Audra rides dark waves to success
By JENNA DUNCAN
Get Out

Although local dark wavers may seem to be hiding in the shadows, Valley band Audra still packs nightclubs in cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle where their records get radio airplay and are stocked in music stores.

“I was in Borders (in Tempe) and they don’t have our album,” says guitarist/keyboard player Bart Helm, 32. “They usually have it at the Mesa one.”

Audra will depart on a West Coast tour with New York’s Black Tape for a Blue Girl following their show at the Mason Jar Thursday. All three members of Audra will perform with Black Tape for a Blue Girl at select shows; the tour will continue through October.

Brothers Bret Helm, 30, and Bart have been creating their haunting, pop-infused brand of Goth rock together since 1991. The guys are writing songs for an upcoming album, their third to be released on underground phenom Projekt Records.

Though their darkly outlined visages and bawdy stage personas may suggest glam overindulgence, Audra produces brisk, minimal acoustic guitar and organ chamber music pleasantly coated with Bret Helm’s deep, throaty, narrative-style singing.

“There’s a real visceral, emotional level to Bret’s vocals,” says drummer J. DeWolfe, 32, of Scottsdale.

Bret, who lives in Mesa, says Audra adopted their storytelling style from Lou Reed’s matter-of-fact songwriting. Bart, who lives in Phoenix but works at the Mesa Public Library, draws inspiration for songs from the many colorful characters who drop in.

“I like to write songs about people who are unappreciated,” says Bart, adding that he and his brother grew up in an area of Chicago that was pretty rough.

“We had a lot of characters in the place we lived,” says Bret. “We’re kind of eccentric ourselves so we tend to attract people who are kind of odd. ... What comes out of us naturally is darker stuff.”

DeWolfe started playing with Audra in 2002. The addition of a live drummer has allowed Audra to develop more complex rhythms.

“We used drum machines on the last two albums, so now that (DeWolfe) is playing drums with us we’re just getting used to recording with drums,” Bart says.

After they release their album later this year, the band is trying to get aboard some tours to reach even wider audiences.

“A friend of ours e-mailed us and said, ‘Did you look at AFI’s Web site? Davey (Havok), the singer, picked ‘Going to the Theatre’ (Audra’s last album) as one of his top 10 favorite albums of 2003,” says Bret.

“One day, out of the blue, (Havok) e-mailed me and said he guest-DJed at a radio station in San Francisco and played ‘Going to the Theatre.’ So then we started e-mailing each other.”