Billy Talent
Encyclopedia
Billy Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore
band from Streetsville, Ontario
. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz
as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa
on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk
.
The band existed for almost a decade before 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 an employee of Warner Music Canada
's A&R
department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Since then, Billy Talent has made two multi-platinum records in Canada, and continues to expand their success overseas, this included touring for 20 months
supporting their third album
. They released their fourth album Billy Talent III
on July 14, 2009.
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 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 the "Signal to Noise" studio which they called Dudebox
. Originally, two tracks from Demoluca and four newly recorded tracks were compiled onto it, but a year later the band recorded four more tunes live in the studio and re-released it. After these releases and their continued performances in the immediate area, Pezz was gaining a following in Mississauga and it continued to spread.
D'Sa studied classical animation at Sheridan College
, and even worked on Angela Anaconda
as an animator. Gallant almost finished a business degree. Kowalewicz was in between jobs, one which included working at 102.1 the edge
. Solowoniuk worked at Chrysler Canada
. But during this, each member found the time and finances to max-out their credit cards, and record their first full-length album in 1999. They laid down twelve tracks at a studio called "Great Big Music", collaborating with Juno
-nominated music producer Brad Nelson
. Kowalewicz started singing in melody with D'Sa. The music began to transform from a "raw rap-rock" songs into "catchy and angst-ridden pop punk anthems". With that, Watoosh!
was born and independently released. While popular within Toronto's indie
scene, it did not reach large mainstream sales levels.
on BYO Records
with lawsuits and demanding thousands of dollars from them, the Canadian Pezz received documentation from their American namesake proving that then they had held the name internationally since 1989; thus, the Canadian band had no legal claim over the name anymore and changed it. Billy Talent would become their new name, inspired by the guitarist "Billy Tallent" from Michael Turner
's novel Hard Core Logo
. The film adaptation by Bruce McDonald would be the inspirational medium for the band. However, this still led to fans mistaking Kowalewicz as being named Billy Talent.
Now known as Billy Talent, their sound began to move in a more aggressive, punk rock direction. During this time, Kowalewicz ran into Jen Hirst, at 102.1 the edge
, the Toronto radio station he worked at. She had 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.
In 2002, the band met with record executives, and ended up signing a co-venture agreement with Atlantic Records
and Warner Music Canada
. In the fall of 2003, the band released their full-length self-titled album, Billy Talent
. The album found considerable 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
. The band received Juno
, (They won two Junos, Best Album of the Year, and Best Band of the Year) 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.
A track from the album was titled "This Is How It Goes", and it was about one of Kowalewicz's friends who had multiple sclerosis
. On March 17, 2006, Aaron Solowoniuk revealed in a personal letter to fans that he was the friend in that song. Solowoniuk was confirmed to have the disease, which causes anything from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision, in January 1999. His neurologist
prescribed him medication that he would have to self inject three times a week, possibly for the rest of his life. Although it was a struggle for Solowoniuk to come to terms with the reality of the disease, going to numerous doctor appointments, and touring with the band with a mini-fridge in their van has become normal routine. The medication has let him continue drumming with the band, as it eliminated his symptoms, and he has stated that "this changes nothing about my band or me."
, British Columbia
, which was produced by Gavin Brown again with Ian D'Sa co-producing for the first time, and mixed
by Chris Lord-Alge
.
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. It also enjoyed significant success in Germany
, where it also debuted at number 1 in the album charts in its debut week, and was one of the top 10 selling albums in the country. As of June 15, 2007, the album has sold almost 700,000 units worldwide, 215,000 of them in Canada making it certified 2x Platinum, and 200,000 shipped units in Germany achieved it platinum status there. However, the success did not duplicate itself in the U.S. The band has expressed that they know they are a new band there, and they are choosing to concentrate their attention on Canada, Europe, and other places overseas instead.
The album contains less anger and bad 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.
The band ventured off on another UK tour in support of Billy Talent II, but this one would include more shows in countries they had not performed in before. During this tour leg, the gigs at London
and Manchester
, on September 8 and 16, respectively, were recorded live. Limited edition CDs were released as the band's only live album to date, Live from the UK Sept./2006
. Also during the tour, the band had to miss their Southampton
show "due to a death in the family". The whole band returned the following month to play the show.
