Billy Talent

∙ Formed in 1993 for a high school talent show, the band Billy Talent was originally known as Pezz. ∙ In 1999, a legal challenge prompted the group to change their name to Billy Talent, a moniker inspired by a guitar-playing character in the novel and mockumentary film Hard Core Logo. ∙ Before the band’s success, guitarist Ian D’Sa studied animation in college and worked on the children’s TV series Angela Anaconda. ∙ Billy Talent’s self-titled debut went triple-Platinum in Canada, kicking off a series of Platinum-selling albums from the group.