Meet the Band: Helen Stellar

Jordan Trippeer speaks to Jim Evens who does vocals and guitar for Helen Stellar.

Q: How does your band approach music?

A: We have our first full-length album coming out in late August or early September. We're just getting better and more tuned in. We just have a vibe that's our common denominator. We're a different band, but we have the same basic philosophy, which is: Play what you feel.

Q: Why did you name your band Helen Stellar?

A: The name was a joke. We weren't a real band. We had this show opportunity come up. We got a drummer. A month later we played our first show. Our old bass player chose the name and our shows were really good and then our next shows were even better and the name just stuck.

Q: What was the creative process behind "Io" [a song that appeared on the "Elizabethtown" soundtrack]?

A: We were recording our second EP, "Below Radar" in a studio. I kind of wrote the piano part and that song wasn't even going to be recorded, but the studio had a grand piano and I went up and started playing that part. Then everyone contributed with their instruments. It was a mistake. "Io" wasn't an accident - it was meant to be then and there. It's not like we were doing something and we messed something up and were like, "Hey, that's something." I guess you can say it's accidental, but it was also meant to be. Songs are not accidents. Sometimes they don't come out the way I hear them in my head, but that's just what happens. That's what art is all about. There are no mistakes. Things can start out as one thing, end up as something else and be just as impactful.

Io

Contact reporter Jordan Trippeer at jordan.trippeer@richmond.edu