BLUE HELIX

Blue Helix releases a new music video today, entitled “Anti-Social Butterfly,” the title track from the band’s new EP. The song is an unrepentant, powerful denunciation of bullying and has, along with the rest of the EP, received heavy airplay on Sao Paulo, Brazil’s primary Rock Radio station 89.1 FM.

Hailing from Puyallup, Washington and Sao Paulo, Brazil, Blue Helix is made up of Sami Chohfi on vocals; Arman Birang on guitar; Brandon Wolf Gebhardt on bass; and Marco Bicca sits in the pocket. The band’s sound combines elements of hard rock, alternative rock, melodic rock, acoustic rock and grunge into music characterized by potent guitar riffs, stellar vocals and hammering drums.

“Anti-Social Butterfly” opens with a crushing drum shuffle leading into muscular guitars emanating heavy waves of sonic energy. The rhythm pulses and throbs with crucial urgency and dark tenacity fused together. Chohfi’s voice unleashes magnified awesomely immediate textures and visible tones that stab the atmosphere like lightning bolts. It’s a supercharged voice radiating eddies of actinic spangles of light. It’s definitely one of the best male rock voices around. The tiger growl he emanates is wickedly hazardous, and his scream is outrageously vehement.

The lyrics to “Anti-Social Butterfly” display a curious composite of envious disapproval, grudging admiration and loyalty to self.

“The Devil came to me today / Asked me if I’d sell myself to play / He said “No one gives a damn / About your dreams or your master plan” / I carry weight as heavy as scars / I wear my pain like it’s art / If it’s time to let it all go / Maybe I can take a piece to hold / And I would sell my soul / There’s nothing left to save at all / They’ve taken everything / And If I could I’d wish it all away / I’d disassociate, drive them all insane / This has become my own type of hell / You don’t like the man I am / Like I ruined all your plans / He said “Son, it’s just a tiny phase / Or maybe time to revelate” / Anti-social Butterfly / Spread your wings and learn to lie / You take me for a broken man / But baby I’m your biggest fan.”

The video makes a formidable statement about the emotional and psychological abuse associated with bullying. The video tells the tale of a young boy who is bullied and persecuted in and out of school. A gold necklace is taken from him by his tormentors. Passive and skinny, he re-invents himself physically and mentally, metamorphosing into a muscular proactive young man. In the end, he steps into the boxing ring with the bully and not only regains his gold necklace, but his dignity and self-esteem.

“Anti-Social Butterfly” is awesome. The melody is compelling and contagious, while the rhythm vibrates with implacable force. And Chohfi’s vocals engineer a mood full of passion and emotional cataclysm. This is a great rock song and Blue Helix knows how to deliver the goods. - Huffington Post

The Seattle scene has been stagnating in recent years, and I'm happy to say that Blue Helix has renewed my faith. Light the Wick dances the thin line between heavy and melodic with a beautiful Middle-Eastern influence to set it apart from the masses. - KSUB radio

Such powerful and driving music, very unique, for example 'The Pattern' incorporates Middle-Eastern and Indian overtones and scales. This EP is full of wonderful lyrics and melodies. Finally, something new, something meaningful. - CelestialMusic

On Jan. 17th, nationally acclaimed rock band, Saving Abel, performed live at Jazzbones in Tacoma. Blue Helix, an up-and-coming rock group based out of Puyallup, opened for the show. Lead singer/songwriter Sami Chohfi gives the scoop on his latest album, Tale of Two Halves.

“It took me three years to record this album,” said Chohfi.

Chohfi, who built his own recording studio in 2005, stated that he titled the album Tale of Two Halves because half of the songs were written and recorded at two different time periods in his life. As for the songwriting process itself, Chohfi relies heavily on his acoustic guitar, even when writing his heavier material.

“I like the intimacy and vulnerability of the acoustic guitar. It helps me tap into many different avenues of my songwriting.”

But for as much creative talent as he possesses, Chohfi was also quick to credit his bandmates for their contributions to the album.

“I hired the drummer from Candlebox, Scott Mercado, to help me track six of the songs on Tale. The other five songs were tracked with my first drummer, Tapeworm, and my current drummer, Jebbadiah Schreib. The Wolf wrote and tracked all the basslines, and I had Amy Daves track all the violins on the album. We wrote the violin ideas humming them out loud and using my acoustic to find melodies.” Chohfi further expounded that he recorded each of the other instruments separately, and then layered them over one another to create harmony.