The band started their first Canadian arena
tour with the bands Rise Against
, Anti-Flag
, and Moneen
, performing in British Columbia
, Alberta
, Saskatchewan
, Manitoba
, Quebec
and ending in Ontario
. Following the Canadian tour, the band ventured onto their first US
club tour.
The band went on a large overseas tour, beginning on June 1, 2007. 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 in Quebec City
. They returned overseas, selling out multiple venues in Australia
and performing at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards. They had planned to end their tour on September 3, but the band played shows in St. John's, Newfoundland, Saint John, New Brunswick
and Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 5, 7 and 8, respectively. As of September 11, 2007, the band has indicated that their 18-month tour has officially ended, and they are "home for a while to catch [their] breath a little before [they] start writing the next record." In the meantime, a live DVD album called 666
was released on November 27, 2007, featuring footage and audio from the band's performances at London
's Brixton Academy, Düsseldorf
's Philipshalle, and Germany
's Rock am Ring
festival (at the Nürburgring
).
In 2008 they opened for American group My Chemical Romance
in the US with smaller group Drive By
and attended several festivals and held concerts in Canada and Europe later on. Vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz stated on July 1, on Billy Talent's official forum, that they're staying put in Canada until the album is finished, and that their promotional tour for II
has come to an end.
) was released on September 15 in the U.K. and most of Europe
, on September 16 in the U.S. and Canada
and September 20 in Australia
and was also featured in the video game NHL 09
.
The band entered the studio in November with Brendan O'Brien
, who has previously worked with Rage Against The Machine
, Incubus
, Stone Temple Pilots
, Soundgarden
, Pearl Jam
and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
.
The band embarked on a supporting tour for the third album
, starting in Australia in the Soundwave Festival in February. Also, they played two sidewaves, one in Sydney
, and one in Melbourne
, with Emery
and Face to Face
opening for them. After Australia, the band headed to North America, where they played the three day Coachella Festival. Ian revealed that the new album is to be called Billy Talent III
.
During summer 2009, Billy Talent toured North America with Rise Against
and Rancid
. On February 26, the band was announced for Download festival
in the U.K. They also played in Columbus, Ohio at Rock on the Range in May 2009. During the Melbourne Soundwave show, Ben announced they would tour Australia again in August. Billy Talent also played at Reading and Leeds Festivals
2009. Following the twin festivals the band toured the U.K. in late October/early November before moving on to tour the U.S. in support of their new album. In an interview with UpVenue, bassist Jonathan Gallant announced that the Canadian tour would begin in winter 2010 but would be an extensive one.
Their fourth album, Billy Talent III
was released on July 14, 2009. On September 22, 2009, it was released in the United States, through Roadrunner Records
.
Billy Talent kicked off their 2009 European tour on October 19, commenting before the tour that they "can't wait to come over to Europe and the U.K.". They followed the European tour with a Canadian tour in March 2010, with Against Me!
, Alexisonfire
and Cancer Bats
supporting. On February 1, "Saint Veronika
" was released as the third single from Billy Talent III.
On February 16, 2010, Billy Talent released iTunes Session, over iTunes
, a 7-track EP with songs from all three of the Billy Talent Albums.
In August 2010, Billy Talent played 3 tour dates in South Africa
, one in Cape Town
, Durban
and at Oppikoppi
along with other local bands such as Taxi Violence, Zebra and Giraffe and Jack Parow
. The band then played the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
in the summer, along with bands such as Blink-182
, Guns N' Roses
, Arcade Fire, Paramore
, Weezer
, Lostprophets
& Young Guns
. This was the band's last performances on the Billy Talent III Tour
, and it was announced by Ben that the band were going to take a break before beginning work on their next album.
in August 2011 it was announced in an interview with the band, that their new album will be called "X" and will be recorded in November. On October 10, 2011, the band confirmed on their Facebook page that they would be entering the studio in late November to record the new album, and that they plan to release it by early 2012.
