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Three Days Grace

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Three Days Grace

Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, in 1992, under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in 1995, the band reformed in 1997 under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst. In 2003, Barry Stock was recruited as the band's lead guitarist. The band is based in Toronto.

After signing to Jive Records, Three Days Grace released two studio albums, Three Days Grace in 2003 and One-X in 2006, both of which have been certified platinum and double platinum in the United States and Canada, respectively. In 2007, the band was declared number one rock artist of the year by Billboard and was the number four artist in airplay in Canada that same year. The band's third album, Life Starts Now, was released on September 22, 2009.

History

Independent years (1992–2002)

Three Days Grace's predecessor, Groundswell, was a classic rock band that formed in 1992 in Norwood, Ontario, and had a line up that consisted of vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer Neil Sanderson, bassist Brad Walst, guitarist Phil Crowe, and secondary guitarist Joe Grant, all of whom were attending high school when the band formed.[3][4]

In 1997, after being disbanded for two years, the band regrouped in Toronto as a trio that consisted of Gontier, Sanderson, and Walst. They had also changed their name to "Three Days Grace". According to Gontier, the name stands for the question: If you had three days to change something in your life, could you do it?[5] Once in Toronto, the band became acquainted with local producer Gavin Brown. The band gave him several years of material that they had created since forming, and he "picked out what he called 'the golden nuggets'", according to Gontier.[6] Brown and the band polished the songs into a demo album which they gave to EMI Music Publishing Canada. The record label wanted to hear more material, and with Brown producing, the band created the song, "I Hate Everything About You", which attracted the interest of several record labels.[6] The band was soon signed to Jive Records after being sought out by the company's president.[3].

Three Days Grace (2003–2005)

After being signed to Jive, the band moved to Long View Farm, a studio in North Brookfield, Massachusetts to record their debut album.[6] The self-titled album was finished in Woodstock, New York and released on July 22, 2003.[3] It was met with generally favorable reviews. Dave Doray of IGN said of the album, "Mistakes? There's not many."[7] Allmusic reviewer Heather Phares said that on Three Days Grace, "the band's focus and adherence to alt-metal's formulas — coupled with tight songwriting and some unexpectedly pretty choruses — results in a strong tracks that are more memorable than the work of many of their peers".[8] She did criticize the album for its simplicity, concluding, "Three Days Grace are definitely one of the most accessible alt-metal bands of the 2000s; they just need to add some more distinctiveness to their sound."[8]

To support the eponymous album, in 2003 Three Days Grace released its first single, "I Hate Everything About You", the song whose demo had gotten the band its record deal.[6] The song received heavy airplay and rapidly became a widely recognizable song,[9][10][11] being labeled as the band's "breakout hit".[12] After acquiring lead guitarist Barry Stock in late 2003,[4] Three Days Grace toured continuously and extensively for nearly two years in support of their major label debut.[3] The album peaked at number nine on the Canadian Albums Chart[13] and number 69 on the Billboard 200[14] and was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA in December 2004[15] and double platinum in Canada by the CRIA.[16]

One-X and "Live At The Palace" concert DVD. (2006–2008)

While touring in support of Three Days Grace, Gontier became depressed and addicted to drugs and alcohol. Pressured to quit by his friends, family, and bandmates, he checked himself into rehab after the band finished touring, and while there, began writing material for the band's second album.[17][18] After leaving rehab, he rejoined the band in a cottage in Ontario to finish writing material for the album. In a 2006 interview, Gontier said that the album's material was more personal to him than the band's previous work because the material had come out of his experiences with despondence, drug abuse, and rehab that had constituted the past two years of his life.[18][19] The album, titled One-X, was then released on June 13, 2006,[19] and was guitarist Barry Stock's recorded debut.[3]

"Animal I Have Become"
"Animal I Have Become" reflects Gontier's regrets about the person he became during the Three Days Grace tour. "A few of us got really carried away, especially myself. I became somebody I didn't want to be."[11]
Problems playing this file? See media help.
File:Live3.png
Three Days Grace performing live at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan, in 2008

One-X was met with generally favorable reviews. The Toronto Star complimented the album with a review title of "One CD worth buying..." and focused on its lyrics, saying, "The lyrics really speak out to you, especially if you're going through a tough time in your life."[20] Allmusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness".[21] The album did receive some negative criticism. Apar pointed out that Three Days Grace is "hardly innovative" in their approach to writing music and that "further distinctive qualities" would help the band separate itself "from their alt-metal peers".[21]