With his greatest inspirations being Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead, it’s no surprise that Blue Helix has a style that is reminiscent of the ‘90s grunge movement. Tale of Two Halves features eleven tracks—about half of which are softer, acoustic melodies, while the other half are more of a hard rock style. Personally, I find that the best songs on the album are “Carry Me” and “Wolves”—both of which are in the softer, acoustic realm. It’s not that I prefer soft rock (I overall lean more towards hard rock) but I find that these two songs in particular have a lyrical quality to them that is unparalleled by any of the other songs on the album.



Take, for example, “Carry Me.”

“If love was a melody / you’d be my song / to carry me along / on and on and on / I don’t have much / in this life to give / you are my reason that I have to live.” Not only is the rhythm fluid, but the words themselves are strong enough to stand on their own, making them poetic.

And then there’s “Wolves.”

“I’ve seen the devil’s eyes / as I watched my mother cry / every night, holding tight my / my sister and I.” This song, written about Chohfi’s abusive, alcoholic father is vulnerable and raw in a way that is both genuine and heartfelt.

Nevertheless, I must digress. After all, if every single song was a sentimental ballad, it would be overkill. One of my favorite things about Blue Helix is that Chohfi does an excellent job of counterbalancing softer melodies with songs that feature plenty of the hard rock thrashing that we all love. “Bullets” is by far the best hard rock song on the album, with plenty of electric guitar, heavy bass, and pounding drums to satisfy any rock-a-holic.

Then there’s “Six 8”—an interesting instrumental interlude. It’s not that the song is bad, it’s just that I was caught off guard by the absence of lyrics. It felt a little out of place only because it was midway through the album and by then I was expecting vocals. What I had come to find out was that “Six 8” was Chohfi’s first song that he completed with Blue Helix.

“I just felt that it was written as the band’s first song, completed song, as an instrumental and it just kind of stayed that way,” Chohfi explained. “I’ve had so many people say, ‘You should make “Six 8” a song with lyrics.’ But, you know, once you’re kind of married to an idea of letting a song be the way it was created, it kind of becomes that.”

Although I personally find myself in the camp of “add some lyrics” I nevertheless respect Chohfi’s decision to leave the song the way it was originally created. His unapologetic stance when it comes to his artistic autonomy is precisely what I respect in a musician. These days, too many musicians cater to the demands of the public instead of staying true to themselves and their art.

As a special treat for readers, Chohfi has decided to provide a sneak-peek at his latest song, “Runaways.” This exclusive, unreleased single can only be found at www.artistecard.com/bluehelix#!/musics/93547

To learn more about Blue Helix and find upcoming shows, visit www.bluehelixmusic.com. Their music is also available under their YouTube channel “Blue Helix.” - The Tacoma Ledger

A Washington state band, Blue Helix, is polishing off their musical roots with an album that ventures into the rock and metal genres from recent decades. Described by their main songwriter as “hard rock and acoustic music mainly stemming from the ‘grunge’ era in Seattle,” Blue Helix embrace a style that pulls no punches.

Originally, metal and similar genres evolved as a reaction to the more mainstream rock scene. Focusing on personal angst and life struggles, it was uncharacteristically candid in its sharing of personal thoughts. Expressing frustrations that span social and religious angst alike, there is a tangible opportunity for hard rock traditions to be radically honest with their listeners. This style is bold not only as an assertion of individuality, but because it acts without reliance on the expectations of its audience.

Blue Helix is certainly an artist keeping that mindset alive. With tracks that range from vulnerable expressions of love to a fierce denouncement of war profiteers, they are unafraid to share exactly what they think with whoever’s listening. One song even begins with a deeply authentic prayer whispered in the darkness, followed by a harrowing glimpse into a life of abuse.

Rarely do narrative content and musical prowess line up so neatly in one artist. Often, an artist might develop amazing lyrical imagery, but not quite pan out in their sound. Alternatively, a band might have amazing musical construction with lyrics that seem almost nonsensical. A song that can intersect both competencies reflects excellent songwriting in general. I say “excellent” because talent, as a vehicle of human honesty, produces music that actually moves hearts and minds. When an artist makes the extra effort to form connections of storytelling and emotion with the audience, they have the real ability to connect with other people through their words and sounds.

