Wir hatten die überragende Ehre mit Ian D’Sa, seines Zeichens Bassist und Songwriter der kanadischen Alternative-Rockband Billy Talent ein paar Fragen über Zoom stellen zu dürfen. Anlass war natürlich das neue Album „Crisis Of Faith“, über dessen Aufbau und Hintergrundideen wir uns mit Ian austauschen konnten. Darüber hinaus konnten wir ebenfalls etwas über Live-Erlebnisse in Erfahrung bringen und wieso genau er ein Tattoo mit Deutschlandbezug auf dem Oberarm trägt. Doch zunächst steigen wir direkt mit einer Frage zum Opener Track der mittlerweile achten Billy Talent Platte ein.
Frontstage Magazine: It is quite uncommon that you combine two songs into one seven-minute-long track. Could tell me a little bit more about “Forgiveness Part I + II”?
Ian: Originally, it was supposed to be two separate pieces and be released in that way. But we felt that the second part just didn’t make any sense on its own. There were written sort of together, so they’re meant to be heard “back to back”, but we never thought of putting them together as one track until we realized that the second part wouldn’t make sense on its own. That’s why we put it out as an almost seven-minute-long version of one song.
Frontstage Magazine: How did you came up with the second part? It’s not what listeners expect when they read the name “Billy Talent” as it does not deliver the typical sound and may be a little unfamiliar at first.
Ian: Yeah, it’s supposed to be different. When I was working on the first half, it was a very energetic and “gallopy” kind of feel to it. That was done on purpose, because the guitar riff was supposed to mimic a horse galloping, or a journey, which what the first half is about. Then I wanted the second part of the song to be resolving, where it’s just super calm sounding. I had the second part written, which was more atmospheric sounding with a piano, acoustic guitar and a three-part harmony. It was very different from anything we’ve done before, but it was the right resolve for that energetic burst of music for the first three minutes and then it goes into that. We thought they were working together very nicely.
Frontstage Magazine: Did it feel like a development of the sound you had or was it a certain idea of the journey?
Ian: Yeah, we’ve always wanted to push ourselves musically, and challenge ourselves. So that song was a song that we had to really rehearse and speed the temple up slowly when rehearsing it just to be able to kind of master. But we wanted to try something progressive sounding for a long time, and we’ve never really done that before in our band. And I think after five albums, we have a bit of leeway now to try things out that we wanted to. We knew some of our fans might be like “well, this is weird”, but we just wanted to try something different, and I think most of our fans like this song.
Frontstage Magazine: Yes, it sounds pretty good.
Ian: It had such a cinematic feel to it. That’s why we got in touch with Michael Max who directed some of our previous videos, like “Viking death march” and “Saint Veronica”. He shot this kind of episodic film piece that accompanied it. It was the musical accompaniment to that film which were still working on. We had to stop after episode three, but we’re finishing up the rest now. Because we weren’t able to release the episodes one by one during the pandemic, we’re gonna probably put it out as a full 20-minute type film.
Frontstage Magazine: Was it complicated for you to come out with these new ideas or rather said the atmospherical and more progressive sounds, or was it just natural going?
Ian: I think it was pretty natural. I mean, we’ve done the same kind of thing for a long time. When I wrote the songs for this album, I had 2020 song ideas and probably some old ones from previous albums, but I just really let myself go wherever my mind wanted to on this record, and “Forgiveness” is a perfect example of that. When I played the demo for the rest of the guys, I thought they would be like “This is too weird for Billy Talent now”, but they all really liked it and it kind of worked in what we do. Because we’re not just a punk band, we can show or metal or progressive influences as well. It was something the whole band wanted to try. And so, we did it.
Frontstage Magazine: I really like the outcome of it because it is a little bit different compared to “Afraid of heights”.
Ian: Thanks. Yeah, it’s definitely different than “Afraid of heights”. And I also felt there were enough songs on the rest of the record that sound like classic Billy Talent, but to have a couple like that on the record is a good thing.
