This user has publicly declared that they have a conflict of interest regarding the Wikipedia article Title of your draft.

The Purple Helmets (Band)

The Purple Helmets are a Canadian rock band formed in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1988. The Purple Helmets have released 3 full length albums. Having consistently sustained top ten independent sales in Halifax tracked by Sam the Record Man in the early 1990's, the band signed a distribution deal with EMI subsidiary, Atlantica Duckworth in 1994. The band became a crowd favorite across Atlantic Canada, sometimes encountering controversy over their provocative name, yet gained a loyal audience with a keen ear for the band's horizon of influences, resulting in fetching songcraft and raucous indie power pop.

History

Formation (1988)

Growing up as friends in the Yarmouth suburb of Hebron Nova Scotia, Chris Thibedeau (guitar) and Mike Carter (drums) initially formed a Black Metal Band in 1984 called "the Horde" with local friend and vocalist Glen Penny (Bass). In 1987, Thibedeau and Carter began collaborating with local musicians Dan Stuart (bass) and Don Leblanc (lead guitar) to establish a mainstream rock act, before recruiting long time friend and vocalist Jonathan Kini (lead vocals), completing the band as a 5 piece. After Stuart departed to pursue academics, the band merged into a 4 piece act with Thibedeau moving to bass guitar, and Kini to rhythm guitar, with Kini and Leblanc sharing lead vocal duty, often singing together in harmony though many songs, cementing a familiar radio friendly sound for the band.

Name Controversy

During this period, the band chose a boorish locker room name for the male genitalia, receiving both positive and negative attention, however some venues refused to book the band under the name, thus creating more controversy around the name.

Bugs in Jars (1994)

Having applied for and received a Canadian Government FACTOR Grant (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records), the group sought out the assistance of Terry Pulliam to record and produce a 13 song album at SoundMarket Studios on Gottingen Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The album called "Bugs in Jars", was acclaimed by local and national media outlets, drawing attention from several music labels. The album became popular in the dense population of university students in Halifax, Nova Scotia, sustaining top ten independent sales which was commonly tracked by Sam the Record Man at this time. Based on these startup sales, the band signed a distribution deal with the EMI subsidiary, Atlantica Duckworth in 1994, and was invited to join the lineup for the Melbourne, Australia Pop Festival. Unfortunately, the group was unable to attend due to the travel budget required.

A single was released called, "Cheyenne" which received local and national airplay, including a video on Much Music.

Milo Stretch (1996)

Riding on the independent success of Bugs in Jars, the Purple Helmets recorded a 13 song follow up album with Steve Outhit and Doug Baron producing at Deep 9 Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Regretfully encouraged by booking agents to change their name, the band decided to briefly use the name "Milo" taken from a local lake in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The sophomore effort called "Milo Stretch", received disappointing results due to the lo-fi recording approach taken, compounded by the unanticipated name change confusing audiences.

Hiatus and Reunions

Following the disappointing results of Milo Stretch, the band members pursued academic and professional careers often reuniting for showcases and summer festival events. Leblanc pursued solo music projects using the moniker "Weston Downs" and briefly working for Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy as a guitar technician on tour. Thibedeau relocated to Ottawa, Ontario playing with several local acts including Chickpea, Nuginduck, The Department of Foreign Affairs (Band), the Dead Bees, and Duga Radar. In 2024, the Purple Helmets single "Cheyenne" was covered by the indie alt rock act "Cheval" with Dale Crover on Drums.

Weirdo Squad (2025)

In early 2024, the Purple Helmets began working on a new project with the members writing over 30 songs to be considered for a new Album. 10 songs were ultimately chosen for the new album to be called "Weirdo Squad". The album was rehearsed in July of 2024 in Ste Anne du Ruisseau, Nova Scotia, and then recorded over one week in Grand Cayman at Ironshore Studio, produced and engineered by Paul Suarez. The single "Criminal of Love" was released on December 25, 2024. Subsequent songs, including the full album will be released in early 2025.

Members

Jonathan Kini - vocals, rhythm guitar, (1988–present)
Chris Thibedeau - vocals bass guitar, keyboards, (1988–present)
Don Leblanc - vocals, lead guitar, (1988–present)
Mike Carter - Drums, (1988–present)

Discography


Year	Album
1993	Wishing Well EP
1994	Bugs in Jars
1995	I am Legend EP
1996	Milo Stretch
2025	Weirdo Squad