All this said, Blue Helix comes highly recommended. Their kinds of forthright attitudes and musical virtuosity are both refreshing and, at times, undervalued. Their work reflects not only a passion for their music, but for life and thought in general. That kind of approach is admirable, even aside from talent. - The Appetizer Radio Show

First cab off the rank and ready to face the back 9 is Sami Chohfi (Guitar/Vocalist) - Blue Helix

Q - What was the first instrument you learnt and was it the one you wanted to learn?
A - The clarinet, and honestly those younger years of playing it seems to be a blur. I wasn't good at it at all so I chose to forget I even played it. I only recall playing it because I see photos of myself when I was young with it.
Q - When we are little, we all want to be someone, who was your someone?
A - Chris Cornell
Q - Which musician or producer have you worked with that you learnt the most from?
A - David Caggiano from Beta Max artist development in New York
Q - Biggest live show to date and were you nervous or stressed out?
A – 2015 Puget Sound Battle of the Bands Finale which we won. And no. I'm never nervous, just extremely stressed. Having to deal with gear, parking ,loading and unloading and all that comes with being in a band
Q - What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
A – Remember that you are your worst critic, and the people watching you wish they were the ones with the courage(balls)to be up there.
Q - Whose albums feature the most in your collection?
A – That's a tie, Radiohead and NIN
Q - When and where are you touring next? Any plans to tour Australia?
A – We are playing Washington and Oregon, sure do wish we could play to the beautiful people of Australia. If you can spread the BLUE HELIX love and create demand for us down under, we will gladly bankrupt ourselves to tour Australia.
Q - Do you collect old music memorabilia? If so, do you have a particular band or type of things you collect?
A – No
Q - How do you balance your music with other obligations – family, friends, job?
A – I just remember I have bills to pay. However , I make money from music from teaching others how to sing, play and record.

Thank you so much for your time and honesty Sami. - 100.5 WOW FM

Recently, I sat down with Sami Chohfi, lead singer and guitarist of self-described melodic rock band Blue Helix. While reviewing their album Tale of Two Halves in a previous article, I was struck by how genuine and vibrant their music was. What followed was a great discussion of the band’s development from its beginnings, as well as some optimistic predictions for the future.

Chohfi

Q1: To start with, what’s your current lineup, and how has it changed over the years?

When we recorded our EP Light the Wick in 2008, I was doing pretty much all the instrumental parts myself. A friend of mine recorded the drum parts with a TD-20, and we had a friend of mine, James Jones, on vocals. In 2010 when we were working on Coda, we had a three-piece band between myself, Curtis Miguel (“Tapeworm”) McCormack on drums and Brandon (“Wolf”) Gebhardt on the bass. After that, it took four years to produce Tale of Two Halves, because I had to be not only a songwriter, but a sound engineer, and a producer, so it’s been a big learning process for me. Now it’s myself, Cicero Fortier on guitar, Jebbadiah Schreib on drums, and Juan Carrion (“JC”) is our new bassist.

Q2: What made you choose this group of musicians to make music with?

Honestly, I’ve worked with quite a few artists. The problem I ran into was finding guys who were not just invested in practice, but also dedicated to their craft and invested in their gear. When you have good equipment, you can have a unique tone. I called the album Tale of Two Halves because it was recorded with two different drummers in two different time frames of my life, about a year and a half apart. I chose these guys because of their musical ability and their dedication to learning the material, and of course because we mesh well. A lot of the songs we’re doing now are harder rock, which fits Jebbadiah’s drumming style very well.

Q3: How would you describe your genre?

Melodic rock. It’s a blend of old school Grunge, like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, with a more modern twist. We also incorporate a lot of acoustic elements to our music. I don’t know if you noticed, but five songs on the album have violin in them. You may not notice them clear as day because we like a well-balanced mix with the vocals in the forefront. The violin is a very thin instrument. Ideally you’d like to have a full orchestra tracking in a studio. Since I only knew one violinist, Amy Daves, I got her to record multiple layers, at least five per harmony. “Aliens,” for instance, has a total of 84 tracks in the mix, and 20 of them are violin. When you layer things like that, it makes the recordings sound thicker. There’s a lot of depth in Tale. We worked with my favorite mixing engineer out of New York, named David Caggiano of Betamax Artist Development. He really added a very colorful layer to the songs not to mention being a mentor to me.

Q4: What, for you, is the most challenging stage in recording?

Tracking drums, comping the takes, and quantizing them. This is very tedious and time consuming.

Q5: So was this most recent album mostly your pet project, or did everyone bring their vision to the table for you all to collaborate?

Tale was pretty much my baby. I worked with my former bass player on songs like “Bullets” and “Six 8.” It was an unfortunate situation that I didn’t find members with time to spend on writing songs. The reason why it took so long was that I was learning how to properly do this as a producer, engineer, and songwriter, wearing a lot of hats at once. I actually took three tracks off that didn’t really belong on the album, and those songs were a huge learning process for me. But I would say on the newer material that everyone is writing their sections and contributing their parts. It’s a great collaboration. What makes a lot of really great bands work is all their members are songwriters coming in with a lot of great ideas and collaborating. Until recently, it was just me.