One-X peaked at number two on the Canadian album chart[13] and at number five on the Billboard 200,[3] selling 78,000 copies in the US in its first week of release.[22] Its first single, "Animal I Have Become", was Three Days Grace's most successful, becoming 2006's most played rock song in Canada,[20] and the album helped propel Three Days Grace to become the number one rock artist in airplay in the US and Canada in 2007, with Billboard ranking them as the number one rock artist of the year in 2007.[23] One-X was certified platinum by the RIAA in the US on August 30, 2007,[15] and double platinum by the CRIA in Canada in July 2007.[23][24] Three Days Grace toured the US and Canada throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007 in support of One-X.[25] In early 2008, they toured alongside Seether and Breaking Benjamin across the US. On August 19th 2008 the band released a live concert/film DVD of their show at "The Palace" in Auburn Hills,MI which was recorded on March 21st that same year. The set list consisted mainly of their hit singles, along with an acoustic cover of the "Alice in Chains" song "Rooster." The DVD is sold exclusively through Best Buy and is available in edited & unedited versions.[10][26]

Life Starts Now (since 2009)

From March to August 2009, Three Days Grace recorded their third album at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Los Angeles, with producer Howard Benson, who had worked with them on their previous releases.[23][27][28] The album, titled Life Starts Now, was released on September 22, 2009. Critics as well as band members have noted the album's departure from the angry tone of the band's previous releases into a lyrical style that comes off as more optimistic.[29] According to guitarist Barry Stock, the album's theme centers around "a new sense of freshness" and the idea that "you don't have to be stuck in whatever it is you're dealing with. Whether it's good or bad, it's your choice to make a change."[27]

Life Starts Now debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, Three Days Grace's highest chart position, and sold 79,000 copies in its first week.[30] The album was met with mixed reviews. Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star gave the album a negative review, saying it possesses "no sound of its own, just a shallow range between Nickelback and Linkin Park".[31] According to Allmusic reviewer James Christopher Monger, who gave the album three out of five stars, Life Starts Now continues the theme of One-X, Gontier's personal demons, but with a "hint of sunlight".[29] He compliments the album, saying it "treats the well-worn metal themes of anger, isolation, heartache, and redemption with the kind of begrudging respect they deserve, pumping out a competent flurry of fist-bump anthems and world-weary, midtempo rockers".[29]

The first single from the album, "Break", was released on September 1, 2009.[23] Three Days Grace embarked on a 20-date Canadian tour lasting through November and December 2009.[32] They will be co-headlining a January-February 2010 tour of the US with Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf.[33]

They will be embarking on a US headlining tour with support from Chevelle, and Adelitas Way starting on March 26, 2010 in Grand Rapids, MI and ending on April 16, 2010 in Springfield, MA.

The album has been nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2010 Juno awards.[34]

Musical style and influences

Three Days Grace's musical style has generally been described by critics as alternative metal[8][18] and hard rock[4][35] throughout the band's career. Heather Phares of Allmusic, in a review of the band's debut album, compared them to rock bands Chevelle and Helmet.[8] Dave Doray of IGN described Three Days Grace as "heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure."[7] Allmusic's Corey Apar said One-X brings an "accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms" that retains the melodic sound of its predecessor "despite its lyrical darkness".[21]

The band has listed numerous influences in their music. Gontier has mentioned such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate, Kyuss, Nine Inch Nails, and Tool as influences for the band's music.[36] Julie Garisto of the St. Petersburg Times has claimed that Three Days Grace's influences also include the grunge band Nirvana and the heavy metal outfit Black Sabbath.[12] According to Gontier, the lyrics for Three Days Grace songs have mostly been influenced by the Seattle music scene. He summarized about the band's influences in an interview, "Musically there's a lot of different influences, but lyrically it's hard to have different influences because you just write."[37]

