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Billy Talent
Background information
Origin Streetsville, Ontario,
Canada
Genre(s) Rock
Alternative rock
Years active 1993 - present
Label(s) Atlantic Records
Warner Music Canada
Associated
acts Pezz
Website www.billytalent.com
Members
Benjamin Kowalewicz
Ian D'Sa
Jonathan Gallant
Aaron Solowoniuk
Billy Talent is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock band formed in 1993 in
Mississauga, Ontario. The band consists of Benjamin Kowalewicz (vocals), Ian
D'Sa (guitar/vocals), Jonathan Gallant (bass/vocals), and Aaron Solowoniuk
(drums/percussion).
Although they are often described as having punk rock roots, the band claims
that they have no bands that they have draw inspiration from; they did not
"emulate popular bands at the time." The sound is original and unique,
something different that they recognized when they first started playing
together.[1]
“ Music for us depends on the individuals you are playing with, and
individually we are all at our best in the context of this band. Our
collaboration and chemistry work. For years we tried to find our sound, but
everything started happening when we simply accepted what we are. When you
find your voice, everything else follows suit.
— Kowalewicz with MuchMusic[1] ”
The band existed for almost a decade before hitting mainstream success. The
members met and played in high school under the name Pezz, and remained
underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001. The band renamed
itself Billy Talent after running into legal trouble with the old name. It
was then that Kowalewicz's connection with a worker in Warner Music Canada's
A&R landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream
success.[2] Since then, Billy Talent has made two multi-platinum records in
Canada[3], and continue to expand their success overseas. While currently on
tour, the band is expecting to return home in September and start on a third
album.[4]
History
Origins as Pezz: 1993–1998
The band originated in Meadowvale and Streetsville, two neighbouring
districts in Mississauga, Ontario. In 1993, Ben Kowalewicz and Jon Gallant
were part of a band called "To Each His Own", where Gallant played bass, and
Kowalewicz was on drums. Kowalewicz moved to vocals, and Aaron Solowoniuk
was recruited in his place. They then met Ian D'Sa backstage at their high
school talent show, who played with a different band by the name of "Dragonflower".[5]
The two bands started playing local pool halls and bars together. Eventually
Kowalewicz asked D'Sa about starting a new band with him, Gallant, and
Solowoniuk. He wanted to make a band that focused more on creativity, and
D'Sa agreed.[1] This merger would bring on the name "The Other One" for a
short time, and eventually Pezz.[5]
Pezz began writing, performing songs, and gaining attention and credibility
at first locally, and soon in Toronto's broader indie music scene. Their
first recording was a cheap 4-track demo. It was recorded in Ian D'Sa's
basement in July of 1994, and was named Demoluca, after a friend of the band
named Jason Deluca had stopped by the house, banging on a basement window
while the band was recording. Soon after, in January 1995, they all put in
money to record another demo of better quality with engineer/producer Dave
Tedesco at "Signal to Noise" studio which they called Dudebox. It was not
until the band members maxed-out their credit cards, and collaborated with
Juno-nominated music producer Brad Nelson, that they recorded their first
full-length album, Watoosh!, in 1998 at a studio called "Great Big Music".
While popular within Toronto's indie scene, it did not reach large
mainstream sales levels.[5]
Billy Talent and mainstream success: 1999–2004
In 1999, Pezz ran into some legal trouble over their name. A punk band from
Memphis, Tennessee used the same name, and had released their first record
under that name in 1990 (however, their first full-length was not released
until 1995). At first, the Canadian Pezz's management threatened a lawsuit
and demanded $5,000 from BYO Records, the Los Angeles-based record company,
at the time, for the American Pezz. In time, the band relented, and soon
renamed themselves Billy Talent in 2001. The name was inspired by "Billy
Tallent", the name of a guitarist in Hard Core Logo, a novel by Michael
Turner with a film adaptation by Bruce McDonald.[5][2] However, this still
led to fans mistaking Kowalewicz of being named Billy Talent.[6]
Now known as Billy Talent, their sound began to move in a more aggressive,
punk rock direction. During this time, Kowalewicz ran into a co-worker, Jen
Hirst, at 102.1 the edge, the Toronto radio station he worked at. She had
previously seen the band perform as Pezz, and he asked her to check out the
band's performance at a club. This would prove to pay off, as Hirst was
later hired by Warner Music Canada to work in A&R. This connection would get
the band their producer Gavin Brown, and a demo deal with the label. Before
the demos were recorded, a local manager called Atlantic Records A&R
executives, who were already in Toronto, to see the band perform in its tiny
rehearsal space.[2] The demos were recorded and released as a four song EP,
Try Honesty, in September 2001.
