made me feel like we were raising awareness.”
He later tells the students gathered: “My favour-
ite thing is coming here and getting to see what hap-
pens when an idea … works,” and judging by many of
their reactions, it was one of theirs, too.
It’s a special relationship he shares with his fans
– yet another pillar supporting what’s poised to be a
long and prosperous career. Seeing him onstage, ef-
fortlessly engaging and conversing with his audience,
you get a true idea of his charisma and magnetism.
“Being a singer-songwriter, I had to do tours
where it was just me, an acoustic guitar, and a loop
pedal, and you’ve got 30 minutes and seven songs
for people that, in a lot of cases, don’t know you,” he
shares. “So a good portion of my set was me talking
and making jokes and showing who I was, in a sense.”
Helman credits Warner Music Canada’s VP of
A&R, Ron Lopata – another of his early influencers –
with helping to develop his live show and initiate that
level of engagement. “Ron really helped me find my
own voice in a live sense, and actually that informs
how you write music. When it becomes a conversa-
tion with an audience instead of just a statement, it
feels more natural.”
Along with his band – drummer Julian Psiho-
gios, bassist Dylan Burrett, guitarist Callum Maudsley,
and keyboardist Adrian Thomas – he’s looking for-
ward to these new songs taking on a life of their own
from the stage. As he explains, “When you have such
amazing bandmates, when you start playing a song
on a tour, the difference between the first show and
last show, the song’s a whole different beast because
you have these people helping morph it into some-
thing new, and that’s just a piece of your growth as
an artist.”
His bandmates are all close to him in age (in
fact, Psihogios and Maudsley were classmates), which
he says makes their collective experiences all the
more enjoyable. “It’s like we’re all going through it
together,” he offers. “Like, I’m writing the songs and
doing the interviews and photo shoots, but when
we’re onstage at the MMVAs and it’s like, ‘Holy shit,
this is insanity,’ I get to share that with people looking
at it through the same lens. I can look over and see a
19-year-old with the same look in his eyes as I have.”
What’s perhaps most exciting for Helman about Hôtel
de Ville is that he strongly believes this album is a true
representation of who he is as a person and creator.
“The nice thing about there being 13 songs on an
album rather than seven is you have more space to
say what you want to say and experiment with differ-
ent vibes and dynamics,” he offers.
He’s got the look, he’s got the charisma, and
most importantly, he’s got the music – tunes that
adhere to what’s popular in today’s market but that
don’t let that sell them short in any sense.
Whereas Augusta introduced the world to a
young artist with heaps of promise, Hôtel de Ville
makes good on it.
In a world short on time and attention and de-
manding of instant gratification, there’s something to
be said for a calculated approach – and the fact that
cool is still cool, however you define it.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief
of Canadian Musician.
R O A D
R I G S
Scott Helman
Martin LX1E Little Martin Small Acoustic
Fender Stratocaster Electric
Fender Twin Reverb Amp
Boss Loop Station Twin Pedal
Ibanez Tube Screamer Pedal
TC Electronic PolyTune Tuner Pedal
Julian Psihogios ( D r u m s )
Yamaha Oak Custom Drums
• 20-in. Kick
• 16-in. Floor Tom
• 14-in. Floor Tom
• 12-in. Rack Tom
• 10-in. Rack Tom
• 14-in. Brass Snare
Cymbals
• 24-in. Paiste Giant Beat Ride
• 20-in. Paiste Traditional Light Ride (used as crash)
• 20-in. Sabian Legacy Ride
• 17-in. Zildjian K Crash
• 14-in. Sabian Manhattan Groove Hats
Yamaha Double-Braced Cymbal Stands
A Tempo Cajon Luna
Roland SPD-SX Electronic Drum Pad
Aquarian Superkick II Heads (kick)
Remo Coated Emperor Drum Heads (toms)
Remo Powerstroke 3 Heads (snare)
HeadHunters BBB Sticks (no grip)
Dylan Burrett ( B a s s )
Fender 1973 Precision Bass
Fender 60 th Anniversary Precision Bass
Genz Benz ShuttleMAX 12.0 Head
Avatar Speakers B210 Neo & B410 Neo Cabs
Pedaltrain Pedalboard
Boss Tu-3 Tuner Pedal
TC Electronic PolyTune Mini Tuner Pedal
MXR Bass Octave Deluxe Pedal
Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B3K Pedal
Zoom BT-100 Multi-Stomp Pedal
Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe Pedal
Planet Waves Cables
Mono Cases
Callum Maudsley ( G u i t a r )
Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster
Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster
Funk Farm Amp (by Pete Medvick)
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Dunlop Original Cry Baby Wah Pedal
Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner Pedal
Electro-Harmonix Micro Pog Pedal
Fulltone OCD Pedal
Maleko Analog Fuzz Pedal
Maxon OD808 Pedal
Strymon Big Sky Pedal
Line 6 Dl4 Pedal
Boss CE-2 Chorus Pedal
Strymon Flint Pedal
D’Addario Strings
Dunlop Picks
Mono Cases
Klotz Cables
Adrian Thomas ( K e y s )
Nord Electro 2 73
Korg King Korg
Korg SV1
Mono Cases
General
Shure ULXD4Q Digital Wireless System
Shure PSM 900
Shure ULXD1 Guitar RF
Shure Beta 58A Wireless Mic
Radial Engineering ProRMP
1964 IEMs
Pelican Road Cases
C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N • 37