In November 25, the band tweeted that they were now officially back in the studio to record their new album.
saw the band mixing multiple genres and making diverse songs on the same album, stretching from hip hop
to indie
and ska
. However, this evolved into a more collected sound that was a mix of fewer genres on their second album, Billy Talent
. The result of this has not been described by the band as a their defining sound and that it was something that appeared to them after experimenting with different styles. Although they intended not to draw any inspiration from other bands, their new sound had similarities to the music of Refused
, Rage Against the Machine
, Jane's Addiction
and Fugazi, bands that they have said they have great respect for. The similarities were especially related to a lighter post-hardcore
genre and the music of Refused
and At the Drive-In
, but also the anger and hard rock
from Rage Against the Machine
. In an interview on Halifax, Nova Scotia radio station, Q104
the band identified The Police as an influence.
On Billy Talent II
, the band altered their sound yet again, based on more mid-tempo and emotional compositions; a bit more collected than their previous work. It was also based on far less angst and aggression behind the production, something that was known factors behind their debut. While this change was apparent on many of the songs, they kept the hints of hard rock
, but with less screaming and more singing by Ben. "This Suffering
" in particular shows the alteration because of its reminiscence of their previous album and difference from the other songs on the album.
Although there are faint similarities to their music, their mix and innovation of genres have made them unique and pioneering in the modern music scene. There are raw and frequent backup vocals heavily collaborated by main vocals, quick changes between loud and quiet, tempo changes and Kowalewicz's characteristic vocals which are the key elements that emphasize that assertion. In addition to this, they are known for their significant usage of the dropped D tuning (DADGBe) on almost every song on Billy Talent I, II, and III (the exceptions being "Tears Into Wine" and "White Sparrows" tuned in Db, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, eb).
, winning 9 awards from 29 nominations at the MuchMusic Video Awards
and 7 awards from 17 nominations at the Juno Awards. The band has also been nominated at the MuchMusic Video Awards every year since 2004. Overall, Billy Talent has received 16 awards from 46 nominations in Canada. The band also had the number 1 rock song of 2009 "Devil on My Shoulder
" on much music's holiday wrap, along with the number five song "Fallen Leaves
" for much music's 99 best music videos. They are also the most nominated band in Much Music Video Award history.
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band from Streetsville, Ontario
Streetsville, Ontario
Streetsville is an established community located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River...
. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz
Benjamin Kowalewicz
Benjamin Kowalewicz is the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Billy Talent.-Biography:Kowalewicz, of Polish descent, was born December 16, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Streetsville, Ontario, but now lives in downtown Toronto. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary...
as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa
Ian D'Sa
Ian Michael D'Sa is the guitarist for the Canadian band Billy Talent.-Early life and career:Ian's family moved from the UK to Canada when he was 3 years old. He is of Indian Goan descent and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario learning guitar at the age of 13...
on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk
Aaron Solowoniuk
Aaron Solowoniuk , is the drummer for the Canadian band Billy Talent.- Background :Solowoniuk was born and raised in Streetsville, Ontario and began drumming at a young age, his first set being a gift from his parents...
.
The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success. The members met and played in high school under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
'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 an employee of Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...
's A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Since then, Billy Talent has made two multi-platinum records in Canada, and continues to expand their success overseas, this included touring for 20 months
Billy Talent II Tour
The II Tour was a 20-month long concert tour by punk rock band Billy Talent, taking place in 2006 through to 2008 in support of their second studio album Billy Talent II...
supporting their third album
Billy Talent II
-Themes: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.-Personnel:Billy Talent...
. They released their fourth album Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
on July 14, 2009.
Origins as Pezz: 1987–1999
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
'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 1994, and was named Demoluca
Demoluca
-Trivia:* Demoluca was recorded in Ian D'Sa's parents basement* Demoluca was named after the band's friend, Jason Deluca after he interrupted recording by knocking on the basement window...
, 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 the "Signal to Noise" studio which they called Dudebox
Dudebox
Dudebox was another 4-track tape demo following up Demoluca, recorded by Pezz in January 1995. The decision to spend money for a professional recording by Dave Tedesco at Toronto's Signal To Noise studio enhanced Pezz' sound dramatically...
. Originally, two tracks from Demoluca and four newly recorded tracks were compiled onto it, but a year later the band recorded four more tunes live in the studio and re-released it. After these releases and their continued performances in the immediate area, Pezz was gaining a following in Mississauga and it continued to spread.
