. It makes for a easier day overall. For sure. For sure. Not just for them, but for me and not just for me, but for them. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, cool. Brass Monkey, uh, the Dom, uh, a couple of, a couple of venues in town. Brass Monkey's closed, but it's reopened now though. Oh, is it? Yeah.

[00:30:53] It's like a pinball arcade or something. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if they're going to have bands there or not. Oh, I hope so. Maybe. I hope so. Yeah. They had a great stage in there, right? Sounded awesome. Yeah. I was in a band way back when, um, I guess the owner at the time liked us so much that he named a drink after us. Yeah. What was your band? What was the, what was the, this is, we're, we're going back and if the, any of the guys, I don't, I don't talk to them a whole lot, but if they hear it, they're going to love it. Uh, it's called the High Cliffs. The High Cliffs. Yeah.

[00:31:22] It was, uh, it was, we played a lot of bars and whatnot. What was it? What was in the drink? I honestly can't even remember. Um, I, it was just cool to see like, I think they just called it the High Cliffs and I ordered it and that was it. Cosmo, you're, you're from the, the, the, the era of the live lounge. Do you remember at the rainbow? Do you remember anything? Do you remember the jumbo rumbo? No. Fuck. No. No, but I remember Johnny Vegas. Ah, right. Johnny Vegas.

[00:31:51] Johnny Vegas funhouse. Yeah. Sorry. Johnny Vegas funhouse. Yeah. No. No. At the, at the, at the rainbow. The rumbo? The jumbo rumbo. Jumbo rumbo? They swear that it was never a drink, but I swear, I swear it was, it was, it was a pint glass basically full of rum. Whoa. Wow. The jumbo rumbo. I, I witnessed with my own eyes. That's true. Someone enjoy a jumbo rumbo. Yeah. But rainbow back then, they're different.

[00:32:20] I might be different owners now. Anyway. Yeah. Sorry. Some of this, some of this might not make the podcast. It just popped into my brain. The jumbo rumbo. If anyone knows anything, this might make the podcast. If anybody knows anything about the jumbo rumbo at the rainbow, was I dreaming? Was I delusional? Like did I, anyway, jumbo rumbo. You went to Toronto, a bullvine sex club. Yes. How'd that go? Oh, I love that room. Yeah. Super good vibe. Good people. It was a great show.

[00:32:50] It was our first time there. Yeah. Yeah. So we brought some cheap heat, as we call it, and we did our best to entertain. And yeah, it went well. That's good. That's good. Toronto. I was just in Toronto. I'm in another band called the Riptides. I know those guys. Yeah. They've been around forever. I haven't been in the band for as long as they've been around, but I've been in the band for about eight years. We went to Toronto a couple months ago. Toronto's like a really big city. Yeah. We played at Sneaky D's.

[00:33:20] Oh, yeah. Legend. Yeah. And I used to like going to Toronto because I was younger and it was more fun and it was an adventure and I used to drink a lot. Yeah. So I was like, woo! Yeah. Going there older and sober, it's a lot to do for 35 minutes on stage. It's a lot of effort for that 35 minutes to get there. Yeah. Parking, carrying shit upstairs, downstairs, play the show. Then you got to leave. You got to do it all. Anyway. Still fun though, dude. And you know what? It's still pretty fun. You did it.

[00:33:50] I did it. And you're going to do it again. I know. I just... Like I said, I was talking about the podcast where it's just like, I should just retire. You know what I mean? But it's just... Yeah. So how often do you play a year, do you figure? We've been doing way more this year for sure. Or as the year's been going on. I'd say maybe five shows a year we're up to. I think we're up to that. Yeah. We're trying to do more like out of town as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's... I like Ottawa.

[00:34:19] I love Ottawa a lot. It's cool because there's places to play. Not that many, you know? Yeah. But you can always fan it. Montreal's a couple hours away. Toronto, even though, yeah. You know, you got to go there a bit more effort. But it's just a slingshot away, let's say. Yeah. And you can come back and you can play those places. And also just down the 401, you know, the route. And there's good people out there. And the scene is pretty healthy. Like the province has a lot of still good venues along the corridor. Yeah.

[00:34:48] I've always said, and I've said this before on this podcast, is that Ottawa is a great home base. Because we're so close to everything. Right? We can go play in Toronto and not have to fucking live there. That's just my opinion. Yes. Montreal is awesome. So much fun. I would actually live in Montreal if I could. Except all my shit's here. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Let's talk about Montreal real quick. I think the way we got just kind of in touch this time. Yeah.