Frontstage Magazine: For me it felt like “I beg to differ” is the strongest typical Billy Talent sound.
Ian: Yeah, that’s song wasn’t really necessarily supposed to be a single. Well at that time we were recording, we’d recorded half the album and then we were supposed to finish the rest of the album in early 2020, but everything went into lockdown. It wasn’t safe for us to get together. So, we finished the five songs at that we worked on and “I beg differ (This will get better)” was one of them. That song felt fitting for the time when the global pandemic started with a lot of fear. We thought that this is a song the world needs to hear right now, and we were trying to deliver some hope that things will get better.
Frontstage Magazine: It is important to do so. The overall title “Crisis of faith” is not very positive on the other hand. Was it a personal thing for you or was it just the general overall feeling?
Ian: It was a personal feeling from me that kind of summed it all up. When we went into the studio in 2019, there was a lot of unrest happening already in the US and the world with the Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. It felt like we’re taking these steps backwards. This was definitely not progress and there was a general feeling of insecurity. So, the title “Crisis of faith” came to me, because when I was growing up and a lot younger that’s what people would say about someone who’s having a religious crisis of faith. But I think with all going on in the world and the climate crisis and everything happening, all of these things are kind of obvious to us as humans, but why are we not taking steps to remedy these things? But we’re actually moving in the wrong direction so that we felt like we experience a crisis of faith in humanity itself.
Frontstage Magazine: Do think that there’s hope to overcome this crisis, or are we just lost forever?
Ian: I think there’s hope. I mean I think the majority of us are on the right side of progress and science. I do think there’s hope and I think you can really hear that on the record. That’s why it starts off with a lot of heavy subject matter but by the end of the record, it’s it really gets more positive and hopeful.
Frontstage Magazine: Was this also the reason why you only selected ten songs because it felt like it was just a little bit short.
Ian: Well, actually there are eleven songs with “Forgiveness Part I + II” being split that way because at the last minute we decided to put them together. Those are the songs that felt like they told a story. The whole album ended up being 37 minutes, we never had an album that short in a very long time; I don’t think since our first record. We felt like anything else would have just gotten into the way of the story we’re trying to tell. It starts kind of heavy and then it ends on a positive light.
Frontstage Magazine: One song at the end is called “For You”.
Ian: That was a bittersweet kind of song for Ben and me to write lyrically because I had just mourned the loss of my mother in May 2020, and just six months prior to that, he had welcomed his daughter and he had become a father. When we were writing lyrics for that song, we’re trying to think of all the things you would do for someone you love and care about no matter how crazy it sounds. And we just kept writing these lines in the verses and it all makes sense that way. It’s basically all the things you would do to protect someone that you love and care about.
Frontstage Magazine: It is nice that it offers a happy ending with some sight of hope.
Ian: Yeah, we wanted to end the album on a positive way. There are some pretty somber and angry songs about death, like “The Wolf”. But yeah. It’s emotionally a bit of a roller coaster this album.
Frontstage Magazine: Nevertheless, you did a great job in finalising the record through the lockdown. Maybe we can see it life on stage in some time.
Ian: We’re hoping, too. We still have our plans to come to Europe in the summer. So, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes as planned, because I know it’s being two years now that we postponed, but we’re excited and we miss all our fans and friends in Germany, especially.
Frontstage Magazine: Why is Germany of special interest for you? I mean, it is your second strongest market after Canada, right?
Ian: We call it our second home. We’ve been coming to Germany since our first album. It was one of the first countries that really embraced our band outside of our home in Canada, and we have some of the best friends in our lives that live there.
Frontstage Magazine: Of course, we are looking forward to welcoming you again. Do you remember by chance your very first concert in Germany?