D'Sa studied classical animation at Sheridan College
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a diploma and degree granting Canadian polytechnic institute with approximately 15,000 full time students and 35,000 continuing education students...
, and even worked on Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda is a Canadian cutout animation television series that aired on the channels Teletoon and Fox Family. It centers on the adventures of an eight-year-old girl named Angela who lives in the fictional town of Tapwater Springs, has wacky brothers, weird friends, and hates a snobbish...
as an animator. Gallant almost finished a business degree. Kowalewicz was in between jobs, one which included working at 102.1 the edge
CFNY-FM
CFNY-FM, promoted under the branding 102.1 The Edge, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. The station rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to its freestyle DJing format and unique choice to play alternative music...
. Solowoniuk worked at Chrysler Canada
Chrysler Canada
Chrysler Canada Incorporated is Chrysler's Canadian subsidiary. Incorporated in 1925, the Chrysler Corporation of Canada gained complete control of a Maxwell-Chalmers plant in Windsor Ontario that had been used to manufacture some Chrysler models in the previous year...
. But during this, each member found the time and finances to max-out their credit cards, and record their first full-length album in 1999. They laid down twelve tracks at a studio called "Great Big Music", collaborating with Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-nominated music producer Brad Nelson
Brad Nelson
Bradley John Nelson is a Minor League Baseball player who is currently in the Texas Rangers organization. He has played primarily first base and outfield. When he is not playing defensively he also serves as a designated hitter.-High school:Nelson played high school baseball at Bishop Garrigan...
. Kowalewicz started singing in melody with D'Sa. The music began to transform from a "raw rap-rock" songs into "catchy and angst-ridden pop punk anthems". With that, Watoosh!
Watoosh!
* Track 13 is an instrumental, while tracks 11, 12 and 14-16 are blank.* The track "M & M" is about a group of gothic kids that used to come into the HMV where Kowalewicz worked.-Personnel:*Benjamin Kowalewicz - lead vocals...
was born and independently released. While popular within Toronto's indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
scene, it did not reach large mainstream sales levels.
Billy Talent and success: 1999–2004
In 1999, after threatening the American punk band PezzPezz
Pezz is a punk band from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. They formed in 1989 and released several LPs, CDs and cassettes with labels 'Truant Records', 'BYO Records', and 'Soul is Cheap'...
on BYO Records
BYO Records
BYO Records is a Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the seminal California punk rock band Youth Brigade . BYO stands for Better Youth Organization and aims to promote punk and other alternative youth...
with lawsuits and demanding thousands of dollars from them, the Canadian Pezz received documentation from their American namesake proving that then they had held the name internationally since 1989; thus, the Canadian band had no legal claim over the name anymore and changed it. Billy Talent would become their new name, inspired by the guitarist "Billy Tallent" from Michael Turner
Michael Turner (musician)
For other people named Michael Turner, see Michael Turner.Michael Turner is a musician, and writer of poetry, prose and opera librettos....
's novel Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. Director Bruce McDonald illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock...
. The film adaptation by Bruce McDonald would be the inspirational medium for the band. However, this still led to fans mistaking Kowalewicz as being named Billy Talent.
Now known as Billy Talent, their sound began to move in a more aggressive, punk rock direction. During this time, Kowalewicz ran into Jen Hirst, at 102.1 the edge
CFNY-FM
CFNY-FM, promoted under the branding 102.1 The Edge, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. The station rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to its freestyle DJing format and unique choice to play alternative music...
, the Toronto radio station he worked at. She had 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
Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...
to work in A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
. This connection would get the band their producer Gavin Brown
Gavin Brown (musician)
Gavin "Golden" Brown is a multi-platinum, multi-Juno Award-winning Canadian record producer, songwriter, and musician.Brown is based in Toronto, Canada and Los Angeles, California. Having worked with a variety of acts, Gavin is best known for both his ability to develop and break young artists,...
, and a demo deal with the label. Before the demos were recorded, a local manager called Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
A&R executives, who were already in Toronto, to see the band perform in its tiny rehearsal space.
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...
. In the fall of 2003, the band released their full-length self-titled album, Billy Talent
Billy Talent (album)
- Chart positions :- Personnel :* Benjamin Kowalewicz - Lead vocals* Ian D'Sa - Guitar, vocals, art direction, package design* Jonathan Gallant - Bass guitar, vocals* Aaron Solowoniuk - Drums- Appearances :...