In 2002, the band met with record executives, and ended up signing a
co-venture agreement with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Canada.[2] In
the fall of 2003, the band released their full-length self-titled album,
Billy Talent. The album found considerable mainstream airplay and sales
success. "Try Honesty" was a successful first single, and was followed by
other singles "The Ex", "River Below", and "Nothing To Lose" into late 2003
and 2004. The band played sold-out shows in Canada and the United States and
had success in Europe as well. The band received Juno and MuchMusic Video
Award nominations and awards, and spent late 2004 and most of 2005 touring.
Billy Talent went on to be certified 3x Platinum in Canada.[3][4] The album
achieved minimal success in the United States, despite the band's
participation in the Warped Tour 2006 festival.[citation needed]
Billy Talent II: 2005–present
Billy Talent's second album was mostly recorded at The Warehouse Studio in
Vancouver, British Columbia, again working closely with good friends Gavin
Brown and Chris Lord-Alge. This time however Ian D'Sa got a chance to try
his hand at producing. The band also recorded cover songs of John Lennon's
"Cold Turkey" and the Buzzcocks "Ever Fallen in Love?" during these
sessions.
Beginning in the fall of 2005, songs from the new album were purposely
leaked by the band to gain publicity. A demo of "Red Flag" circulated across
the internet, even though it had already appeared on the soundtracks to
Burnout Revenge, Burnout Legends, SSX On Tour and EA Sports' NHL 06, and on
the Atlantic Records compilation Black by Popular Demand. "Devil In A
Midnight Mass" and "Surrender" were available for download on the official
website exclusively on Christmas Day, 2005 and Valentine's Day, 2006,
respectively.
Billy Talent II hit the shelves on June 27, 2006. It fared very well in
Canada in its debut week, landing in at number 1 on the Canadian charts.[7]
It also enjoyed significant success in Germany, where it also debuted at
number 1 in the album charts in it's debut week,[7] and was one of the top
10 selling albums in the counrty,[4] achieving platinum status with 200,000
shipped units.[8] However the success did not duplicate itself in the
U.S.,[4] where the disk came in at #134, selling only 7,231 units in week
1.[citation needed] However, the album has sold almost 700,000 units
worldwide, 215,000 of them in Canada,[4] which has made it certified 2x
Platinum.[3]
Kowalewicz at the Cardiff University Students' Union on August 8, 2006. This
is the band's second international tour, but this time they will play in
countries like Prague, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, and Belgium for the
first time.
Kowalewicz at the Cardiff University Students' Union on August 8, 2006. This
is the band's second international tour, but this time they will play in
countries like Prague, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, and Belgium for the
first time.[4]
The album has less anger and language than their previous self-titled album,
as they had mellowed out and matured as men and as a band. More of the songs
dealt with real-life issues, to the praise of fans and critics.[7]
“ We wanted to do something completely different from the first record
because we had changed dramatically and had learned a lot from personal
relationships. Everyone in the band is partnering up and dealing with those
issues.
The general theme of this record is trust, the lack thereof or breaking up.
That seemed to fuel the record.