Awards

Three Days Grace has been recognized for their musical efforts through several awards and nominations. In 2007, the band was ranked by Mediabase as the number one artist in airplay across all rock formats in the US and Canada,[23] and Billboard named them Number One Rock Artist of the Year.[23] Three Days Grace has been nominated for three Juno Awards. In 2004, the band was nominated for New Group of the Year.[38] In 2007, they were nominated for Group of the Year, and their album One-X was nominated for Album of the Year.[39] The band's first single from One-X, "Animal I Have Become", was Canada's most played rock song in 2006[20] and won that year's Mediabase award for the most played active rock song on radio.[40]

Band members

Discography

Main article: Three Days Grace discography

References

  1. ^ http://www.yoursonglyrics.com/category/post-grunge/
  2. ^ http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hvftxql0ldde~T1/
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sutton, Michael. "Three Days Grace > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  4. ^ a b c Sarig, Roni (January 14, 2004). "New Faces: Three Days Grace". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-08-13. Cite error: The named reference "New Faces" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Montes, Michael (2004). "Interview with Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace". Florida Entertainment Scene. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  6. ^ a b c d "Three Days Grace Biography". MapleMusic Recordings. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  7. ^ a b Doray, Dave (December 2, 2003). "IGN: Three Days Grace Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  8. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "Three Days Grace > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  9. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (October 7, 2004). "Three Days Grace Endure Fire, Asbestos For Their Art". MTV. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "Three Days Grace bounds towards bigger venues". Flint Journal. March 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  11. ^ a b Wuensch, Yuri (July 25, 2006). "Three Days Grace cheats death". CANOE. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  12. ^ a b Garisto, Julie (April 26, 2007). "Rockfest: a sound revision". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Williams, John (June 21, 2006). "Three Days Grace makes solid debut". CANOE. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  14. ^ "Three Days Grace – Three Days Grace". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  15. ^ a b "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – August 13, 2009". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  16. ^ "P.G. to get Three Days Grace". Prince George Citizen. November 9, 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  17. ^ Wagner, Vit (November 28, 2006). "Saving Grace". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  18. ^ a b c Kelley, Trevor (2007). "Three Days Grace". Revolver (52): 46–48. ISSN 1527-408X. Retrieved 2009-08-13. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ a b "Three Days Grace singer feels the pain". MSNBC. June 2, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  20. ^ a b c Lin, Adena (May 31, 2007). "One CD worth buying..." Toronto Star. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  21. ^ a b c Apar, Corey. "One-X > Three Days Grace". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  22. ^ Harris, Chris (June 21, 2006). "Busta Rhymes Opens With A Bang, Scoring His First #1 LP". MTV. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  23. ^ a b c d e f "New'Grace' CD coming". Peterborough Examiner. August 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  24. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification". CRIA. July 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  25. ^ "Three Days Grace to Tour US". TeenHollywood.com. December 20, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  26. ^ Chad (December 7, 2007). "Three Days Grace Plans 2008 Tour". Alternative Addiction. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  27. ^ a b Rogers, Troy (September 21, 2009). "Starting Life Now with Three Days Grace Lead Guitarist Barry Stock". The Deadbolt. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  28. ^ Chad (August 10, 2009). "Three Days Grace Ready 'Life Starts Now'". Alternative Addiction. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  29. ^ a b c Monger, James Christopher. "Life Starts Now > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  30. ^ Caulfield, Keith; Herrera, Monica (September 30, 2008). "Pearl Jam Scores First No. 1 On Billboard 200 In 13 Years". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Rayner, Ben (September 22, 2009). "Three Days Grace: Life Starts Now". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 9, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Leader-Post Staff (September 27, 2009). "Three Days Grace to come to Regina December 3". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  33. ^ Smith, Jay (December 7, 2009). "Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin Slot Co-Headline Run". Pollstar. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  34. ^ http://www.threedaysgrace.com/us/news/three-days-grace-nominated-juno-award
  35. ^ Rowland, Marijke (June 15, 2007). "Better Days: All-for-one spirit helps hard rockers Three Days Grace get through the pitfalls of fame and emerge stronger". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  36. ^ Fuoco, Christina (August 22, 2003). "liveDaily Interview: Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace". LiveDaily. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  37. ^ "Three Days Grace – Interview @ Designer Magazine". Designer Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  38. ^ "The 2007 Juno Awards". Juno Awards. 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
  39. ^ Mayer, Andre (March 29, 2007). "Juno what time it is?". CBC News. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
  40. ^ "Mediabase Announces 2006 Radio Airplay Leaders". PR Newswire. December 21, 2006. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
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