Page Hamilton is the brainchild behind the heavy wall of sound New York band Helmet. Helmet has been pounding our skulls with their unique brand of music since the early 90s. For a while Helmet had been broken up but they reunited for their 2004 album. But since the lineup has changed but Hamilton has stayed the same and now they are going on the Warped Tour to promote their new album Monochrome.
Buy Monochrome
Daniel Robert Epstein: What was the inspiration for Monochrome?
Page Hamilton: Theres so many that it is hard to pinpoint one. I always draw from various meanings like personal experience and my view of things, interaction with people and just things you observe in them and yourself. Some of the things are sociological things that you notice, relationship things. I tend to write with a fascination for language that I think is not uncommon with anybody that writes lyrics. So you go with the sound of words and stuff and then try to sometimes develop a narrative and other times not.
DRE: Did you call the album Monochrome, because its going back to a simpler time in Helmets life?
PH: No, I originally got the idea because I had a chromatic movement in a chord progress and the working title of the song when it was sitting in its folder was Chromatic. I started thinking about the Paul Simon song Kodachrome on that album called There Goes Rhymin' Simon. I love the idea of a monochrome, which in the photography world or art world is a single tone painting or photo, gray on gray. I just started thinking about that as it relates to everyday life, the monotony that life can provide. Also, that song is specifically about a relationship where you fall into these habits of a monochromatic existence with somebody in a relationship. All those things came into play so I thought that would be a great album title.
DRE: When you say the word relationship and I listen to track Monochrome itself, it sounds almost emoish in a way.
PH: Emo? I dont know what you mean by that.
DRE: Meaning the supposed genre of the emo music.
PH: God I dont know. Okay. Cool.
DRE: [laughs] Why did Helmet leave Interscope?
PH: It was a little too big of a place for us to be a priority or to have the special attention that we got from them when we first signed there in 1991. It was a very small label when they started and they could take an underground sounding New York band and get it in front of a bunch of people. At this point it is all these different companies and it just didnt seem to be the right place for them to be able to work on a Helmet album and do what labels do. On a personal level, I have no hard feelings with Jimmy Iovine and the guys that brought us into there. I have had a long relationship with them and theyve always shown great respect for me as a musician. In fact, I ended up working with a rap group they have called Bless the Nation.
DRE: So the label just got too big to give you guys the personal attention that you felt you needed.
PH: Yeah. Helmets never been a band that walked in step with whats going on necessarily in music. When I formed the band, we didnt really fit into the New York noise scene that was happening at the time. There were some noisy elements, but there were also some metal and hardcore elements in there. We werent really in step with that. Then when hair metal was big on MTV, we werent really in step with that. I dont feel like were in synch now with what they call alternative music. Weve always had our own thing for better or for worse and people either dig it or they dont. The good news is that Helmet is distinctive and unique. The bad news is that thats not necessarily what is marketable from an image and musical standpoint.
DRE: Why was Warcon the right label?
PH: I have a long relationship with Bob Chiappardi, one of the owners of Warcon. I always just thought he was a great human being and when we were doing an interview for the anniversary of Concrete Marketing last year I said, So what are you up to? He said, Oh, Im starting this new label. Trying to change the music business. Our deal with them is more of a shared deal. Were working hand in hand with everybody at the label here and that means bouncing ideas off people. I threw the album in their lap and said, You guys pick the single. I dont want to have anything to do with that. Ive never known what it is people want to hear, so Ill just leave it to them to figure it out. Theyre good with that. Its more of a hands-on place. You dont feel like you walk in and 90 percent of people at the label dont know who the hell you are.
DRE: Howd you pick Mike Jost and Jeremy Chatelain to be in the band?
PH: Jeremy is close friends with Chris Traynor and he auditioned when Frank Bello left and toured Europe with us last year. Then he did the two week tour that centered around the CBGBs benefit last year. He ended up moving to Seattle and was in a situation work wise where he couldnt afford to stay with the band and then do the album, but then he was missing it so much that he called us and said, God. Id love to do the Warped Tour. I said, Youve got to commit to me for a year. He talked his wife into it, which I feel good about. Hopefully I wont ruin his relationship like I ruin all of mine. Hes a great player and a great guy. Mike Jost was one of the drummers I auditioned. Hes friends with the guys from this band Bullets and Octane that I produced. He came out and auditioned and was one of the four finalists in the Helmet American Idol drum finals, which I wish I had tape recorded because it wouldve been funny.
