Ben Kowalewicz - Billy Talent (14/03/2013)
Chatting to us from his living room in Toronto, in the midst of a staring competition with his two dogs, is the “introverted” Billy Talent front-man Ben Kowalewicz.
It’s Billy Talent’s 20th year together and, like only a minority of bands before them, have never changed their line-up. “I think it’s a testament to the individuals in the band. We spend a lot of time together and have gone through a lot of things in our lives together. The one constant and the one thing that always remains the same is having the band as our rock and, you know, honestly, it’s been 20 years but it feels like it’s been two weeks, and there’s no other guys in the world I’d rather be playing with.”
From being a 17 year old in a band called Pezz, working at a radio station’s competition desk and fetching coffees for his superiors, Ben never predicted turning into a worldwide phenomenon and headlining festivals around the world. “It was the stuff that you dreamt of when you were laying in your bed.” Now his face is all over the internet, with websites and blogs dedicated to him including Tumblr’s most prominent “Fuck Yeah Ben Kowalewicz,” but I think this humble Canadian still grapples with that fact. “It’s…flattering I guess, but you know I’m a pretty introverted guy believe it or not and that stuff kinda gets a little weird for me. As long as they’re not saying I’m an asshole and they wanna hang me, then I’m okay with it.”
Even playing at Soundwave, a festival celebrating its 10th birthday, is something that still knocks his socks off. “For one, we love Australia. We have a really big love affair with your country and the people. I’m just excited as a music fan to be able to go and get to hang out and watch all the bands. Even getting to play! It’s just such a wonderful experience and that just comes, I guess, with a lot of hard work, a lot of persistence, a lot of trying our best to write the best songs that we can and trying to put the best live shows on” And as for who he’s excited to see… “Oh my god! The list just goes on and on and on! But obviously [Cancer Bats, Fucked Up, and Sum 41]. I love the Blink guys and Metallica is…Metallica (laughs) and Offspring and Slayer and I… uh… everybody! I’m just excited to sit there with a cold beer and enjoy my day!”
Billy Talent are playing a few Sidewaves in Melbourne and Sydney while they’re here with fellow Toronto band Sum 41, who are also joining them on the Canadian leg of their Dead Silence tour. “They helped us out a lot when we first started, they were the first band to really take us out on tour with them across Canada and you know they’ve always been good allies. We’re always stoked for them and I’m always excited to go on stage with them because they put on an awesome show.”
Today marks the worldwide premiere of Dead Silence’s third video clip, Stand Up and Run. Ben admits he hasn’t even seen the final product yet but tries to give us a sneaky idea of what to expect. “Explaining videos is hard ‘cause they always sound terrible (laughs).” It’s hard to guess what we’re in for next, when Viking Death March was entirely concert footage based while Surprise Surprise was more trivial, involving acting and a storyline. Stand Up and Run has been directed by Phil Harder, who also directed Surrender off their second record. “The whole thing is this dome filled with lights and a mirrored floor. We decided to attach, like, go-pro cameras which are these strange little cameras, and we put them on all the instruments and all the microphones so it really kinda gives a different perspective. I think this video is definitely really pretty and I think the song really lends itself to the imagery we captured.“
Billy Talent, who last graced the Soundwave stage back in 2009, are just as excited to be back in Australia as we are to have them. “Australians and Canadians share so much of the same. There’s something that just connects us and it’s really cool, and yeah, [Australia] is so fucking far away but when you get there it feels like home, you know? Everything just kind of feels right, I don’t feel like I’m in this other world I don’t understand.” It will be a lucky few months for Australia with Billy Talent making the trip here twice – so don’t miss what’s up next at Soundwave!
Rebecca Costanzo
It’s Billy Talent’s 20th year together and, like only a minority of bands before them, have never changed their line-up. “I think it’s a testament to the individuals in the band. We spend a lot of time together and have gone through a lot of things in our lives together. The one constant and the one thing that always remains the same is having the band as our rock and, you know, honestly, it’s been 20 years but it feels like it’s been two weeks, and there’s no other guys in the world I’d rather be playing with.”
From being a 17 year old in a band called Pezz, working at a radio station’s competition desk and fetching coffees for his superiors, Ben never predicted turning into a worldwide phenomenon and headlining festivals around the world. “It was the stuff that you dreamt of when you were laying in your bed.” Now his face is all over the internet, with websites and blogs dedicated to him including Tumblr’s most prominent “Fuck Yeah Ben Kowalewicz,” but I think this humble Canadian still grapples with that fact. “It’s…flattering I guess, but you know I’m a pretty introverted guy believe it or not and that stuff kinda gets a little weird for me. As long as they’re not saying I’m an asshole and they wanna hang me, then I’m okay with it.”
Even playing at Soundwave, a festival celebrating its 10th birthday, is something that still knocks his socks off. “For one, we love Australia. We have a really big love affair with your country and the people. I’m just excited as a music fan to be able to go and get to hang out and watch all the bands. Even getting to play! It’s just such a wonderful experience and that just comes, I guess, with a lot of hard work, a lot of persistence, a lot of trying our best to write the best songs that we can and trying to put the best live shows on” And as for who he’s excited to see… “Oh my god! The list just goes on and on and on! But obviously [Cancer Bats, Fucked Up, and Sum 41]. I love the Blink guys and Metallica is…Metallica (laughs) and Offspring and Slayer and I… uh… everybody! I’m just excited to sit there with a cold beer and enjoy my day!”
Billy Talent are playing a few Sidewaves in Melbourne and Sydney while they’re here with fellow Toronto band Sum 41, who are also joining them on the Canadian leg of their Dead Silence tour. “They helped us out a lot when we first started, they were the first band to really take us out on tour with them across Canada and you know they’ve always been good allies. We’re always stoked for them and I’m always excited to go on stage with them because they put on an awesome show.”
Today marks the worldwide premiere of Dead Silence’s third video clip, Stand Up and Run. Ben admits he hasn’t even seen the final product yet but tries to give us a sneaky idea of what to expect. “Explaining videos is hard ‘cause they always sound terrible (laughs).” It’s hard to guess what we’re in for next, when Viking Death March was entirely concert footage based while Surprise Surprise was more trivial, involving acting and a storyline. Stand Up and Run has been directed by Phil Harder, who also directed Surrender off their second record. “The whole thing is this dome filled with lights and a mirrored floor. We decided to attach, like, go-pro cameras which are these strange little cameras, and we put them on all the instruments and all the microphones so it really kinda gives a different perspective. I think this video is definitely really pretty and I think the song really lends itself to the imagery we captured.“
Billy Talent, who last graced the Soundwave stage back in 2009, are just as excited to be back in Australia as we are to have them. “Australians and Canadians share so much of the same. There’s something that just connects us and it’s really cool, and yeah, [Australia] is so fucking far away but when you get there it feels like home, you know? Everything just kind of feels right, I don’t feel like I’m in this other world I don’t understand.” It will be a lucky few months for Australia with Billy Talent making the trip here twice – so don’t miss what’s up next at Soundwave!
Rebecca Costanzo