[00:35:15] So Katarina from Nixick reached out and said, do you want to play Turbo House? I said, absolutely. That sounds great. It's hard to get a show in Montreal unless you're tied into promotion now or through a promoter. Unless you want to go play like Ask a Punk or someone's Kitchen or something. You know what I mean? Yeah. So she also said, do you know of anyone else from Ottawa that wants to come up?

[00:35:39] So I talked to my friend and co-host, Vic, and she's in a band called, it's her own band, Victor Complex. Do you know Passion's or Princess? I've heard of them. You should really check them out. They're new. Awesome. They've been around a few years now. Yeah. They're awesome. Yeah. You should see them live too. They just absolutely fucking... Awesome. Yeah. So good. So yeah, we're going up. And then I was looking at the bill and I saw No Helmet. Yep. And I said, who are those guys? Yeah.

[00:36:08] And I found out you're from Ottawa and I think I responded right away. And I said, hey, how would you like to be on the podcast? So thank you for being here. What a weird chain of events thing. It was. I didn't know what was going on for the whole thing. And then there's some messages because I've been trying to get shows actively and there's different promoters, like I said. Trying to talk to other promoters in Montreal and then that popped up. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm excited to share the stage. Me too. Dude, it's going to be great. We know it. You know it. Yeah. You know it. Yeah. It's going to be a fun night. Great.

[00:36:36] We're leaving on like Sunday afternoon, just heading up and kicking around. I don't know what the load in and everything is, but. Same. Yes. To all our Montreal friends, No Helmet and Goat and Victor Complex, Neurotoxic Cocktail, Sunday, August 9th at Turbo House. A Nick Sick production promotion. Check it out. Very cool looking room as well. Yeah. Let's catch up. I miss out. I miss my Montreal friends. Yeah.

[00:37:04] I was in Montreal on that little Riptides rip after Toronto. Nice. That was actually not too bad, that one. Yeah. Yeah. Drove home after. It was late. Actually, as soon as I was done playing, I was just done because we did like four shows or something in Toronto and Ottawa. And then I can't remember, but I was just done. I was tired and I had to work the next day. And as soon as we were done playing and I felt bad, but I'm like, guys, I got to go.

[00:37:30] And the Riptides are like, they have like the singer and the bass player and they are the band. I'm just the guitar player. I even, I consider myself like a free session guy or state touring guy. So as soon as I was, as soon as it was done, it's like, boom, thank you for the Riptides. I was like walking out the door. As I was leaving Ottawa, I was still, or leaving Montreal, like on the highway, I was still sweating from the gig on my way home. Yeah. Anyway, that's cool.

[00:37:58] Has No Helmet played Montreal before? No. No, not yet. First time. First time there. Yep. Sweet. A lot of fun. Yeah. It'll be a while since, it's been a while since Goat's been there too. So it's going to be a weird show though. We're a four piece, but our second guitar player can't make it. He ended up having some thing, but we were already said yes. So we're going to stick to it. That's fine. Goat was a three piece forever. But our bass player broke his leg, broke his ankle. Oh no. That was like about a month ago now.

[00:38:28] So he's got like a walking boot on, but he still needs a cane. So it's not only, we're not a four piece, we're going to be a three piece and our bass player is going to be sitting in a chair. It's going to be a weird gig, man. It's going to Dave Grohl it. Yeah. It's still going to be, oh, you should get him a throne, eh? Yeah, yeah. It should be fun. So you had a single come out in 2024 called Defiant Blue Skulls. We sure did. Is that what it was? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Single, no EP3? No, no. We had an EP3.

[00:38:59] And then I started listening to the very good music gurus on Instagram saying you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that. Then I got really confused, spun around and then just started putting out singles. Right. So we do have lots of songs. So we're going to start putting them out more frequently. There was another song we released this last year, Doom Sucker. We have a video for that as well. Our YouTube is pretty active, but we haven't released a single for it yet.

[00:39:28] I mean, I haven't released a single for it. Chris has been waiting for years. He knows all the songs too. He's like, I think there's 50 songs. Yeah. He's like, what's his wee shit? Where do you stand on the whole EP release or album release over singles? What's your opinion on that? What's your take on that? That's an interesting one. Oh, you mean like the... Well, you said you were talking to the... Or you were listening to the music gurus and stuff. I got swayed. Yeah, I got tricked actually. That's what I think.

