Dave Helgi Johan - Drumheller
Hailing from a small Icelandic community in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, Dave Helgi Johan moved to Byron Bay in 2019 to actively pursue music full time as a solo musician while playing and collaborating with many local artists. Dave has played bass for local favorite Luke Morris and performs and records with Patrick O’Reilly among others. Dave has performed and toured for the last decade in countless acts. Recorded and released a handful of albums and music videos in past groups and has finally committed himself to a solo career.
He has opened for the likes of Mac Demarco, Kim Churchill, PS I Love You and The Mowgli’s. He has played many music festivals including Canada Music Week, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Byron Bay Surf Festival, Arlie Beach Music Festival and more. His sound has been described Lofi Indie, Folk and Alt Country.
Having travelled and toured on and off throughout Australia in a van from February 2019 up until the present day. Dave Helgi Johan has been writing and recording this whole album in the van, and sometimes in a hostel dorm room when locked down through the pandemic, and even a wagon at The Arts Factory in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia. Playing every instrument and sometimes even borrowing different instruments from friends and other musicians to fill out these tracks. This album has been a process with some road blocks along the way and without a doubt a labour of love.
Starting on a country note with Fair-Weather Friend, one of the album singles, the intro sounds like from outer space. The harmonica adds a sonic depth to the track. The rhytm changes with the follow-up, vintage-sounding Get It Together.The vocals sound a bit weary here but perhaps intentionally, to maintain the old school sound.
Firefly, an impressive six-minuter, is another single released prior to the album. And both its length and the arrangement make it a standout track.
Heartaches in Lake Forest Estates is more serious in terms of the theme yet the music tries to lift the overall impression up.
The vocal in Second chance nearly reaches its breaking point at times, that being compensated by a catchy arrangement.
Every track carries a different feel, you get the sense of experimentation from this record and that is never a bad thing.