DRE: You talked about all your ruined relationships. Which relationships are you currently ruining?
PH: Id rather not talk about it. Its too sad. Its hard to be a guy in a band and to be obsessed with what you do and maintain a relationship. It is difficult for me and Ive pretty much messed them all up somehow.
DRE: What about within the band?
PH: We get along well. This is all new to Mike so he was just a total trooper. He was easy to deal with on the phone before the auditions and hes been easy to deal with on every level. Jeremys probably one of the best band mates Ive ever had. He drove a van from North Carolina so we could do the two week tour around CBGB. He was in Jets to Brazil so he understands the indie rock touring scene and that carrying your weight means you might schlep some gear and tune your own instrument and your personal assistant is nonexistent. Chris and I have a long relationship; its been ten years so were like brothers. There are times when we want to strangle each other and other times when we are absolutely appreciative of one another.
DRE: Does a track like Howl get played live?
PH: It depends on how many beers Ive had. I jokingly said to the band, Youll be able to leave stage for about 20 minutes while I do my guitar solo based on Howl. Its one of those things that comes about when you sit around playing too much guitar and having no life and you stumble upon these happy accidents, these tricks and things you can do with a guitar. I love the sound of the bagpipe effect of just pulling the string off the fret board, at the 12th fret, the B and the E string. Anybody who probably plays guitar will figure it out like God, thats retarded. Thats the beauty of it. I might use it as an intro to a song or I might not.
DRE: I actually interviewed Gene from Bullets and Octane this year.
PH: Did you do it in person or on the phone?
DRE: On the phone.
PH: He totally wouldve hit on you if it were in person. Seriously. Im kidding. Hes a good kid.
DRE: He said that youre a really great producer. I miss the mid-90s when all those articles used to come out about what a control freak and egomaniac you are. Whats changed?
PH: I remember the control freak thing. I dont remember the egomaniac thing. But Ive always been accused of being a control freak. If youre the one that has the creative vision for something, you know whats right or wrong for it so you have to maintain control. I have great respect for the musicians I play with and for anybody that picks up an instrument and works at it, but I dont have a lot of respect for people that sit and point and make claims without having anything to back it up with. I work everyday and have since I first picked up the instrument at the age of 17. I have the last word when it comes to the music that Im participating in. If Im hired to do a job for somebody then Im going to listen to the person thats hiring me to do the job. Thats a different thing. People are going to interpret your behavior in any way that they want and I certainly have confidence in what Im doing because I do my homework.
DRE: Are you less of a control freak now that youre producing bands and you have to cater to what theyre supposed to sound like?
PH: Yeah, when I start with a band I tell them, Look, at the end of the day its your record. Youre going to be playing these songs and youre going to write them. Im not going to write them for you although you end up doing some writing anyway. I give them suggestions that I think will help improve the song and make a better record and they can take it or leave it. There are times when I will argue over something with a band. Its inevitable youre going to butt heads about things but at the end of the recording process you go, Well this still wouldve been better if youd done what I said. But every taste and experience comes into play to a certain extent. If you have a band like Bullets and Octane that can play their balls off and are four talented guys, then you dont want to discourage them, you want to encourage them. Obviously its very different from making a Helmet record.
DRE: What made you decide to start producing other bands?
PH: When Jimmy Iovine called me in and asked me to make a Helmet record in 2004, he asked me if I was interested in producing. I said no. He was like, Come on. Youd be great. Im like, Well, theres just not a lot that I dig. He said, I have like 400 or 500 bands at this label. He was playing me different things and then he introduced me to Gene and we hit it off. We have a lot of the same interests from Gang of Four to PIL to the Jesus Lizard so it turned out to be a lot of fun. I learned a lot.
DRE: I was surprised to read that Helmet joined the Warped Tour.
PH: The fact that our label owner owns the Warped Tour was a major influencing factor in that. It was a no brainer. They tried to get us to do it a couple of times in the past but it conflicted with other tours. I think its going to be great different experience.
DRE: Who directed the new Helmet video for Smart?
