Billy Talent: Best Of 2007

Billy Talent haven't exactly been under the radar for the last few years, but this year they seemed to be bigger than ever. Between the release of their 2003 self-titled debut and now, they've gone from being veterans of the Toronto punk circuit to Canadian rock icons. Even with the three-year gap between albums, the Mississauga, Ontario quartet managed to stay at the forefront of Canadian music, and they hardly left our sights in 2007.

It's fitting that they rang in the new year by opening for compatriots Alexisonfire at The Reverb in Toronto, a club both bands have played in the past. The humble, low-key show provided a stark contrast to the stratospheric success they'd enjoy over the course of the next 12 months, including a
number of awards, high-profile gigs and a new live album to cap it all off.

In addition to playing the MuchMusic Video Awards, Billy Talent took home
trophies for three of the five nominations they received. They were awarded best video and rock video for "Fallen Leaves," as well as the people's choice award for favourite Canadian group. The boys also took home a couple of
Junos for rock album and group of the year, as well as being nominated for video, single and album of the year.

An interesting revelation was that Ben Kowalewicz, Ian D'Sa, Jonathan Gallant and Aaron Solowoniuk have a huge following in Germany. The guys were awarded two ECHO Awards for best international newcomer and international rock/alternative band. The ECHO Awards are given out based on record sales
in the given year, and Billy Talent achieved platinum success in Germany.

The club show with Alexisonfire paled in comparison to some of the larger scale concerts BT was a part of in 2007. For one, they embarked on their first headlining arena tour along with Rise Against, Anti-Flag and Moneen, packing thousands of fans into venues all across the country. For another, they played the inaugural secret show for MySpace Canada, helping to launch the localized version of the networking website.

Another high-profile appearance didn't actually include music, but rather a friendly golf tournament. Kowalewicz, Gallant and Solowoniuk held a charity tournament for the MS Society Of Canada Scholarship Program and raised approximately $25,000. Solowoniuk, who has lived with MS for more than a decade, organized the event along with his brother and sister-in-law.

To round out an eventful, phenomenally successful year, Billy Talent put
out 666, a live DVD/CD that features three of their European performances, including shows at London's Brixton Academy and Germany's Rock Am
Ring festival.

The band will take a much deserved break over the holidays before starting work on their third album which will, presumably, provide an even bigger year for them.

George Stroumboulopoulos says:
"I remember seeing Pez going, 'Fuck, that lead singer is awesome.' And then they become Billy Talent. I also think that Billy Talent did something important. When other Canadian rock bands were middle-of-the-road, Billy Talent got on the radio with a very heavy song. I think that 'Try Honesty' opened the door for a lot of Canadian bands to be a little bit nastier."

The following feature is taken from the December 2007 issue of Chart Magazine. To purchase the issue, head on over to the Chart Shop.