Mary Timony 2005 Tour Read More
Helium: XXX
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I was a massive Helium fan, the short-lived band from 1992 to 1997, when singer and band leader Mary Timony was living in Boston.
The original band was called Chupa, formed in 1990, and featured vocalist/guitarist Mary Lou Lord, guitarist Jason Hatfield (Juliana Hatfield's brother), drummer Shawn King Devlin, and bassist Brian Dunton. The band lost Mary Lou Lord, so they asked Mary Timony (from the band Autoclave) to replaced Lord on vocals and guitar. They released a self-titled cassette in 1991, and afterward, Jason Hatfield left the band. After deciding that the band is now a trio, they agreed to change Chupa to Helium.
As Helium, the trio released two albums, three EPs, and 5 singles. American Jeans came out on Warped Records, followed by Hole In The Ground on Pop Narcotic, before subsequently signing to Matador Records and releasing all music on the label post-1994.
I’ve already previously mentioned that I discovered Helium on MTV’s 120 Minutes, the influential show on my music taste.
Anyway, Helium broke up in 1998, and Mary Timony moved back to Washington, DC, and to pursue a solo career. She continued her relationship with Matador Records and released her debut solo album Mountains, in 2000, and The Golden Dove, in 2002.
In 2005, she signed to Lookout! Records for her third album Ex Hex (a name that would be recycled as an all-girls trio Ex Hex with Mary as band leader in 2013). There was heavy promotion for this 2005 record, and saw Timony on a year-long national tour with drummer Devin Ocampo. The two would perform live as a duo and occasionally would open for Sleater-Kinney throughout the year, because Carrie Brownstein was a massive fan. Brownstein previously collaborated with Timony as The Spells in 1999.
For the 7th Street Entry show, I previously used a cropped photo of this show. The whole photo actually shows my friend Celeste in the audience… and as you can see, it had low attendance. I was disappointed that no Helium songs were played. You have to remember that up to this point, I only knew Helium songs and it was the reason why we love Mary Timony. Sure, I didn’t keep up with her solo music, but you also can’t blame me for hoping to hear those Helium songs.
Songs on their set consisted mostly new songs (“W.O.W”, “Friend To JC”, “9x3”, and “Backwards / Forwards”), possibly because due to the limitation of being a duo with drummer Ocampo (and perhaps those are the songs that he’s familiar with).
Brief recollection:
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I'll have to admit, I didn't follow Helium's singer, Mary Timony's solo work, but I did manage to catch her on the last tour for Ex Hex at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. The venue is tiny and there was hardly anyone there.
The unfortunate thing is that I was only familiar with Helium's work, and I guess Timony doesn't want to be associated with her old material, so the concert consisted of nothing but her solo work.
Anyroad, I found out that she's on tour, so I'm posting the rest of her Summer tour date. If you live in these area, you should definitely check out a show.
Mary Timony at 7th Street Entry (25 May 2005)
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