--Jonathan Gallant speaking with the Ottawa Sun[7]
”
During the band's UK tour, Ben was forced to return to Canada for
family-related reasons. The band had to miss their Southampton show in Ben's
absence. The whole band returned the following month to play the
show.[citation needed]
The band started their first Canadian arena tour with the bands Rise
Against, Anti-Flag, and Moneen, performing in the provinces of British
Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and ending off in Ontario.
Following the Canadian tour, the band vetured off onto their first US club
tour.[9]
The band went on a large overseas tour, beginning on June 1. They
temporarily came back in mid June to play shows at the MuchMusic Video
Awards, the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, and the Festival d'été de Québec
2007 in Quebec City. They returned overseas, selling out multiple venues in
Australia. They will return to Canada after their tour ends on September 3,
to begin work on a third album.[4]
Members
* Benjamin Kowalewicz - vocals
* Ian D'Sa - guitar, backing vocals
* Jonathan Gallant - bass, backing vocals
* Aaron Solowoniuk - drums
Awards
* 2004 Juno Awards:
Won Best New Group of the Year
Nominated Rock Album of the Year (Billy Talent), Single Of The Year ("Try
Honesty")
* 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards:
Won Best Rock Video ("Try Honesty")
* 2004 Casby Awards:
Won Favorite New Single ("River Below"), Favorite New Album (Billy Talent)
* 2005 Juno Awards:
Won Group of the Year, Best Album of the Year (Billy Talent)
Nominated for Single of the Year ("River Below")
* 2005 MuchMusic Video Awards:
Won Best Video ("River Below"), Best Rock Video ("River Below")
* 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards:
Nominated Best Video, Best Director (Sean Michael Turrell), Best
Post-Production, Best Cinematography, Best Rock Video (all for "Devil in a
Midnight Mass")
* 2007 Juno Awards:
Won Group of the Year, Rock Album of the Year (Billy Talent II)
Nominated for Group of the Year, Rock Album of the Year (Billy Talent II),
Video of the Year ("Devil in a Midnight Mass"), Single of the Year ("Devil
in a Midnight Mass") and Album of the Year (Billy Talent II)
* 2007 ECHO Awards:
Won Best Newcomer International, Best Rock/Alternative International
* 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards:
Won Best Video ("Fallen Leaves") , MuchLoud Best Rock Video ("Fallen
Leaves"), People's Choice: Favorite Canadian Group ("Devil In A Midnight
Mass")
Nominated Best Director ("Red Flag"), Best Cinematography ("Red Flag")
Selected discography
Date of release Title Record label Notes
1998 Watoosh! (independent release) Released under the name Pezz.
September 16, 2003 Billy Talent Warner Music Canada/Atlantic Records 3x
Platinum (Canada)
June 27, 2006 Billy Talent II Warner Music Canada/Atlantic Records 2x
Platinum (Canada), Platinum (Germany)
References
1. ^ a b c Artist Bio: Billy Talent. MuchMusic.com. Retrieved on July 12,
2007.
2. ^ a b c d e Bliss, Karen, "Billy Talent", Access Magazine (no. February
2003 - March 2003)
3. ^ a b c CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications. Canadian Recording
Industry Association (January 2007). Retrieved on July 4, 2007.
4. ^ a b c d e f g Bliss, Karen. "75,000 sing Billy Talent", JAM! Music,
June 15, 2007. Retrieved on July 9, 2007.
5. ^ a b c d "Before They Were Famous." [Ongoing History of New Music].
November 11, 2005.
6. ^ Wood, Sherry. "Billy Talent proud of new album", Toronto Sun, June 23,
2006. Retrieved on July 8, 2007.
7. ^ a b c d e Armstrong, Denis. "Billy Talent mellows out", Ottawa Sun,
January 31, 2007. Retrieved on July 8, 2007.
8. ^ Database for German Record Awards
9. ^ Wood, Sherry. "Billy Talent nervous about tour", Toronto Sun, February
1, 2007. Retrieved on July 9, 2007.
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