Billy Talent
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Billy Talent: Biography Time

Billy Talent has been called many things good and bad since they broke out in 2003 after 10 years of hard work, but probably the most popular has to be "punk revivalists".
After the four met at a high school in Streetsville Ontario (1993) they had one thing in mind: Make great music. But before that would happen, Vocalist Ben Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jon Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk would go through a lot. They started out naming their new band Pezz, and continued playing as Pezz for several years, releasing independant cassettes and even released their first cd entitled "Watoosh!". After about 8 years, the band was warned by another band of the same name, that if they didn't change their name, they would be sued. So, the boys broke off from their dreams as Pezz, and continued dreams by firstly re-naming their band Billy Talent, derived from a fictional character from Michael Turner's 1993 novel 'Hardcore Logo', "Who wants to be named after a candy anyway" D'Sa added after the ordeal.
As the new and improved Billy Talent, the boys went on to bigger and better things.In the year of 2001, Jen Hirst noticed the boys playing live. Later on, after being hired by Warner Music Canada, she passed on the good word, which helped Billy Talent attain a producer, lawyer, and a demo deal, things were looking good. In Setember of 2001, they released a 4 track cd entitled "Try Honesty". They were signed with label, Atlantic Records, and work with producer Gavin Brown at EMI Music Canada, and manager Scott Welch.
To listen to their debut-self-titled-album Billy Talent is one thing with the powerful lyrics, off the wall vocals, loud bass, veteran guitar and hard drummin', but to see them live is another. Ben Kowalewicz, one of the nicest people you could ever meet, turns into a whole different person on stage. Shirt coming off before the end of the first song, the dumping of the water all over himself as he hurtles the half empty bottle into the sky, the glaring eyes, the blistering red face, the muscles flexing, the 'in your face' attitude, just adds to the presence the band in its entirety gives off. All that bundled up into one of the nicest rock bands to hit the stage in the opposite way (Well, they don't hit or scream AT anyone, but you know, what im saying....JERK).
It was Chad Kroeger of Nickleback who once said that the 'screamo' music would never make it big in the industry, but he couldn't have been further off the mark...stupid bastard.

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Now Playing: This is How it Goes
 
Lyrics:  Everybody is tired and poor and sick of trying
If you see me on the corner
Will you stop or will you splash me
Take a look at what we've become
Nothing more than silhouettes of
A pretty family on a postcard
Picture Perfect
I don't want it!

So I hold my breath 'til my heart explodes
Cause this is how it is and this is how it goes
You can steal my body but you can't steal my soul
Cause this is how it is and this is how it goes

Shitty weather, bad timing
Lucky penny glued to the ground
Dirty look from total stranger
Hope you get lost and you're not found
Take a look at what we've become
Nothing more than silhouettes of
A pretty family on a postcard
Picture perfect
I don't want it!

So I hold my breath 'til my heart explodes
Cause this is how it is and this is how it goes
You can steal my body but you can't steal my soul
Cause this is how it is and this is how it

This is, how it, it goes
This is, how it, it goes
This is, how it, it goes
This is, how it, it goes

Unscrew my head
And rinse it out
Polish my thoughts
Turn into doubts
Unscrew my head
And rinse it out
Polish my thoughts
Turn into doubts

So I hold my breath 'til my heart explodes
Cause this is how it is and this is how it goes
You can steal my body but you can't steal my soul
Cause this is how it is and this is how it goes

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