[00:39:57] You decided to go single-wise. How do you feel about that? Do you think singles, that's the way to release music? Or do you still... Are you like a full album guy back in the day? I personally, I would put all of them together and put them out there that way. You know, and you hear over the years, or it's like no one listens to stuff like that. My opinion now is whatever works for like how you personally want your music to go out, put it out that way. Sure, singles work to keep eyeballs on things.

[00:40:26] I think the benefit of just singles is that what I'm trying to do next is if we put a new single out, keep pushing it for as long as possible. Don't care if you know your friends because they've been hearing the same song three times. There's always going to be new people. Of course. It's new to somebody, right? So if my friends get you tired of it, that's fine. You're trying to reach the person three months from now, four months from now. We're playing a show together. We haven't played a show together, right? So you get to see us live. We get to see you live. Sweet. Well, it's half of us.

[00:40:56] Well, you know what I mean. Like there's always new experiences. And yeah, me personally, if it was up to me, I would release EPs all the time. Yeah. Chris? I mean, without getting into the absolute logistics of it, it's, I'm a full album guy myself, but to keep someone's attention nowadays for any more than four minutes for a song, like it has to be basically the cream of the crop kind of thing.

[00:41:24] So I love albums. I love putting on old albums and just listening to them straight through without skipping them, even though I have the option to, you know, go down to a second of a song that I want to hear something in. I don't. I leave them on. I try. I try. I don't. It doesn't always work like that. But then again, I'm also guilty of using Spotify. So yeah, I think it comes down to an argument of, I think the attention spans are fine. Just fine. People still have them. There's more variety now though, or more options.

[00:41:53] But if you're fans, they'll listen to your, they'll listen to an EP. Ding, ding, ding. That's true. So who are you writing for? Your fans or future fans? I'm writing for myself, dude. Okay. Well, who would you rather hear the music? Everybody. Everybody. Yeah. So I think if you're writing for yourself and you want everyone, well, I like EPs. Yeah. Like I've released singles, but I'll do it like once in a while, I'll release like a single. I tried it out.

[00:42:22] You know, you're a songwriter. You know how certain music is, you get on a bit of a wave and music is written in that one chunk of time. All right. I hate sitting on that for a long time because then when I go back to it later, it's just like. Okay. Can I, may I say this? Yeah. This, this is very important. What was just said, everyone listening right now. Some of these things, not all, some of these things are written in chunks. Mm-hmm .

[00:42:47] And then what happens is if it gets left behind a little bit, some, some stuff I have, you know, I'm like, I really like it, but it's outside that window now. Mm-hmm . It didn't leave the train station. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's hard to go back sometimes. Like I was telling Chris before, I'm like, these have to go out together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then when I'm doing something for later, it's, that's why I agree EPs, I, it's a middle ground. I can get them done as much as possible, like, you know, within a time limit. Yeah. And then people get to hear them.

[00:43:17] And when you're putting it together, it just doesn't fit in your, even in your mental space anymore. Uh, when our new bass player joined the band, I was really, really into Propagandy. Mm-hmm . The, uh, Canadian punk band. Greatest Canadian punk band of all time. Yeah. Arguably. Yep. Um, so I started writing these kind of really complicated little punk songs and stuff. Little, little more than GCD, you know what I mean? All over the place. Yeah. Stuff where I have to like walk, look, look, anyway. And I released two singles like that.

[00:43:46] And I was, got really into like the, the politics of like America. And when Donald Trump was saying shit about like, uh, 51st state and all that crap. Yeah. I'm not going to get into politics. This is an escapism podcast. Yes. But, uh, yeah. So I wrote these songs that were a little bit more than just punk rock fare of, I don't like going to work. Yeah. And they sat there and I released them as two singles back to back.

[00:44:12] And if I would have like sat on one or something, not released it, and I released it with the new ones we just did because our 15 year anniversary is coming up. So I wanted to go back and just write five straightforward GCD punk rock songs. Yeah. But all of a sudden I have this one that didn't release. That's this really complicated, weird political thing. Where the fuck is it going to fit? Right. So just get it out. Yeah. Get it out. You know what I mean? That's just, that's just my take on it. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway. Yeah. I tend to agree with that, that for sure. Yeah. Anyway.

