The Clarion

Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Ian Bisio Billy Talent's lead singer Ben Kowalewicz belted out vocals at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium last week. [Click to enlarge]

Billy Talent performed at the Fillmore Auditorium last week and did not disappoint fans. Together for more than a decade, the Canadian four-member band has developed into a melodic punk rock force. Billy Talent is known for its ability to command the stage and maintain a humble attitude as well. After the release of two international multi-platinum selling records and touring nonstop for more than a year, Billy Talent finally had a chance to come back to North America to work on a new album. That is, until called with a special request. Currently touring across the country with My Chemical Romance, Billy Talent was in town and lead singer Ben Kowalewicz sat down to discuss the tour and the upcoming album.



Q. How have you been? How is the tour going so far?

BK: I've been great. We've been great. It's been weird because we were home for about six months, writing the next record and everything was going good, then we got the call. "My Chem want you to open for them!" and we can't say no 'cause they are such great guys and that's lots of humans that we'd be playing in front of every night. We're halfway through the tour now and it's been amazing, amazing, amazing. Shows have been great, people have been great.

Q. Did you know My Chemical Romance before this tour?

BK: We met them in the summer. We were doing festivals in Europe and they were there and we bumped paths. They were in Finland when we were there and they called us up that morning and asked us if we wanted to play with them. So we went and played and forged this relationship with them. They are really sweet and very nice to us, so, yeah, it's a good mix.



Q. Can you tell us more about the new record you have been working on?

BK: We have about seven songs written now, music wise, and I'm still working on lyrics. It's really good, I'm really, really happy with it. Ian the main songwriter sits back here [on the tour bus] and records stuff all day. We were a little reluctant to go back on tour because things were going so well at home with the writing. Plus, we had been on tour for 17 months straight and we were about ready to kill ourselves so to have those six months at home was really nice. So, yeah, I think the record will impress a lot of people, I hope, who don't know us. For the people who do like us, there are no banjos or anything. It's still the four of us.

Continued...

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