Starting with "Try Honesty" from their self-titled 2003 album, Mississauga band Billy Talent has been a staple on the international music scene. Multiple hits like "Red Flag" and "Falling Leaves" lead to a rabid fan base for singer Benjamin Kowlewicz, guitarist Ian D’Sa, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. To mark the success the band released the simply titled Hits on November 4th. Featuring 12 hits from the past 11 years and two new songs – "Kingdom of Zod" and "Chasing the Sun" – the package provides a fitting retrospective of their career so far.
"It is kind of strange," Ian D’Sa told GayCalgary over the phone a few days prior to the albums release. "We never thought we would be a band that would put out a greatest hits so soon in their career, but it is kind of fitting. We have had a lot of singles over the last ten years and there were enough to put out a collection of songs. We had a whole bunch of great photos that have been taken over the last 15 years. So it all came together with a photo book, live DVD and the album."
The album illustrates how the band has evolved over the years.
"As you get older you mature. Our songwriting sensibilities have always been there but we have explored different sides of the band. It hasn’t always been aggression and loudness the last couple of years. A song like "Stand Up and Run" is something we never would have considered doing before. We did it and people were receptive to that. That is important to a band’s growth. It is fun to keep growing and changing when you have been in a band for so long."
While "Kingdom of Zod" has all of the familiar traits of a Billy Talent song, "Chasing the Sun" is an acoustic ballad – which they have never done before.
"I had never played acoustic. I do when I am writing, but never finger picking acoustic. It started as an exercise to learn how to do that because I had always just played electric and loud. Around that time, we lost someone close to the band, and this song kind of came out of that and was inspired by that. It is a bit of a sad song, but it all came together that way."
He went on to say that the band had re-worked some songs acoustically for a fundraiser, which could lead to an interesting future release.
"We played a benefit concert called Dream Serenade that Hayden puts on as a benefit for the Beverley Street School for kids with special needs. There were performers like Feist, and members of Barenaked Ladies, and is more acoustic based. So we had to rehearse a bunch of our songs for the first time acoustically. It was really cool to hear a whole new side of these songs, and I think that would be something that would be fun to do. We played "White Sparrows", "Surrender" and a cover of a Hayden song. Before we settled on those three we rehearsed a bunch of other songs that seemed to work really well acoustically."
The band was on the road in the summer of 2014, including a stop at the Coca-Cola Stage at the Calgary Stampede. They are busy in studio working on new music and won’t be touring behind Hits, but expect to be on the road again soon enough with a new album.
"Right now we are in the middle of writing a record, so we are probably going to just try and put out a new record sooner than later. We aren’t going to tour this package really but, at some point, we will get to play these two new songs live, which we haven’t been able to do."
Billy Talent has played many times in Calgary, from headlining at the Saddledome with Alexisonfire and Cancer Bats to club shows. D’Sa recalled a few of the fond memories he has.
"Back in the day, on our first major tour, we were there with Metric and Death From Above 1979. We have opened there for Sum 41. We didn’t play at Stampede, but we were there during Stampede and got to go see David Lee Roth. It has always been a fun town and we love coming through there. Last time we played there we were at Flames Central – lots of great memories from there."
Known for their high-energy stage shows, the band still gives everything on stage, but performing is different now in their late 30s than it was in their 20s.
"It is a little more taxing on us. As you get older you don’t have all that angst that you had ten years ago that gave you adrenaline and kept you going through the show. These days, when you get touring, it is still a lot of fun, we just can’t go crazy every night like we used to. Now, more than anything, we really focus on our vocal performance and playing. Ten years ago we would be all over the stage and I was smashing guitars. We are not kids anymore, but we still put it all out on the stage every night, which is what we are here to do."
It was a long, tough road to get to where Billy Talent is today. They formed in 1993 as Pezz and changed their name in 2001 after discovering a pre-existing American band with the same name. Despite the challenges faced during their first decade of performing, they remain the same four band members that met in high school.
"For us, it was the dream of doing this for a living. From starting in High School in 1993 – when we were 17 – we didn’t get a record deal offer until 2001. During that time it started with small baby steps. We were a band from Mississauga and wanted to play Toronto, that was our first goal. Once we started playing in Toronto our goals got bigger and we wanted to start playing around Southern Ontario. We were pretty good at it so we wanted to get a record deal. That is what kept us going: the dream of doing this for a living. We persevered through those crappy times. There are going to be a lot of lows when you are in a young, working band that isn’t making any money, and have to work a day job while playing at night. We did that for eight or nine years. The four of us really love what we do. There is something with us that we had in the early days. I had played in a couple of other bands, but when the four of us met and played together in my parent’s basement for the first time, there was an instant chemistry that has never wavered or gone away. To this day we still love doing this."