. The album found considerable sales success. "Try Honesty
Try Honesty
"Try Honesty" is the first single released from the Canadian music group Billy Talent's debut self-titled album, released on September 1, 2003.- Music video :...
" was a successful first single, and was followed by other singles "The Ex
The Ex (song)
"The Ex" was the second single released from the Canadian rock group Billy Talent's debut self-titled album. The video for "The Ex," directed by Shawn Maher and Billy Talent, features the band playing in a small, dimly lit room with a cheering crowd in front of the stage.Some of the footage from...
", "River Below
River Below
"River Below" is a song by the Canadian band Billy Talent, released on July 5, 2004. It became one of the most acclaimed songs on the band's first album and was played on MuchMusic more than any previous releases...
", 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
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The band received Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
, (They won two Junos, Best Album of the Year, and Best Band of the Year) 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.
A track from the album was titled "This Is How It Goes", and it was about one of Kowalewicz's friends who had multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. On March 17, 2006, Aaron Solowoniuk revealed in a personal letter to fans that he was the friend in that song. Solowoniuk was confirmed to have the disease, which causes anything from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision, in January 1999. His neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
prescribed him medication that he would have to self inject three times a week, possibly for the rest of his life. Although it was a struggle for Solowoniuk to come to terms with the reality of the disease, going to numerous doctor appointments, and touring with the band with a mini-fridge in their van has become normal routine. The medication has let him continue drumming with the band, as it eliminated his symptoms, and he has stated that "this changes nothing about my band or me."
Billy Talent II: 2005–2007
Billy Talent's third album was mostly recorded at The Warehouse Studio in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, which was produced by Gavin Brown again with Ian D'Sa co-producing for the first time, and mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
.
Billy Talent II
Billy Talent II
-Themes: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.-Personnel:Billy Talent...
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. It also enjoyed significant success in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where it also debuted at number 1 in the album charts in its debut week, and was one of the top 10 selling albums in the country. As of June 15, 2007, the album has sold almost 700,000 units worldwide, 215,000 of them in Canada making it certified 2x Platinum, and 200,000 shipped units in Germany achieved it platinum status there. However, the success did not duplicate itself in the U.S. The band has expressed that they know they are a new band there, and they are choosing to concentrate their attention on Canada, Europe, and other places overseas instead.
Billy Talent (album)
- Chart positions :- Personnel :* Benjamin Kowalewicz - Lead vocals* Ian D'Sa - Guitar, vocals, art direction, package design* Jonathan Gallant - Bass guitar, vocals* Aaron Solowoniuk - Drums- Appearances :...
, 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.
The band ventured off on another UK tour in support of Billy Talent II, but this one would include more shows in countries they had not performed in before. During this tour leg, the gigs at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, on September 8 and 16, respectively, were recorded live. Limited edition CDs were released as the band's only live album to date, Live from the UK Sept./2006
Live From The UK Sept./2006
Live From the UK Sept./2006 is the first live album by Toronto, Ontario, Canada punk/alternative rockers Billy Talent, released through Concertlive.co.uk...
. Also during the tour, the band had to miss their Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
show "due to a death in the family". The whole band returned the following month to play the show.
The band started their first Canadian arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
tour with the bands Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, Anti-Flag
Anti-Flag
Anti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, formed in 1988. The band is well known for its outspoken political views. Much of the band's lyrics have focused on fervent anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth...
, and Moneen
Moneen
Moneen is an indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.-History:The band formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. Moneen's original bass player, Mark Bowser, was replaced by Chris Slorach, who left the band after the release of The Theory of Harmonial Value...
, performing in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and ending in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Following the Canadian tour, the band ventured onto their first US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
club tour.