[00:44:41] And you know, like I said, if, if your fans like your music, they're going to consume it as it comes out. They, I hope so. I mean, it was that, it was that guy on Instagram. He got me, dude. He got me. He said, do this. You'll get well. I was like, do it. Okay. I'm going to try that. Wasn't the dude with the cigar and the long hair. Was it? Was it him? No. No, it wasn't. But I know who you're talking to. Yeah. Yeah. This is what you should do. Yeah. Okay. Thanks bud. All the power to him that he's making a living and he's giving people good advice, but I don't know.

[00:45:10] I'm a little too old to listen to someone who's 25 years younger than me. No, I was. Yeah. I know who you mean, but it was, it was, it was that, it was that adjacent. Yeah. There's a couple of them. I have no plans on playing Wembley stadium anytime soon. Oh yes, you do. You should still do. No, I'm good. I'm good. My, I have very realistic goals in everything I do. I really do. I'm doing it because I still can. Yeah. The podcast music. And I'm grateful that I still can. Cause one day I won't be able to. Right. What success?

[00:45:40] Just doing that. Right. That's all I'm saying. Wembley. If they came to me, I wouldn't say no. There you go. Everyone, you heard him right here. He's going, he still wants to do it. But it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not something I am physically or daily striving towards. I hear you. Yeah. Yeah. I like the Dom. Yeah. I love the Dom. You know what I mean? Yeah. Great spot. You, you fill up a Dom, you fill up the Dom on a sweaty, energetic night. Yeah. Fuck. That's my Wembley. Yeah. For sure. Anyway.

[00:46:09] Um, what is going on after Montreal? Anything out, anything going on for the rest of the year? Well, we have, we shot two videos. We're editing those, putting the songs, we're going to be putting the songs out with them. Like, you know, uh, the singles and the videos at the same time. We try to do videos as well now with them and more shows to support that thing. Yeah. So keep it going while we, while we, uh, have the, the lift of like all this material. Cause we do have a lot of material and it needs to go out there. Yeah. Like you said. Yeah.

[00:46:39] Get it out, get it out there before it's, before you don't like it anymore. Um, what, what does 2027 have in store? I'm going to be taking your spot at Wembley stadium. Okay. But if you want it back, I'll give it back to you. Just remember the little guy. Just remember, remember the people you stepped on to get there. That's all. No, 2027. Um, basically just from my, my side, I just want to, uh, what's the word I'm looking for?

[00:47:08] Like converge, like get the videos out on time, get the songs out on time and have a cadence. Like where there's releasing and building momentum because there was a time there where, you know, momentum wasn't allowed. Yeah. So, so now that it's, the gates are open. We're open. It's been a while, but I still feel sometimes that, um, it's not real or it's like, you know, but this year for sure, we're, we're, uh, a lot more like mobile active. So focused as well.

[00:47:34] Next year, hopefully double the shows and double the output of, uh, music. Well, hopefully we can, uh, we can share a stage in Ottawa. Oh, for sure. I hope so. Wait, wait, let's see how Montreal goes. Yeah. Yeah. Wait, wait till your drummer sees my drum rack. He may hate me after that. Yeah. So good. Um, before we get to the rapid fire question game, um, any quick shout outs, any quick thank yous you want to, uh, mention anyone? Uh, shout out to everyone who's followed us, um, yep.

[00:48:04] Through, through the, uh, early 2020, uh, the, what's it called? Pre pandemic. There you go. The pandemic. Everyone who fought, you know, stuck around cause, uh, we're, we're not a huge band yet per se, but we do have like a following that does purchase things and follow us. You know, it's kind of like a musician's music for sure. So, um, shout out to them, shout out to all the promoters who've helped us and got his shows because it isn't easy booking us or putting us somewhere because, uh, there's two of us

[00:48:32] and unfortunately sometimes they need to sell tickets and that's what comes first and we're just looking to play. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. I'll, uh, I'll do a shout out to, uh, my fiance, uh, cause she's the one who's got to listen to us every week when we practice. And it's amazing that she makes it out to any show because she has to listen to all her nonsense all the time. So shout out to her for putting up with it and even showing up to the show and looking at us and going, I wonder what you're going to play.

