Interview with Art of Dying

The Art of Dying is your life to live – by Mel in Toronto

The band's name Art of Dying "comes from the larger sentence ‘The art of dying is your life to live.' It's kind of a code that we live by: we realize life is precious," lead singer Jonny says as he introduces the band. Only two years into their existence, with a critically acclaimed and internationally released debut album and highly energetic live performances that already brought them to England, this Canadian five-piece band doesn't waste any time and still manages to stay close to their ever-growing fan base.

Art of Dying calls Vancouver, British Columbia, home and comprises of Jonny Hetherington (lead vocals), Greg Bradley (lead guitar), Matt Rhode (bass), Chris Witoski (lead guitar), and Flavio Cirillo (drums). It is Jonny, who writes the lyrics, and he says that they "usually finish the songs as a band after presenting musical ideas to each other at rehearsal."

Their riveting sound is ingenious, nested, and catchy, and with the combination of extremely powerful vocals it is safe to say that Art of Dying is standing in the front row of Canada's up and coming alternative rock bands. With massive soundscapes, the band takes you by the hand and lets you breathlessly experience the strong emotions in their songs: "hope, loss, prejudice, pain, sickness, struggle, ya, mostly struggle," Jonny summarizes the content of their songs.

This couldn't get any clearer than in their extremely successful single GET THROUGH THIS. Jonny says: "I wrote this in the back of a futon store I worked at in Vancouver. My dad had just been diagnosed with cancer and I was totally freaking out. Ultimately, I was trying to put myself in his shoes at that moment. Life definitely stopped for me that day."
The rocking anthem YOU DON'T KNOW ME is about "judging and being judged. I hate that feeling of being lonely on a crowded street. Judging people by how they look or dress is ridiculous, but it's something that we all do." COMPLETELY "was written at the end of a long relationship I was in," and INSIDE IT'S RAINING "is about the internal struggle between sanity and insanity. The edge is not far away," Jonny concludes.

With GET THROUGH THIS, the band got a lot of exposure, not only on the radio, but also on U.S. and Canadian television. In addition, YOU DON'T KNOW ME got chosen for the Xbox 360 game Flatout: Ultimate Carnage. "These things happen through tons of hard work and networking. Some songs seem to work really well for games and TV," Jonny comments.

Art of Dying is a fantastic live band, who will capture you from the first song until you are left standing at the end of the show screaming for more. Jonny says: "I crave the moments where time seems to stop, where you get completely lost in the moment. The band, the song, the words, the crowd, it all becomes one. There's nothing like it."

Jonny especially remembers their gig at the Download Festival 2006, in the U.K.: "We were the ‘unknown band' from Canada and didn't really know what to expect. The whole festival was amazing: Metallica, Tool, Deftones, it was a blast. Our performance couldn't have gone better! The crowd was amazing; we had five stilt walking chicks join us on stage at the end of our set, which was unplanned. It was off the hook! I can't remember a specific moment from that show now, because it's all just a blast of adrenaline."

Jonny lives by the motto: "hope for the best, plan for the worst, live life to the fullest!" The band Art of Dying definitely masters the art to live life to the fullest, and future blasts of adrenaline are already knocking on their door.

"In your own words" – ONE on ONE with Mel and Jonny

Mel: Who are your influences?

Jonny: The influences in the band range a lot as each player is really different. Personally, I've always been into music that makes me feel, that pokes right into me: bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, and Damien Rice.

Mel: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Jonny: I'm inspired by the people in my life and the world around me. I'm inspired by humanity, what we're willing to go through, how we have a natural instinct to never give up. If it makes me "feel", I want to write about it.

Mel: What would you like to achieve with your music?

Jonny: The biggest reward I've had from music so far is hearing stories from people all around the world whose lives have been affected by our songs. That's an amazing feeling! Each story is so special. To have that effect on a grand scale would be pretty amazing.

Mel: Which artist would you like to record a song with and why?

Jonny: I would really like to work with Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains. He's such a great guitar player, and his melodies and harmonies absolutely rule. I have a huge respect for his work. Jerry, if you're reading this: Give me a call!

Mel: What does it mean to you to be an indie artist?

Jonny: To be indie means to do it yourself, plain and simple.

Mel: Which opportunities do you see with indieSolo?

Jonny: Exposure and networking!

Mel: How was it touring the UK with Seether? What are some of the most important experiences you brought back to Canada?

Jonny: The whole tour was amazing. They really took us under their wing. Singing with Shaun at the end of their set every night was an honour! That was our first UK tour, it really made the world seem a lot smaller to me. There's an enthusiasm for live music in the UK that I'd love to add back home. In the UK they allow all ages into the bar for shows, we should adopt that back home.

Mel: Just by reading your blog, you seem to have a very close relationship with your fans. Do you find it difficult to maintain this closeness while having a fast growing fan base?

Jonny: We really do have a close relationship with fans. It's very important to us! It's surprising to see how many bands don't actually return mail. We try to read and return everything we get. It's a really rewarding thing, to have a one on one connection with someone who is into your music.

-end

August 15, 2007 by Mel in Toronto [Melanie Schade]

You can find more Art of Dying here:
http://www.youtube.com/artofdyingmusic
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/20832.html

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