The band went on a large overseas tour, beginning on June 1, 2007. They temporarily came back in mid June to play shows at the MuchMusic Video Awards
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
, the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, and the Festival d'été de Québec in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. They returned overseas, selling out multiple venues in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and performing at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards. They had planned to end their tour on September 3, but the band played shows in St. John's, Newfoundland, Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
and Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 5, 7 and 8, respectively. As of September 11, 2007, the band has indicated that their 18-month tour has officially ended, and they are "home for a while to catch [their] breath a little before [they] start writing the next record." In the meantime, a live DVD album called 666
666 (Billy Talent album)
666 Live is the name of Billy Talent's 2007 live CD/DVD album. It has three of the band's European performances from their past tour, which took them around the globe multiple times over eighteen months in support of their latest studio album Billy Talent II...
was released on November 27, 2007, featuring footage and audio from the band's performances at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Brixton Academy, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
's Philipshalle, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Rock am Ring
Rock am Ring
The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany....
festival (at the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
).
In 2008 they opened for American group My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
in the US with smaller group Drive By
Drive By
Drive By is a New Jersey based music group that has been touring nationally and internationally since 2004 after the release of their debut album I Hate Every Day Without You Kid... After three years of touring in support of the album, they released a new record, title A Delicate Situation, on...
and attended several festivals and held concerts in Canada and Europe later on. Vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz stated on July 1, on Billy Talent's official forum, that they're staying put in Canada until the album is finished, and that their promotional tour for II
Billy Talent II
-Themes: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.-Personnel:Billy Talent...
has come to an end.
Billy Talent III: 2008–2011
The single for "Turn Your Back" (which was previously recorded in a collaboration form with the band Anti-FlagAnti-Flag
Anti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, formed in 1988. The band is well known for its outspoken political views. Much of the band's lyrics have focused on fervent anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth...
) was released on September 15 in the U.K. and most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, on September 16 in the U.S. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and September 20 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and was also featured in the video game NHL 09
NHL 09
NHL 09 is the 18th video game in the NHL series released by EA Sports. NHL 09 was first released in North America for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 10, 2008, and on September 25, 2008 Australia, and September 26, 2008 in Europe. It was released for Microsoft Windows on October 22, 2008...
.
The band entered the studio in November with Brendan O'Brien
Brendan O'Brien (music producer)
Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
, who has previously worked with Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
, Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
.
The band embarked on a supporting tour for the third album
Billy Talent III Tour
The III Tour was a concert tour by band Billy Talent, taking place from 2009 to 2010, in support of their third studio album Billy Talent III....
, starting in Australia in the Soundwave Festival in February. Also, they played two sidewaves, one in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and one in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, with Emery
Emery (band)
Emery is an American four-piece post-hardcore band from Rock Hill, South Carolina currently signed to both Tooth & Nail Records and Solid State Records and based in Seattle, Washington. Emery was founded in Rock Hill, South Carolina with the original lineup consisting of Toby Morrell, Devin...
and Face to Face
Face to Face (punk band)
Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...
opening for them. After Australia, the band headed to North America, where they played the three day Coachella Festival. Ian revealed that the new album is to be called Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
.
During summer 2009, Billy Talent toured North America with Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
and Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
. On February 26, the band was announced for Download festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
in the U.K. They also played in Columbus, Ohio at Rock on the Range in May 2009. During the Melbourne Soundwave show, Ben announced they would tour Australia again in August. Billy Talent also played at Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
2009. Following the twin festivals the band toured the U.K. in late October/early November before moving on to tour the U.S. in support of their new album. In an interview with UpVenue, bassist Jonathan Gallant announced that the Canadian tour would begin in winter 2010 but would be an extensive one.
Their fourth album, Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
was released on July 14, 2009. On September 22, 2009, it was released in the United States, through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
.
Billy Talent kicked off their 2009 European tour on October 19, commenting before the tour that they "can't wait to come over to Europe and the U.K.". They followed the European tour with a Canadian tour in March 2010, with Against Me!
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida and relocated to Gainesville, Florida in 1999. Their first full-length album, released on No Idea Records in 2002, was Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. They have released music on Misanthrope Records, Crasshole Records,...
, Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
and Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats are a hardcore punk/sludge metal band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Background:Cancer Bats originated in May 2004 with singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton, former member of Toronto heavy metal band At the Mercy of Inspiration...
supporting. On February 1, "Saint Veronika
Saint Veronika
"Saint Veronika" is the third official single by Billy Talent from their fourth album, Billy Talent III.-Music video:The music video premiered on February 1, 2010 on MySpace. The video starts with a family of dolls sitting down at dinner when the father gets angry at his daughter to which she...
" was released as the third single from Billy Talent III.