[00:49:02] You probably know it better than we do. What's her first name? Uh, Marie-Claude. There you go. Shout out direct. Yeah. From the fiance, Chris. From No Helmet. Yes. Uh, okay. Do you want to play the, uh, rapid fire question game? Sure. Sure. Time for 13 questions with the band. Yes, this segment's back again. It's called 13 questions, but I only asked six, maybe five. Okay.

[00:49:28] Uh, this is 13 questions with the band. No Helmet edition with Cosmo and Chris. Now, I always give the rules. I have 13 questions. I don't ask all 13. I ask from the 13. Ah, sweet. Yes. Okay. Here we go. Question one. Uh, what is your death row meal? Shepherd's pie. Uh, lamb or beef? Beef. That's a cottage pie, my friend. Then cottage pie. Okay.

[00:49:59] I don't know. Pass. Pass? First pass. Okay. Uh, let me see. What was the first concert you ever saw? Oh, Stone Toble Pilots. Where? Congress Center. Nice. With the Mighty Mighty Boss Tones, who I thought at the time were actually better than Stone Toble Pilots. Oh, no, no. Probably a lot more fun. I saw them. I was like, what the, yeah, it was awesome. I was like, what's going on here? You know, the opening band showed them up, but no, they were both great. Cool. Nice. I think mine, uh, and again, it'd have to be with, because my mom used to drag me around.

[00:50:28] I used to drag me around very lovingly. I loved music from a young age. She knew that. But, uh, it was either Dwight Yoakam here in Ottawa. I know it's country. I grew up on country. Or Krista Berg. Nice. I'm not sure. I can't remember because I was young and everything just kind of went over my head. But yeah. Uh, like we always say, uh, there is no guilty pleasure music. If it moves you, if you like it, don't be embarrassed. Enjoy it. 100%. 100%. Listen to it. Agreed. Country. Love it. Love it. I've been listening to the Highwaymen lately.

[00:50:57] Remember the Highwaymen? Yeah. Yes. I was a highwayman. Yeah. Board and driven by my side. Yeah. Yes, dude. Willie Nelson. Chris Christofferson, Merle Haggard, and fucking Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash. There's a concert on YouTube from like 1990. It's like two hours long. They play like 18 songs. Oh, I gotta see that. And the quality is unbelievable. I gotta see that, yeah. Dude, that's awesome. Yeah. Very nice. Fucking rights, man. Anyway.

[00:51:25] Um, I think we're in the right company. What was the first music you bought? Physical music. Record, CD, tape. Myself? Yeah. Stone Temple Pilots core. That's kind of a theme here, Stone Temple Pilots, isn't it? First one I purchased was the Beastie Boys, License to Ill. Ooh, classic. Oh yeah. Big fan. Still good. Uh, okay. Uh, next question. If you had a time machine, if you had a time machine and you could go back to any musical

[00:51:54] event, what would it be? First Woodstock, maybe? Just to... That, there's a top three in this question that often come up. I'll let you know what they are afterwards. First one. Okay. Any... But you just nailed the number one. I'm more so just curious. The music wasn't... That's usually what it is, yeah. The music wasn't necessarily for me, but just that time? No. It sounds fascinating to me, so... Mm-hmm.

[00:52:24] Oh man, I'm torn. That's hard. I either want to see Elvis or Kurt Cobain. Cool. Yeah, great answers. Uh, the top three answers for that question are Woodstock, the original. Yeah. Uh, the second one is, um, the Freddie Mercury, uh... Oh yeah. Live Aid. Live Aid. There you go. Where he did... Where he did... Yeah. Kind of want to change my answer. And the third one is Woodstock again, but 99. Yeah. Because of Limp Bizkit. Yeah, everyone wants to go and fucking break shit. Yeah.

[00:52:54] Okay. Um, what is your favorite song right now? Cosmo. Um, right now I'd have to say... There's... I gotta be quick. Um, Blue Boy by Mac DeMarco. Very good. Okay. Uh, not... Not an English song, but, uh, it's from a band called Saratoga, and I hope I don't butcher the name, but it's called Amorir. All right. There we go.

[00:53:25] Yeah. Uh, next question. Um, if no helmet could open for any band, who would it be? Hmm. Me? Oh. Oh, well, maybe that could be... Yeah, for both of you. Yeah. What do you think? I think Pantera. Personally. Which one? The original? Or the Zach... The Zach Wild one? Uh, I'll... I'll take them as well, yeah.