PH: The directors name is Jonathon Stewart . I know him through a pal of mine in LA named Brandon Brooks, who was the producer of the video. Brandons from Nashville and theyre buddies down there with this production company that shot it. Its the first time Ive ever spent a couple of days in some place shooting a video. Its just me in the video because it was economically more feasible than flying the whole band and putting them up. I told the band and they were happy doing cartwheels because they didnt have to do it. It turned out to be a lot of fun.
DRE: Do you have any interest in directing videos?
PH: No, I dont. Thats not my area of expertise. I think some people are under the misconception that if they watch TV, they can be a great director. Its like, I listen to music. I can produce an album. I have had bad and funny dreams that I think would be funny in videos. Obviously theres a part of me thats in this video, but Im not the director. I wanted to be drowning, vomiting cement and reaching into my mouth up to my forearm and pulling out a beehive, but it wouldve cost a lot of money to make me vomit cement. Hopefully in the next video we can pull that one off.
DRE: One of my favorite tracks from Betty is Silver Hawaiian, could you ever do a whole album like that?
PH: Not necessarily that specifically, but Ive thought about it many times and if the time and the economy allows me to, I absolutely would love to do something like that. But you do what butters your bread and I want to keep doing this music while Im still comfortable with it. When I hit 60, I dont know if Ill be able to scream anymore, so I might be done with it. I want to keep doing Helmet and do a few more albums before I stop. But I would love to do something like that eventually.
DRE: Is Gandhi still together?
PH: In theory, yes. In reality, no. The Gandhi drummer is the Maroon 5 drummer. One of the Gandhi guitar players is playing guitar with Nena of 99 Luftballons fame. If the opportunity presented itself, I would love to make an album with those guys because theyre all amazing and funny as hell.
DRE: Are you going to be producing more bands?
PH: There are a few bands that theyve talked to me about. One is a big band called Shadows Fall. Another band is called The Exploders, from Australia. They are an independent Australian band. It would be their second record. Ive met with people at Warner Bros several times about three different bands, Avenged Sevenfold, Mastodon and the Von Bondies and none of those panned out. They got bigger, more famous producers than me.
DRE: What do you know about SuicideGirls?
PH: I know that a SuicideGirl is on the cover of the Bullets and Octane record. Also my ex-girlfriend said that theyre suing each other or something? Also theres hot chicks with tattoos.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Buy Monochrome
Daniel Robert Epstein: What was the inspiration for Monochrome?
Page Hamilton: Theres so many that it is hard to pinpoint one. I always draw from various meanings like personal experience and my view of things, interaction with people and just things you observe in them and yourself. Some of the things are sociological things that you notice, relationship things. I tend to write with a fascination for language that I think is not uncommon with anybody that writes lyrics. So you go with the sound of words and stuff and then try to sometimes develop a narrative and other times not.
DRE: Did you call the album Monochrome, because its going back to a simpler time in Helmets life?
PH: No, I originally got the idea because I had a chromatic movement in a chord progress and the working title of the song when it was sitting in its folder was Chromatic. I started thinking about the Paul Simon song Kodachrome on that album called There Goes Rhymin' Simon. I love the idea of a monochrome, which in the photography world or art world is a single tone painting or photo, gray on gray. I just started thinking about that as it relates to everyday life, the monotony that life can provide. Also, that song is specifically about a relationship where you fall into these habits of a monochromatic existence with somebody in a relationship. All those things came into play so I thought that would be a great album title.
DRE: When you say the word relationship and I listen to track Monochrome itself, it sounds almost emoish in a way.
PH: Emo? I dont know what you mean by that.
DRE: Meaning the supposed genre of the emo music.
PH: God I dont know. Okay. Cool.
DRE: [laughs] Why did Helmet leave Interscope?
PH: It was a little too big of a place for us to be a priority or to have the special attention that we got from them when we first signed there in 1991. It was a very small label when they started and they could take an underground sounding New York band and get it in front of a bunch of people. At this point it is all these different companies and it just didnt seem to be the right place for them to be able to work on a Helmet album and do what labels do. On a personal level, I have no hard feelings with Jimmy Iovine and the guys that brought us into there. I have had a long relationship with them and theyve always shown great respect for me as a musician. In fact, I ended up working with a rap group they have called Bless the Nation.
DRE: So the label just got too big to give you guys the personal attention that you felt you needed.
PH: Yeah. Helmets never been a band that walked in step with whats going on necessarily in music. When I formed the band, we didnt really fit into the New York noise scene that was happening at the time. There were some noisy elements, but there were also some metal and hardcore elements in there. We werent really in step with that. Then when hair metal was big on MTV, we werent really in step with that. I dont feel like were in synch now with what they call alternative music. Weve always had our own thing for better or for worse and people either dig it or they dont. The good news is that Helmet is distinctive and unique. The bad news is that thats not necessarily what is marketable from an image and musical standpoint.
DRE: Why was Warcon the right label?
PH: I have a long relationship with Bob Chiappardi, one of the owners of Warcon. I always just thought he was a great human being and when we were doing an interview for the anniversary of Concrete Marketing last year I said, So what are you up to? He said, Oh, Im starting this new label. Trying to change the music business. Our deal with them is more of a shared deal. Were working hand in hand with everybody at the label here and that means bouncing ideas off people. I threw the album in their lap and said, You guys pick the single. I dont want to have anything to do with that. Ive never known what it is people want to hear, so Ill just leave it to them to figure it out. Theyre good with that. Its more of a hands-on place. You dont feel like you walk in and 90 percent of people at the label dont know who the hell you are.
DRE: Howd you pick Mike Jost and Jeremy Chatelain to be in the band?
PH: Jeremy is close friends with Chris Traynor and he auditioned when Frank Bello left and toured Europe with us last year. Then he did the two week tour that centered around the CBGBs benefit last year. He ended up moving to Seattle and was in a situation work wise where he couldnt afford to stay with the band and then do the album, but then he was missing it so much that he called us and said, God. Id love to do the Warped Tour. I said, Youve got to commit to me for a year. He talked his wife into it, which I feel good about. Hopefully I wont ruin his relationship like I ruin all of mine. Hes a great player and a great guy. Mike Jost was one of the drummers I auditioned. Hes friends with the guys from this band Bullets and Octane that I produced. He came out and auditioned and was one of the four finalists in the Helmet American Idol drum finals, which I wish I had tape recorded because it wouldve been funny.
DRE: You talked about all your ruined relationships. Which relationships are you currently ruining?
PH: Id rather not talk about it. Its too sad. Its hard to be a guy in a band and to be obsessed with what you do and maintain a relationship. It is difficult for me and Ive pretty much messed them all up somehow.
DRE: What about within the band?
PH: We get along well. This is all new to Mike so he was just a total trooper. He was easy to deal with on the phone before the auditions and hes been easy to deal with on every level. Jeremys probably one of the best band mates Ive ever had. He drove a van from North Carolina so we could do the two week tour around CBGB. He was in Jets to Brazil so he understands the indie rock touring scene and that carrying your weight means you might schlep some gear and tune your own instrument and your personal assistant is nonexistent. Chris and I have a long relationship; its been ten years so were like brothers. There are times when we want to strangle each other and other times when we are absolutely appreciative of one another.
DRE: Does a track like Howl get played live?
PH: It depends on how many beers Ive had. I jokingly said to the band, Youll be able to leave stage for about 20 minutes while I do my guitar solo based on Howl. Its one of those things that comes about when you sit around playing too much guitar and having no life and you stumble upon these happy accidents, these tricks and things you can do with a guitar. I love the sound of the bagpipe effect of just pulling the string off the fret board, at the 12th fret, the B and the E string. Anybody who probably plays guitar will figure it out like God, thats retarded. Thats the beauty of it. I might use it as an intro to a song or I might not.
DRE: I actually interviewed Gene from Bullets and Octane this year.
PH: Did you do it in person or on the phone?
DRE: On the phone.
PH: He totally wouldve hit on you if it were in person. Seriously. Im kidding. Hes a good kid.
DRE: He said that youre a really great producer. I miss the mid-90s when all those articles used to come out about what a control freak and egomaniac you are. Whats changed?