On February 16, 2010, Billy Talent released iTunes Session, over iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, a 7-track EP with songs from all three of the Billy Talent Albums.
In August 2010, Billy Talent played 3 tour dates in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, one in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and at Oppikoppi
Oppikoppi
Oppikoppi is the name of a music festival held in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, near the mining town of Northam. The festival started off focusing mostly on rock music, but gradually added more genres and now plays host to a complete mixed bag of genres...
along with other local bands such as Taxi Violence, Zebra and Giraffe and Jack Parow
Jack Parow
Zander Tyler, better known by his stage name Jack Parow is a South African Afrikaans rapper from Bellville in the Western Cape. He is well known for his contribution to the song Die Vraagstuk with Die Heuwels Fantasties. He also performed with Die Heuwels Fantasties at Oppikoppi 2009...
. The band then played the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in the summer, along with bands such as Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, Arcade Fire, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
& Young Guns
Young Guns (band)
Young Guns are an English alternative rock band from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. On 22 June 2009 they released their debut EP Mirrors, and their debut album All Our Kings Are Dead was released a year later on 12 July 2010, peaking at #43 in the UK Albums Chart, and #3 in both the UK Rock and...
. This was the band's last performances on the Billy Talent III Tour
Billy Talent III Tour
The III Tour was a concert tour by band Billy Talent, taking place from 2009 to 2010, in support of their third studio album Billy Talent III....
, and it was announced by Ben that the band were going to take a break before beginning work on their next album.
Billy Talent X: 2011–present
In April 2011, Ben stated that "At this point there is no time frame for touring, as our main priority is finishing writing and recording this new record". Ben also stated "the songs this far are unlike anything we've ever done before yet it still seems to capture the urgency of our first record". Ben stated, in an interview, that the first three albums would form a trilogy and that the new album would not be named "Billy Talent IV" but something entirely new.in August 2011 it was announced in an interview with the band, that their new album will be called "X" and will be recorded in November. On October 10, 2011, the band confirmed on their Facebook page that they would be entering the studio in late November to record the new album, and that they plan to release it by early 2012.
In November 25, the band tweeted that they were now officially back in the studio to record their new album.
Musical style and influences
Watoosh!Watoosh!
* Track 13 is an instrumental, while tracks 11, 12 and 14-16 are blank.* The track "M & M" is about a group of gothic kids that used to come into the HMV where Kowalewicz worked.-Personnel:*Benjamin Kowalewicz - lead vocals...
saw the band mixing multiple genres and making diverse songs on the same album, stretching from hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
to indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
. However, this evolved into a more collected sound that was a mix of fewer genres on their second album, Billy Talent
Billy Talent (album)
- Chart positions :- Personnel :* Benjamin Kowalewicz - Lead vocals* Ian D'Sa - Guitar, vocals, art direction, package design* Jonathan Gallant - Bass guitar, vocals* Aaron Solowoniuk - Drums- Appearances :...
. The result of this has not been described by the band as a their defining sound and that it was something that appeared to them after experimenting with different styles. Although they intended not to draw any inspiration from other bands, their new sound had similarities to the music of Refused
Refused
Refused was a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1991. In total the band released five EPs and three albums, before splitting up in 1998...
, Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
and Fugazi, bands that they have said they have great respect for. The similarities were especially related to a lighter post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
genre and the music of Refused
Refused
Refused was a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1991. In total the band released five EPs and three albums, before splitting up in 1998...
and At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
, but also the anger and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
from Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
. In an interview on Halifax, Nova Scotia radio station, Q104
CFRQ-FM
CFRQ-FM is a Canadian rock radio station, broadcasting at 104.3 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The station uses the on-air brand name Q104 . Founded in 1983 by President the late C.A. Patterson of Patterson Broadcasters, Senior Vice-President/National Sales Director was the late W.L...
the band identified The Police as an influence.
On Billy Talent II
Billy Talent II
-Themes: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.-Personnel:Billy Talent...
, the band altered their sound yet again, based on more mid-tempo and emotional compositions; a bit more collected than their previous work. It was also based on far less angst and aggression behind the production, something that was known factors behind their debut. While this change was apparent on many of the songs, they kept the hints of hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, but with less screaming and more singing by Ben. "This Suffering
This Suffering
"This Suffering" is the fifth single from Billy Talent II.The single was released November 26, 2007 during that day's episode of MuchOnDemand, when Billy Talent appeared on the show. The music video is a live performance video from clips of their DVD 666...