[00:53:54] Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Uh, Testament would be a cool one to open for. Testament! Yeah. How about that? A shout-out. Um, uh, second place favorite song? Henchman Ride. Who's the singer? Chuck Billy, isn't it? Isn't that the singer of Testament? Yeah, yeah. Damn. You guys are... You guys are awesome. Okay, uh, if you could have a drink or a meal, um, let's keep it in the music, uh, department, uh, with any musician. Oh.

[00:54:24] From any era, alive or dead, who would it be? Oh, wow, that's... That's a trap. Freddie Mercury or Johnny Cash. Okay, yeah. Sorry, I probably just stole the two-number one answer. No, no. I was a high one man. That's a tough one. Uh, off the top of my... I'm just gonna go off the top of my head. John Fruscianti. Cool. Oh. That's cool. Hell yeah. He'd be an interesting conversation, eh? 100%. Yeah, 100%. That man has lived a crazy life. Uh, what is your Desert Island record? If you got stranded on a desert island, you can only grab one piece of music.

[00:54:56] Okay. Ooh. No singles either. Full albums. Yeah, full albums. Absolutely. I'm gonna go back and say Beastie Boys License to Ill. Um, just cause it's got a little bit of everything and they sample, you know, you name it. So it's like you have a lot. Yeah, it's like you got a whole... About almost everything. Yeah. And, uh, if this guy ever hears it, he knows who I'm talking about and so does everyone else. Um, they know the joke. Yeah. Oh man, it's hard.

[00:55:24] I'll say Far Beyond Driven. Pantera. Pantera. Yeah. Yeah. Cool, cool. Okay. Um, without these three artists, this could be to both of you. Okay. No helmet wouldn't exist. I'm gonna say Metallica just cause... Yeah, sure. I know it's... I know, uh, Lars Ulrich isn't exactly popular these days, but, you know, he's playing stadiums and... People need to fucking lay off Lars.

[00:55:55] I agree. I mean, he was... 100%. He was a magician back in the day. Like, anyone who shits on Lars, it's like, what have you done? Yeah. That's basically it. Seriously. He's like... He's fucking... He's in... He's... You know what I mean? He's the drummer of fucking Metallica. It's hilarious. I agree. The biggest metal band of all time. Yeah. What the fuck have you done shitting on him? Yeah. I agree. It's... Jesus Christ. But, yeah. And then, uh, Dream Theater. Uh, probably one of my favorites. Or my Portnoy, the drummer, cause I... Portnoy. Yeah.

[00:56:25] I rip off a lot. A lot of stuff from him. I want to give a shout out. No Helmet wouldn't be here without Larry Graham. Who's Larry Graham? Oh, we gotta research that. Oh, do I have to Google Larry Graham? Yes, sir. Right over my head. I'll Google Larry Graham on my own time, but, uh, for now, excellent. Uh, final question for... No Helmet. Uh, who is now... Final question for No Helmet.

[00:56:55] Who is No Helmet? Oh, No Helmet, uh, is our two friends who like to talk about Ric Flair and... Macho Man Randy Savage. Yep. And occasionally, names will pop up like... Oh. Rick Martell. Yeah. And if you know who that is, if you're playing music... Yeah. And you, you, you hear... Like, I heard Chris say Rick Martell one day, and I couldn't let it go.

[00:57:22] It became bigger than the songs we were playing, right? And I was like, this is great. So, it's just been friendship, I'd say. Awesome. Yeah. Um, final thing I'm gonna say is I respect your old school font for your logo. The emulator font. Like the 8-bit or whatever it is. Um, other than that, uh, all the best to ya. Thank you for having us. Thank you very much. Thank you for coming. And, uh, we'll see you in Montreal. 100% dude. We're gonna rip it up.

[00:57:52] It's gonna be awesome. It's gonna be great. Can't wait.

[01:00:12] I'd like to thank Chris and Cosmo from No Helmet for coming by Southhood Studio. Uh, good luck, guys. Can't wait for Montreal. It's gonna be grand. Grand. Um, if you want to get a hold of me, if you want to get a hold of, uh, Max, if you want to get a hold of Vic, uh, egoandvice at gmail.com. If you want to check out the podcast, go to egoandvicepodcast.com. The home base, the HQ, the fortress of solitude, everything, ego and vice. Anyway, that's it for me.

[01:00:42] Um, thanks. See you in Montreal. You've got a real attitude problem, McFly. You're a slacker.