Ian: Yeah, I do actually. Our first show that we played was a festival called Terremoto Festival. It was in 2003 before our first album came out or right around the time our first album came out, but we played at 12 o’clock noon and there were probably just 20 kids with umbrellas because it was raining. We actually got this tattoo to commemorate (showing his tattoo on his upper arm). It says the DE O3 for Deutschland03. Yeah. A few of us: Aaron and I got it and two, three of our good friends in Germany, who worked at our label and our promoter Bernie Schick, he got it as well. We all have the same tattoo.
Frontstage Magazine: That’s a much cooler answer than I expected because normally I assume that you played so many shows that it’s really hard to keep track of all the shows you have
Ian: Yeah, we play so many shows, but you never forget those early days and the people that helped you get there, right? Two of them we still work with. I remember our early shows in the Molotow in Hamburg we played downstairs and all the small little clubs we played back in in the early days.
Frontstage Magazine: Were they your favourite as well or were it the big shows like Rock am Ring/ Rock im Park?
Ian: Those are special. They’re just very different. Playing a big show like Rock im Park and Rock am Ring is massive and we have so many great memories playing. We’ve done probably four or five now but playing all those little clubs on the way up, like playing the Soundgarden in Dortmund, or opening up for the Beatstakes on their tour back in the day was great. It’s such a long rich history with Germany that it makes sense why we go there so much.
Frontstage Magazine: We are all looking forward to hearing your music here live again. Can you tell me what is the best part of the concert for you?
Ian: I think the one thing I really miss is the overwhelming sense of community and when the audience is singing the songs back. It’s nothing like you’ll ever feel, especially being on stage and people are there to enjoy themselves and have a good time, and they’re singing with their arms around each other. We really miss them. We really miss being able to do that and be the entertainment that makes people have a good time.
Frontstage Magazine: Total agreement. I saw a show from you once in Hamburg in the Sporthalle and the feeling was extraordinary. On Wikipedia I saw a list of the different guitarists you’re playing, and I wondered if you have a special one for you?
Ian: When we play live, I like to play Fender Stratocasters since they just feel right, and they have the right sound. When I record our records, I use the Fender Telecaster, which is a really good focus sounding guitar. But then I use other guitars to add some low end or heaviness to it. So, the Fender Stratocaster allows me to get both of those heavy and clean sounds in one guitar when I play live.
Frontstage Magazine: Back to the band: With whom from the band you would like to be stucked in an elevator for six hours?
Ian: I’d probably say Aaron. Because he is like the calmest person out of the whole band and he’s also really funny, too. Ben and John would definitely panic but I would probably panic, too, but Aaron has a very calming effect on people.
Frontstage Magazine: How is he still involved in the band? Do you have a close contact or is he writing along with you?
Ian: We hang out at our own studio in Toronto with him. We have it. Aaron will be cooking upstairs or doing things like that. He’s always there and that’s never gonna end like. We’ll play a couple of songs from here and there until he starts to feel the effects from his MS. His spirit is the most important thing, when we’re making a record; this is good vibes.
Frontstage Magazine: Yes, he is very inspiring and gives people hope. And we already came to the last question, which is always a little bit out of context and more connected to your personal feelings and ideas. What world event would you like to have witness in the past?
Ian: (longer thinking) I guess it’s going to be the one that’s coming up, to be honest. When everything goes back to normal around the world, and everyone can enjoy concerts again. I think this is going to be the world event to witness because the last time, something like this happened was a hundred years ago with the Spanish influenza. I think we’re all going to witness this in real time. Probably at some point this year; hopefully, fingers crossed!
Frontstage Magazine: There is nothing to add. Thank you very much for your time and your answers. It was a pleasure to speak with you. We are looking forward to having you here again. I wish you the best for the new record and stay healthy. Thank you so much!
Ian: Same to you! Cheers. We can’t wait to come back to Germany and see all our fans of friends. We’re really, really genuinely excited! Bye.
Fotocredit: Dustin Rabin