Helicopria

It all started with a “Sharks from A-Z” T-shirt. Drummer, JP Bouvet, an explorer by nature, was visually sifting through the extinct shark names when his eyes rested upon one that couldn’t be ignored – Helicoprion. It seemed to glow upon the black cotton, like our hopes and dreams for the future. After countless weeks of mispronunciation, we assumed “Helicopria” as our official title. As a band comprised of Berklee College of Music students, we’re growing up together in the Back Bay, Boston a...

It all started with a “Sharks from A-Z” T-shirt. Drummer, JP Bouvet, an explorer by nature, was visually sifting through the extinct shark names when his eyes rested upon one that couldn’t be ignored – Helicoprion. It seemed to glow upon the black cotton, like our hopes and dreams for the future. After countless weeks of mispronunciation, we assumed “Helicopria” as our official title. As a band comprised of Berklee College of Music students, we’re growing up together in the Back Bay, Boston area. Sulene: “I’m not vain about this band, I’m just honest.” Guitarist Sulene van der Walt is the founding member, manager, and African Mama of the band. One of her most important roles is to tame and focus the outlandish but inspiring ideas of her band mates. She is the heart of Helicoprian composition and has blue hair. Elijah: “Omar is a verb.” Elijah Melanson specializes in the intricate rhythm of quat-tupples on the guitar. This North Carolinian was born in a manger of coffee beans in his family owned coffee shop. Not really. But he does bring a unique blend of bold sonic aromas and mixes a mean latte of alien sounds and groove. An innovator by nature, his invention of the “under-water” jams has become a popular topic in university lectures from coast to coast. Drew: “My name spelled backwards is Werd.” Bassist Drew Moore does not approve of shoes. With the carpentry skills of Zeus, he can conjure all ten of the sexiest sounds in the universe (Maslow’s Sexual Hierarchy, Chapter 2). He is from Florida and his name spelled backwards is indeed “Werd.” Drew is good at the bass guitar and knows how to rock the stage. JP: “I want to make music that makes people sick to their stomach.” We found Jean-Pierre Didier Bouvet painting baguettes on the streets of Paris. Too poor to afford drum sticks, he would wait until the baguettes would harden and use them to create sick beats upon empty flowerpots. Just kidding, JP is from Lakeville, Minnesota. Having drummed in a diverse array of established groups in Minnesota, he delivers an eclectic groove foundation and a pocket deeper than the Helicoprion home at the bottom of the sea. Sirma: “Eelicopria.” Sirma Munyar, with her unique voice and accent, is a key factor in the group’s definitive sound. Our Turkish lady’s Middle-Eastern and Icelandic inspired style plays a large role in defining Helicopria’s sound. She sang on Akon’s hit single, “Oh, Africa,” (actually true) which was obviously dedicated to Sulene (not actually true). Her spunk and professionalism make her a gem to work with by anyone’s standards. Her angelic tone and poetic lyrics will take you into another world.