" in particular shows the alteration because of its reminiscence of their previous album and difference from the other songs on the album.
Although there are faint similarities to their music, their mix and innovation of genres have made them unique and pioneering in the modern music scene. There are raw and frequent backup vocals heavily collaborated by main vocals, quick changes between loud and quiet, tempo changes and Kowalewicz's characteristic vocals which are the key elements that emphasize that assertion. In addition to this, they are known for their significant usage of the dropped D tuning (DADGBe) on almost every song on Billy Talent I, II, and III (the exceptions being "Tears Into Wine" and "White Sparrows" tuned in Db, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, eb).
Band members
- Benjamin KowalewiczBenjamin KowalewiczBenjamin Kowalewicz is the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Billy Talent.-Biography:Kowalewicz, of Polish descent, was born December 16, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Streetsville, Ontario, but now lives in downtown Toronto. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary...
- lead vocals (1993–present) - Ian D'SaIan D'SaIan Michael D'Sa is the guitarist for the Canadian band Billy Talent.-Early life and career:Ian's family moved from the UK to Canada when he was 3 years old. He is of Indian Goan descent and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario learning guitar at the age of 13...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1993–present) - Jonathan Gallant - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1993–present) - Aaron SolowoniukAaron SolowoniukAaron Solowoniuk , is the drummer for the Canadian band Billy Talent.- Background :Solowoniuk was born and raised in Streetsville, Ontario and began drumming at a young age, his first set being a gift from his parents...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(1993–present)
Awards
Billy Talent has received a significant amount of recognition in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, winning 9 awards from 29 nominations at the MuchMusic Video Awards
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
and 7 awards from 17 nominations at the Juno Awards. The band has also been nominated at the MuchMusic Video Awards every year since 2004. Overall, Billy Talent has received 16 awards from 46 nominations in Canada. The band also had the number 1 rock song of 2009 "Devil on My Shoulder
Devil on My Shoulder
"Devil on My Shoulder" is the second official single by Canadian band Billy Talent from their fourth album, Billy Talent III. It was released as a single on August 26, 2009...
" on much music's holiday wrap, along with the number five song "Fallen Leaves
Fallen Leaves
"Fallen Leaves" is the third single released from the Canadian rock group Billy Talent's second album, Billy Talent II.-Song information:The song is about one person who has gone to Vancouver, British Columbia, who becomes a heroin addict...
" for much music's 99 best music videos. They are also the most nominated band in Much Music Video Award history.
Discography
- Watoosh!Watoosh!* Track 13 is an instrumental, while tracks 11, 12 and 14-16 are blank.* The track "M & M" is about a group of gothic kids that used to come into the HMV where Kowalewicz worked.-Personnel:*Benjamin Kowalewicz - lead vocals...
(as Pezz) (1999) - Billy TalentBilly Talent (album)- Chart positions :- Personnel :* Benjamin Kowalewicz - Lead vocals* Ian D'Sa - Guitar, vocals, art direction, package design* Jonathan Gallant - Bass guitar, vocals* Aaron Solowoniuk - Drums- Appearances :...
(2003) - Billy Talent IIBilly Talent II-Themes: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.-Personnel:Billy Talent...
(2006) - Billy Talent IIIBilly Talent III-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
(2009) - X (2012)
Tours
- Billy Talent Tour (2003–2004)
- Billy Talent II TourBilly Talent II TourThe II Tour was a 20-month long concert tour by punk rock band Billy Talent, taking place in 2006 through to 2008 in support of their second studio album Billy Talent II...
(2006–2008) - Billy Talent III TourBilly Talent III TourThe III Tour was a concert tour by band Billy Talent, taking place from 2009 to 2010, in support of their third studio album Billy Talent III....
(2009–2010)
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Music of OntarioMusic of OntarioAs the Canadian province with the largest population, Ontario has a particularly prominent role in Canadian music. The provincial capital city of Toronto, Canada's largest municipality, is home to much of the English Canadian music industry and many individual musicians, and the most popular...