Q6: What would you say you guys are most excited for in the near future?

For one, we got accepted to Pandora. Every band I’ve spoken to, friends and local bands I know who have had some success, have been denied by Pandora. This speaks to me that we’re going in the right direction. It’s worth all the work. Secondly, we are getting some radio attention from multiple stations now, and we are about to record our first top notch video production with Avast Productions in Seattle. Most importantly we are itching to perform our new songs live for our fans.

Q7: Can you speak to the motivation behind your album artwork?

Sometimes as an artist, you do this not for financial reasons, but for the appreciation of someone who gets it. I think album artwork is a lost art. You don’t get all the images and lyrics when you just buy digital records. You get to know the artist on a personal level when you get to read the little things like the acknowledgments for example. Nowadays when I buy the digital songs I always buy the album as well.

Q8: What do you think your own artwork says?

I originally wanted to call the album something like “Endurance” but that’s cliché. I wanted it to signify pushing on. The homeless man on the cover of Tale signifies someone who has lost everything but still finds joy within himself. He is still proud and happy for who he is and what he does have. The business men with their money and comfortable lives are all in shambles and miserable. The back of the record reflects the unfortunate reality of the situation. Tale of Two Halves represents my journey with my music.

Q9: Where do you want to go thematically from here? More of what you explored in Tale, or would that be beating the horse to death?

I feel like I’m becoming more vulnerable with my lyrics. I’ve realized I can write lyrics with multiple meanings that are more relative to a broader fan base. One of my guitar students listened to the one of my new songs “This Majesty” and told me “the lyrics paint such a picture.” I want the listener to see something tangible in front of them. Not only that, but songs that are relatable in multiple ways. I feel like there’s more depth to the lyrics now.

Q10: And what about musical, technical development?

We’re going to go on a heavier route, but continue to incorporate acoustics, violins, and I’m hoping to add piano at some point. We are also mixing time signatures, going from 4/4 to 6/8 in one song, like in our newest song called “This Tragedy”. We are also working on making more high quality videos. We want to make videos that matter, videos that signify what the song is about through actual storylines.

Q11: Do you want to talk a bit about your writing process?

All the good songs I write 90% of the ideas within 24 hours. I’ll start by writing basic ideas, lyrics, music. Then I’ll come in and practice it with the band. They’ll contribute their parts and I’ll be able to hear the music in a different light.

Q12: So why, as you described it, do you want to devote your life to this music?

Do I think we’ll be the next Rolling Stones? No… There’s no magic record contract fairy these days; bands have to develop themselves. Live, we don’t hold anything back. People can see the true emotion we have when we play live. I think JC, Cicero, Jebbadiah, the reason why they keep fighting the good fight with me is they believe in the material. They see the genuine honesty in it. Our music is unapologetically honest, and that’s what sets us apart from a lot of other bands. It has some very good, catchy commercial elements to it without being over the top. I know Blue Helix is going to do well because we’re getting better as songwriters. We’re not getting jaded by the industry. I remain optimistic.

Q13: Any final remarks?

It’s not the Sami Chohfi show, that’s not what a band is. I want to play with musicians who share my vision and dedication for what a band is, as a time commitment, a financial investment and more importantly a spiritual journey. - The Appetizer Radio Show

Blue Helix releases a new music video today, entitled “Anti-Social Butterfly,” the title track from the band’s new EP. The song is an unrepentant, powerful denunciation of bullying and has, along with the rest of the EP, received heavy airplay on Sao Paulo, Brazil’s primary Rock Radio station 89.1 FM.

Hailing from Puyallup, Washington and Sao Paulo, Brazil, Blue Helix is made up of Sami Chohfi on vocals; Arman Birang on guitar; Brandon Wolf Gebhardt on bass; and Marco Bicca sits in the pocket. The band’s sound combines elements of hard rock, alternative rock, melodic rock, acoustic rock and grunge into music characterized by potent guitar riffs, stellar vocals and hammering drums.

“Anti-Social Butterfly” opens with a crushing drum shuffle leading into muscular guitars emanating heavy waves of sonic energy. The rhythm pulses and throbs with crucial urgency and dark tenacity fused together. Chohfi’s voice unleashes magnified awesomely immediate textures and visible tones that stab the atmosphere like lightning bolts. It’s a supercharged voice radiating eddies of actinic spangles of light. It’s definitely one of the best male rock voices around. The tiger growl he emanates is wickedly hazardous, and his scream is outrageously vehement.