PH: I remember the control freak thing. I dont remember the egomaniac thing. But Ive always been accused of being a control freak. If youre the one that has the creative vision for something, you know whats right or wrong for it so you have to maintain control. I have great respect for the musicians I play with and for anybody that picks up an instrument and works at it, but I dont have a lot of respect for people that sit and point and make claims without having anything to back it up with. I work everyday and have since I first picked up the instrument at the age of 17. I have the last word when it comes to the music that Im participating in. If Im hired to do a job for somebody then Im going to listen to the person thats hiring me to do the job. Thats a different thing. People are going to interpret your behavior in any way that they want and I certainly have confidence in what Im doing because I do my homework.
DRE: Are you less of a control freak now that youre producing bands and you have to cater to what theyre supposed to sound like?
PH: Yeah, when I start with a band I tell them, Look, at the end of the day its your record. Youre going to be playing these songs and youre going to write them. Im not going to write them for you although you end up doing some writing anyway. I give them suggestions that I think will help improve the song and make a better record and they can take it or leave it. There are times when I will argue over something with a band. Its inevitable youre going to butt heads about things but at the end of the recording process you go, Well this still wouldve been better if youd done what I said. But every taste and experience comes into play to a certain extent. If you have a band like Bullets and Octane that can play their balls off and are four talented guys, then you dont want to discourage them, you want to encourage them. Obviously its very different from making a Helmet record.
DRE: What made you decide to start producing other bands?
PH: When Jimmy Iovine called me in and asked me to make a Helmet record in 2004, he asked me if I was interested in producing. I said no. He was like, Come on. Youd be great. Im like, Well, theres just not a lot that I dig. He said, I have like 400 or 500 bands at this label. He was playing me different things and then he introduced me to Gene and we hit it off. We have a lot of the same interests from Gang of Four to PIL to the Jesus Lizard so it turned out to be a lot of fun. I learned a lot.
DRE: I was surprised to read that Helmet joined the Warped Tour.
PH: The fact that our label owner owns the Warped Tour was a major influencing factor in that. It was a no brainer. They tried to get us to do it a couple of times in the past but it conflicted with other tours. I think its going to be great different experience.
DRE: Who directed the new Helmet video for Smart?
PH: The directors name is Jonathon Stewart . I know him through a pal of mine in LA named Brandon Brooks, who was the producer of the video. Brandons from Nashville and theyre buddies down there with this production company that shot it. Its the first time Ive ever spent a couple of days in some place shooting a video. Its just me in the video because it was economically more feasible than flying the whole band and putting them up. I told the band and they were happy doing cartwheels because they didnt have to do it. It turned out to be a lot of fun.
DRE: Do you have any interest in directing videos?
PH: No, I dont. Thats not my area of expertise. I think some people are under the misconception that if they watch TV, they can be a great director. Its like, I listen to music. I can produce an album. I have had bad and funny dreams that I think would be funny in videos. Obviously theres a part of me thats in this video, but Im not the director. I wanted to be drowning, vomiting cement and reaching into my mouth up to my forearm and pulling out a beehive, but it wouldve cost a lot of money to make me vomit cement. Hopefully in the next video we can pull that one off.
DRE: One of my favorite tracks from Betty is Silver Hawaiian, could you ever do a whole album like that?
PH: Not necessarily that specifically, but Ive thought about it many times and if the time and the economy allows me to, I absolutely would love to do something like that. But you do what butters your bread and I want to keep doing this music while Im still comfortable with it. When I hit 60, I dont know if Ill be able to scream anymore, so I might be done with it. I want to keep doing Helmet and do a few more albums before I stop. But I would love to do something like that eventually.
DRE: Is Gandhi still together?
PH: In theory, yes. In reality, no. The Gandhi drummer is the Maroon 5 drummer. One of the Gandhi guitar players is playing guitar with Nena of 99 Luftballons fame. If the opportunity presented itself, I would love to make an album with those guys because theyre all amazing and funny as hell.
DRE: Are you going to be producing more bands?
PH: There are a few bands that theyve talked to me about. One is a big band called Shadows Fall. Another band is called The Exploders, from Australia. They are an independent Australian band. It would be their second record. Ive met with people at Warner Bros several times about three different bands, Avenged Sevenfold, Mastodon and the Von Bondies and none of those panned out. They got bigger, more famous producers than me.
DRE: What do you know about SuicideGirls?
PH: I know that a SuicideGirl is on the cover of the Bullets and Octane record. Also my ex-girlfriend said that theyre suing each other or something? Also theres hot chicks with tattoos.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
*buys Monochrome*