| Benjamin Kowalewicz | |
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 Benjamin Kowalewicz live at Cardiff University
Students' Union, July 8, 2006.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Kowalewicz |
| Born | December 16, 1975 [1] |
| Origin | Montréal, Québec, Canada |
| Genres | Alternative rock Post hardcore punk rock |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | vocals, Guitar, drums |
| Associated acts | Billy Talent
(formerly "Pezz") To Each His Own Anti-Flag Cancer Bats |
Benjamin Kowalewicz (pronounced /ˈkɒvəlɛvɪtʃ/) is the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Billy Talent.
Kowalewicz, of Polish descent, was born December 16, 1975, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was raised in Streetsville, Ontario, but now lives in downtown Toronto. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School, where he was originally a drummer in a band named "To Each His Own". In this band he would meet Jonathan Gallant. After drumming for "To Each His Own" Ben moved to the bands vocals and rhythm guitar. The band then recruited Aaron Solowoniuk to play the drums. The three would then meet the final member Ian D'Sa and so they formed a band called "Pezz". "Pezz" released their first album Watoosh! in 1998[2]. When threatened with a lawsuit from an American band who was also using the name Pezz , Kowalewicz suggested the name Kafka's Holiday, but eventually they settled on Billy Talent, taken from a character of Michael Turner's Hard Core Logo movie based on the book. The rest of the band agreed, Ben moved straight ahead to just vocals, and Billy Talent was born. In this time, Kowalewicz worked in a number of positions at Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge, as an assistant for The Ongoing History of New Music host Alan Cross, to contribute funds towards Billy Talent's eponymous album.
Ben is featured in the song "Smiling Politely" by Cancer Bats from their album Hail Destroyer. He was also featured in the song "Wake Up The Town" by Anti-Flag, which was a bonus track on their 2008 album, The Bright Lights of America and also in the video for Goldfinger's "Superman".
His house in downtown Toronto was featured on the Toronto based home decorating show Designer Guys. Ben is also a vegetarian.
Guest Appearances
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Benjamin Kowalewicz is the "voice player" with Canadian pop-punk band Billy Talent.
"Well what else do you do when you're in jolly old England than go on a search for a teapot?" -
"Fuck the Da Vinci Code! It's the teapot code."
"In Hollywood I would have found the last teapot and it would be falling off the shelf in slow motion and I would have dove and caught it and we would have walked away in slow motion with you know, hands in the air, high fiving each other."
"Art doesn't always mirror life and life's hard sometimes."
"Busy day, lots going on and for the last interview I decided, you know, to flirt with the microphone."
"Nothing says inspiration like a plane flying over your head while you're playing."
"Lesson one: If you're ever in a beautiful cathedral, take your hat off!"
"Just when you think that you thought that the guys in Billy Talent partied and did coke and had sex with all these hookers, we actually talk about architecture and, eh...history."
"You get bored on the road and even a bottle, of water can be fun, if you're bored enough."
"So after Humpfest 06, it was time to play our rock show"
"I feel like Ashton Kutcher on Punk'd!"
"Now there's no *beeping* way in hell I'm gonna go over because I'm a little afraid of animals." (but! From a PETA interview: "I've had an animal all my life, I wouldnt know myself without one!")
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