AM: With the tour with Rise Against, is this the biggest non-Warped tour that you’ve been on?
ID: I think it is. We were on a tour with Sugarcult and MXPX a few years ago, but this is probably bigger than that tour.
AM: Any particularly good memories of Detroit shows of the past?
ID: The crowds here have always been amazing and great, but there were some good shows back when he played the Shelter when we were first coming out.
AM: Your new album is a smash in Canada. Obviously you feel that Canadian radio has helped you out with the success. Do you feel that Canadian rock radio is much different than American rock radio?
ID: Well, it’s different with the Can-Con Rules (which mandates that Canadian Radio playlist contain at least 40 percent Canadian artists), which helps Canadian groups out. But I think if you listen to Canadian and American radio stations, they do sound similar. They are all owned by the same corporate companies, and the fans bitch just as much as they do in the U.S. about the stations.
AM: Do you find the response for your band better in Canadian border towns (Detroit, Buffalo, etc.) versus let’s say, Cincinnati or somewhere in Kentucky?
ID: Oh yeah, definitely. There’s always spillover with the fans and radio stations, so its easier to make fans there.
AM: What sort of new issues are you tackling on the new album?
ID: We have a song called “Worker Bees” that discusses the current political scene, and shows how the kids who head off to the war that they really don’t know what they’re getting into. Songs like “Pins and Needles” tackle personal issues that may have not been discussed before as well. I think at this point, we’re tackling more personal issues that we may have felt uncomfortable with when the last record was out.
AM: I read a comment in a certain magazine that saying “Billy Talent is Canada’s answer to Fall Out Boy”. Does that comment seem like a compliment, or does it make you want to puke?
ID: (Laughs) I think in the size of popularity in the country, it’s pretty right and I guess it’s a compliment. But I don’t think we sound anything like Fall Out Boy.
AM: You guys recorded your new album at Bryan Adams’ Warehouse studio. Any chance that you will be covering “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”, or “Summer of ‘69”?
ID: (Laughs) Nah. He was a nice guy, we met him once. It was his birthday, and had cake with him. But we’ll steer clear of covers on tour.
AM:Since you're from Toronto; are there any new bands that you would recommend from your hometown:
ID: I would check out bands like AlexisonFire or a band like Cancer Bats. They’re fantastic, and their record just came out. They’ve got a great southern sound mixed with hardcore. Also, a group called October Guard is really good. They are more of what I like to call “dark wave”, little more dark than new wave.
AM: What are your 2007 tour plans?
ID: We’ll be hitting Germany after the start of the new year, followed by a tour to Canada in late January and February. We’ll be back in the States in March and April doing a club tour. And if Warped calls, we’ll be back…
Billy Talent’s “II” album is out now.
As always, email me at arthatesyou@detroitbuzz.com
Artist Spotlights 
One of the openers for Rise Against/Thursday caused more buzz than the headliners during their concert at the State Theatre in Detroit. That band was Toronto’s Billy Talent, who are currently in the midst of supporting their “Billy Talent II” record. During the band’s 35 minute set, the band got the fans (of sides of the border) in a early frenzy, kicking out new songs like “Devil’s in a Midnight Mass”, as well as older material like “Try Honestly”.