“The Devil came to me today / Asked me if I’d sell myself to play / He said “No one gives a damn / About your dreams or your master plan” / I carry weight as heavy as scars / I wear my pain like it’s art / If it’s time to let it all go / Maybe I can take a piece to hold / And I would sell my soul / There’s nothing left to save at all / They’ve taken everything / And If I could I’d wish it all away / I’d disassociate, drive them all insane / This has become my own type of hell / You don’t like the man I am / Like I ruined all your plans / He said “Son, it’s just a tiny phase / Or maybe time to revelate” / Anti-social Butterfly / Spread your wings and learn to lie / You take me for a broken man / But baby I’m your biggest fan.”

The video makes a formidable statement about the emotional and psychological abuse associated with bullying. The video tells the tale of a young boy who is bullied and persecuted in and out of school. A gold necklace is taken from him by his tormentors. Passive and skinny, he re-invents himself physically and mentally, metamorphosing into a muscular proactive young man. In the end, he steps into the boxing ring with the bully and not only regains his gold necklace, but his dignity and self-esteem.

“Anti-Social Butterfly” is awesome. The melody is compelling and contagious, while the rhythm vibrates with implacable force. And Chohfi’s vocals engineer a mood full of passion and emotional cataclysm. This is a great rock song and Blue Helix knows how to deliver the goods. - Huffington Post

Bullying, in whatever form is bad and should not be condoned, this is the message that the world continues to preach.

Musicians, being entertainers and opinion leaders at the same time, have a part to play in this fight. Rock band Blue Helix tackles bullying head-on in their song titled 'Anti-Social Butterfly', that was first released back in November 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Radio Rock 89.1 FM.

Through this particular track, the band wanted to put out a song that was the embodiment of inspiration, hope and strength.
The type of song that would make people feel empowered. As a kid and as an adult, lead singer Sami Chohfi has dealt with bullies. It was his mission to release a song and video that gives hope to those who have suffered from this epidemic.
"I was bullied a lot as a kid, and I wanted to write a song that gave hope to others who suffer from being tormented or abused.
"My father was the biggest bully I had ever met, but I am grateful for having him as a dad because it made me the person I am today", explained Sami, singer/songwriter/guitarist for Blue Helix.

For anyone listening to the song or watching the video, the message from the band is pretty clear - expect an unapologetic,truthful anti-bully anthem!
"I also feel that as Independent artists we are bullied in the music industry in many ways. This song was also a push back against what the industry has become today. The song is also for my musical brothers and sisters", he added.

The independent band from Puyallup, Washington has won multiple Music Video Awards for their songs "Aliens" and "Anti-Social Butterfly". Considering that they have no representation or management of any kind, their journey so far has been pretty remarkable. - Urban Craft Magazine

Blue Helix é uma banda da lendária cidade Seattle que tem diversas ligações com o Brasil.

O grupo liderado pelo cantor e compositor Sami Chohfi esteve por aqui em turnê recentemente e tornou-se um dos nomes mais pedidos de rádios como a 89 Rádio Rock, de São Paulo, com o single “Anti-Social Butterfly”.

Além disso, o pai de Sami nasceu em São Paulo e sua esposa, Renata, é brasileira, o que faz com que os laços do grupo com o nosso país sejam bastante fortes.

No mês passado, quando esteve por aqui, o Blue Helix aproveitou a passagem pelo Brasil para gravar cenas de performances ao melhor estilo VHS com o cineasta brasileiro Arturo Querzoli, que compartilha com a banda o amor pela música dos Anos 80 e 90.

O resultado pode ser visto hoje em primeira mão aqui no TMDQA! com o clipe de “Anodyne”, logo abaixo.

“Anodyne”

A canção mostra que o Blue Helix parte de uma base voltada ao Rock dos Anos 80 e 90 mas dá um novo frescor ao gênero, com seus próprios elementos e roupagens mais modernas.

Com um clipe repleto de cenas de estudantes, festas de aniversário e momentos em família, a garantia de nostalgia é certa e a própria banda falou a respeito quando lançou o vídeo:

‘Anodyne’ é uma viagem nostálgica de fazer o coração bater mais forte pelos Anos 90 que irá te lembrar de momentos especiais como a primeira vez em que você se apaixonou, seu momento de empolgação favorito na escola, a primeira vez que você ficou bêbado demais com seus amigos, seu primeiro beijo ou até os jantares na casa da sua avó onde todos os primos se encontravam sem avisar. O propósito principal do vídeo é nos lembrar das pequenas coisas na vida que às vezes nós deixamos passar. - Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos