Three Days Grace
Encyclopedia
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock
band, formed in Norwood, Ontario
, Canada
in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier
, drummer and the 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 has released three studio albums: Three Days Grace
in 2003, One-X
in 2006, and Life Starts Now
in 2009. The albums have been certified platinum, double platinum, and gold, respectively, in the United States. The band had a string of number one hits on the Billboard Alternative Songs and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
, drummer Neil Sanderson
, bassist Brad Walst, lead guitarist Phil Crowe, and secondary guitarist Joe Grant. Most of the members were attending high school when the band initially formed.
By the fall of 1995, Phil Crowel and Joe Grant had left Groundswell. That same year, Gontier, Sanderson, and Walst regrouped and changed the band name to "Three Days Grace". According to Gontier, the name stands for a sense of urgency with the question being: if you had three days to change something in your life could you do it? 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. 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. The band was soon signed to Jive Records
after being sought out by the company's president. Also, Three Days Grace's songs, "Are You Ready" and "Home
" was featured in the movie "Raise Your Voice
"
, a studio in North Brookfield, Massachusetts
to record their debut album. The self-titled album
was finished in Woodstock
, New York
and released on July 22, 2003. It was met with generally mixed to favorable reviews. Dave Doray of IGN
said of the album, "Mistakes? There's not many." 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". 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."
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. The song received heavy airplay and rapidly became a widely recognizable song. being labeled as the band's "breakout hit". After acquiring lead guitarist Barry Stock in late 2003, Three Days Grace toured continuously and extensively for nearly two years in support of their major label debut. The album peaked at number nine on the Canadian Albums Chart
and number 69 on the Billboard 200
and was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA
in December 2004 and double platinum in Canada by the CRIA
.
" and "Home
", lead singer Adam Gontier developed an addiction to the prescription painkiller
, OxyContin. After finishing touring for their first album, the band knew they could not continue with the condition Adam was in, so in 2005, with the support of his family, friends and band members, Adam Gontier checked himself into CAMH
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). While in treatment, Gontier, sad and discouraged, began writing lyrics for songs regarding how he felt and what he went through in rehabillitation. Adam Gontier successfully completed treatment at CAMH
; he and the band members felt that peace
and tranquility would be required in order to record a successful second album. The band found just the place in Northern Ontario, Canada in a cottage by themselves where they experimented, tested, and practiced songs. After three months at the cottage, they had about finished what would be on their second album. Of the songs they would decide to include, were from lyrics that Gontier had scribbled in Rehab. Adam had also posted lyrics to what was said to be a new song at the time. The first single from One-X, titled "Animal I Have Become
", features lyrics Adam had written while getting sober. The second album contained at least four more songs which contain lyrics Adam wrote while in rehab. Songs such as "Over and Over", "Gone Forever" and two more hit singles, "Pain
" and "Never Too Late
". 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. The album, titled One-X
, was then released on June 13, 2006, and was guitarist Barry Stock's recorded debut. Adam Gontier has even done solo live performances at various rehabilitation centres as a "Thank you" to the people who helped him get through his addiction. In these performances, he would play songs like "Pain", "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late" to encourage and motivate other people under treatment to push forward and get over their addiction.
One-X was met with generally mixed 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." Allmusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness". 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".
One-X peaked at number two on the Canadian album chart and at number five on the Billboard 200
, selling 78,000 copies in the US in its first week of release. Its first single, "Animal I Have Become
", was Three Days Grace's most successful, becoming 2006's most played rock song in Canada, 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. One-X was certified platinum by the RIAA
in the US on August 30, 2007, and double platinum by the CRIA
in Canada in July 2007. Three Days Grace toured the US and Canada throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007 in support of One-X. In early 2008, they toured alongside Seether
and Breaking Benjamin
across the US.
in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, and Los Angeles
, with producer Howard Benson, who had worked with them on their previous releases. The album, entitled 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. 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."
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. 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 Linkin Park
and Nickelback
". 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". 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". Harsher negative reviews came from Ben Czajkowski from 411mania.com as he described the album as "Boring, bland, trite, tired, tried, and true are all words that I would use to describe Life Starts Now, the latest from Three Days Grace".
The first single from the album, "Break
", was released on September 1, 2009. Three Days Grace embarked on a 20-date Canadian tour lasting through November and December 2009. They co-headlined a January–February 2010 tour of the US with Breaking Benjamin
and Flyleaf
.
They embarked on a US headlining tour with support from Chevelle
, and Adelitas Way
starting on March 26, 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and ending on April 16, 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2010 Juno awards, but lost to Billy Talent III
.
Three Days Grace went on tour with Nickelback
and Buckcherry
on the Dark Horse Fall 2010 Tour. They toured with My Darkest Days starting in March 2011 in Seattle, Washington. They also joined Avenged Sevenfold
on their Spring "Welcome to the Family" tour in 2011. They will be touring with Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Escape the Fate, and Bullet for My Valentine on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar tour from August 2011 to October 2011.
On October 7, RCA Music Group
announced it was disbanding Jive Records
along with Arista Records
and J Records
. With the shutdown, the band (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release their future material (including their upcoming fourth studio album) on the RCA Records
brand.
and hard rock
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
. Dave Doray of IGN
described Three Days Grace as "heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure." Allmusic's Corey Apar said One-X brings an "accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms" that retains the melodic sound despite its lyrical darkness".
The band has listed numerous influences in their music. Gontier has mentioned such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate
, Kyuss
, Nine Inch Nails
, and Alice in Chains
as influences for the band's music. 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
. 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."
as the top artist in airplay across all rock formats in the US and Canada, and Billboard
named them Rock Artist of the Year. Three Days Grace has been nominated for four Juno Award
s. In 2004, the band was nominated for New Group of the Year. "I Hate Everything About You" was nominated for Best Rock Video and People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards
. In 2007, they were nominated for Best Group of the Year, and their album One-X
was nominated for Album of the Year. The band's first single from One-X, "Animal I Have Become
", was Canada's most played rock song in 2006 and won that year's Mediabase award for the most played rock song on radio. "Never Too Late
" was nominated for Best Video and Best Rock Video and "Pain
" was nominated for Best International Video by a Canadian and People's Choice: Favorite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards
.
In 2010 Life Starts Now
was nominated for best Rock Album at the Juno awards but lost to Billy Talent III
. In 2010, "Break
" was nominated for Best Post Production Video and Best Rock Video of the year at Much Music Awards
.On Fuse.tv
, The Good Life is in a poll for "Best Summer Hit". In 2010 "Break" and "Life Starts Now" were Nominated for "Best Single" and "Best Album" at the Casby Awards and "Life Starts Now" won Best Album.
Previous members (as Groundswell)
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in Norwood, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier
Adam Gontier
Adam Wade Gontier is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Three Days Grace...
, drummer and the backing vocalist Neil Sanderson
Neil Sanderson
Neil Christopher Sanderson is the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the Canadian band Three Days Grace. He cites his influences as John Bonham, Danny Carey and Stewart Copeland.-Early years:...
, and bassist Brad Walst. In 2003, Barry Stock
Barry Stock
Barry Stock is the lead guitarist of the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace.-Biography:Barry James Stock is a Canadian guitarist, born in Belgium on April 24, 1974. He joined Three Days Grace in 2003, shortly after their first studio album. Barry uses Schecter,Ibanez and PRS guitars, but prefers...
was recruited as the band's lead guitarist. The band is based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
After signing to Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, Three Days Grace has released three studio albums: Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace (album)
Three Days Grace is the self-titled debut album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace, released on July 22, 2003.-Band name and background:...
in 2003, One-X
One-X
-Notes:* The songs, "Animal I Have Become", and "Riot", were both featured in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007-Personnel:*Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar*Barry Stock – lead guitar*Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals...
in 2006, and Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The album was released on September 22, 2009. The album was produced by Howard Benson. This is the second time in a row the band has worked with him, after the commercially successful One-X...
in 2009. The albums have been certified platinum, double platinum, and gold, respectively, in the United States. The band had a string of number one hits on the Billboard Alternative Songs and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
Independent years
Three Days Grace, which was originally called Groundswell, was a post-grunge band that formed in 1992 in Norwood, Ontario. They released one full-length album called Wave of Popular Feeling. At that time, the line-up consisted of vocalist Adam GontierAdam Gontier
Adam Wade Gontier is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Three Days Grace...
, drummer Neil Sanderson
Neil Sanderson
Neil Christopher Sanderson is the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the Canadian band Three Days Grace. He cites his influences as John Bonham, Danny Carey and Stewart Copeland.-Early years:...
, bassist Brad Walst, lead guitarist Phil Crowe, and secondary guitarist Joe Grant. Most of the members were attending high school when the band initially formed.
By the fall of 1995, Phil Crowel and Joe Grant had left Groundswell. That same year, Gontier, Sanderson, and Walst regrouped and changed the band name to "Three Days Grace". According to Gontier, the name stands for a sense of urgency with the question being: if you had three days to change something in your life could you do it? 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. 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. The band was soon signed to Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
after being sought out by the company's president. Also, Three Days Grace's songs, "Are You Ready" and "Home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
" was featured in the movie "Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara-Plot:Terri Fletcher , a teenager with a passion for singing, has been accepted into a music program in Los Angeles to compete for a $10,000 scholarship shortly after her brother Paul 's tragic death in a car crash...
"
Three Days Grace (2003–2005)
After being signed to Jive, the band moved to Long View FarmLong View Farm
Long View Farm Studios is a music recording studio that is located in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. It has been the location of recordings from the Rolling Stones and other bands.-Songs:*"Chip Away the Stone"*"I Will Follow You into the Dark"...
, a studio in North Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,680 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :North Brookfield...
to record their debut album. The self-titled album
Three Days Grace (album)
Three Days Grace is the self-titled debut album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace, released on July 22, 2003.-Band name and background:...
was finished in Woodstock
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and released on July 22, 2003. It was met with generally mixed to favorable reviews. Dave Doray of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said of the album, "Mistakes? There's not many." 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". 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."
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. The song received heavy airplay and rapidly became a widely recognizable song. being labeled as the band's "breakout hit". After acquiring lead guitarist Barry Stock in late 2003, Three Days Grace toured continuously and extensively for nearly two years in support of their major label debut. The album peaked at number nine on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and number 69 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in December 2004 and double platinum in Canada by the CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
.
One-X (2006–2008)
Around the time the band's first album became a mainstream success with the release of their first single, "I Hate Everything About You" followed by two more singles, "Just Like YouJust like You (Three Days Grace song)
"Just Like You" is a single by the Canadian alternative metal band, Three Days Grace. It was the second single from their self-titled debut album...
" and "Home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
", lead singer Adam Gontier developed an addiction to the prescription painkiller
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
, OxyContin. After finishing touring for their first album, the band knew they could not continue with the condition Adam was in, so in 2005, with the support of his family, friends and band members, Adam Gontier checked himself into CAMH
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a consortium of mental health clinics at several sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale...
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). While in treatment, Gontier, sad and discouraged, began writing lyrics for songs regarding how he felt and what he went through in rehabillitation. Adam Gontier successfully completed treatment at CAMH
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a consortium of mental health clinics at several sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale...
; he and the band members felt that peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and tranquility would be required in order to record a successful second album. The band found just the place in Northern Ontario, Canada in a cottage by themselves where they experimented, tested, and practiced songs. After three months at the cottage, they had about finished what would be on their second album. Of the songs they would decide to include, were from lyrics that Gontier had scribbled in Rehab. Adam had also posted lyrics to what was said to be a new song at the time. The first single from One-X, titled "Animal I Have Become
Animal I Have Become
"Animal I Have Become" is the first single from Three Days Grace's second studio album, One-X. Unlike most singles, it was not released in stores, and only had one track. The song is featured on the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, and song stayed on US mainstream rock for 7 weeks at #1 and...
", features lyrics Adam had written while getting sober. The second album contained at least four more songs which contain lyrics Adam wrote while in rehab. Songs such as "Over and Over", "Gone Forever" and two more hit singles, "Pain
Pain (Three Days Grace song)
"Pain" is the second single from rock band Three Days Grace's 2006 album, One-X.According to vocalist Adam Gontier, "It's a song about feeling like you're constantly numb to things around you, thanks to your own actions, and it's about being sick of that feeling."-Chart performance:"Pain" has...
" and "Never Too Late
Never Too Late (Three Days Grace song)
"Never Too Late" is the third single from Three Days Grace off their second album One-X. It has received airplay at the Billy Talent tour and on several Canadian radio stations such as The Edge.-Popularity and censorship:...
". 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. The album, titled One-X
One-X
-Notes:* The songs, "Animal I Have Become", and "Riot", were both featured in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007-Personnel:*Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar*Barry Stock – lead guitar*Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals...
, was then released on June 13, 2006, and was guitarist Barry Stock's recorded debut. Adam Gontier has even done solo live performances at various rehabilitation centres as a "Thank you" to the people who helped him get through his addiction. In these performances, he would play songs like "Pain", "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late" to encourage and motivate other people under treatment to push forward and get over their addiction.
One-X was met with generally mixed reviews. The Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
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." Allmusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness". 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".
One-X peaked at number two on the Canadian album chart and at number five on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 78,000 copies in the US in its first week of release. Its first single, "Animal I Have Become
Animal I Have Become
"Animal I Have Become" is the first single from Three Days Grace's second studio album, One-X. Unlike most singles, it was not released in stores, and only had one track. The song is featured on the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, and song stayed on US mainstream rock for 7 weeks at #1 and...
", was Three Days Grace's most successful, becoming 2006's most played rock song in Canada, 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. One-X was certified platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in the US on August 30, 2007, and double platinum by the CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
in Canada in July 2007. Three Days Grace toured the US and Canada throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007 in support of One-X. In early 2008, they toured alongside Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
and Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
across the US.
Life Starts Now (2009-2011)
From March to August 2008, to January to April 2009, Three Days Grace recorded their third album at The Warehouse StudioThe Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio is a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, owned by Bryan Adams.- The building :The Warehouse Studio is housed in the oldest brick building in Vancouver, which is located in present-day Gastown...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, with producer Howard Benson, who had worked with them on their previous releases. The album, entitled Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The album was released on September 22, 2009. The album was produced by Howard Benson. This is the second time in a row the band has worked with him, after the commercially successful One-X...
, 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. 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."
Life Starts Now debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, Three Days Grace's highest chart position, and sold 79,000 copies in its first week. The album was met with mixed reviews. Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
gave the album a negative review, saying it possesses "no sound of its own, just a shallow range between Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
and Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
". 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". 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". Harsher negative reviews came from Ben Czajkowski from 411mania.com as he described the album as "Boring, bland, trite, tired, tried, and true are all words that I would use to describe Life Starts Now, the latest from Three Days Grace".
The first single from the album, "Break
Break (song)
"Break" is the first single from Three Days Grace's third album, Life Starts Now. The single was released on September 1, 2009 at 6:45 pm EST for radio play as well as on -Release and chart performance:...
", was released on September 1, 2009. Three Days Grace embarked on a 20-date Canadian tour lasting through November and December 2009. They co-headlined a January–February 2010 tour of the US with Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
and Flyleaf
Flyleaf
Flyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005....
.
They embarked on a US headlining tour with support from Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
, and Adelitas Way
Adelitas Way
Adelitas Way is a hard rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that broke into mainstream in 2009 for their song "Invincible", which is the official theme song for WWE Superstars on WGN America. They also perform the song "A New Day" as the theme song for the defunct WWE Tag Team The Legacy and later used...
starting on March 26, 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and ending on April 16, 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2010 Juno awards, but lost to Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
.
Three Days Grace went on tour with Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
and Buckcherry
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before partially dissolving in the summer of 2002. In 2005, lead vocalist Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson reformed Buckcherry and released a new album...
on the Dark Horse Fall 2010 Tour. They toured with My Darkest Days starting in March 2011 in Seattle, Washington. They also joined Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
on their Spring "Welcome to the Family" tour in 2011. They will be touring with Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Escape the Fate, and Bullet for My Valentine on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar tour from August 2011 to October 2011.
On October 7, RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009 and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 until all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA Records....
announced it was disbanding Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
along with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
and J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
. With the shutdown, the band (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release their future material (including their upcoming fourth studio album) on the RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
brand.
Musical style and influences
Three Days Grace's musical style has generally been described by critics as alternative metalAlternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
throughout the band's career. Heather Phares of Allmusic, in a review of the band's debut album, compared them to rock bands Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
and Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
. Dave Doray of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described Three Days Grace as "heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure." Allmusic's Corey Apar said One-X brings an "accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms" that retains the melodic sound despite its lyrical darkness".
The band has listed numerous influences in their music. Gontier has mentioned such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. In the 1990s, the group expanded upon the grunge style that was popular in the local scene to make a more melodic sound. While not the first band to be classified as emo, they were instrumental in establishing the genre. In...
, Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, and Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
as influences for the band's music. Julie Garisto of the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
has claimed that Three Days Grace's influences also include the grunge band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and the heavy metal outfit Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. According to Gontier, the lyrics for Three Days Grace songs have mostly been influenced by the Seattle music scene
Music of Seattle
The music of Seattle has long played a role in the development of the music of Washington State. The "Seattle Sound" was at one time a field of alternative rock that produced the sub-genre grunge and major bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam...
. 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."
Awards
Three Days Grace have been recognized for their musical efforts through several awards and nominations. In 2007, the band was ranked by MediabaseMediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
as the top artist in airplay across all rock formats in the US and Canada, and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
named them Rock Artist of the Year. Three Days Grace has been nominated for four Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s. In 2004, the band was nominated for New Group of the Year. "I Hate Everything About You" was nominated for Best Rock Video and People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards
2004 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards were held on June 19, 2004 and featured performances by the Beastie Boys, Evanescence, Billy Talent, Hilary Duff, Kanye West and others...
. In 2007, they were nominated for Best Group of the Year, and their album One-X
One-X
-Notes:* The songs, "Animal I Have Become", and "Riot", were both featured in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007-Personnel:*Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar*Barry Stock – lead guitar*Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals...
was nominated for Album of the Year. The band's first single from One-X, "Animal I Have Become
Animal I Have Become
"Animal I Have Become" is the first single from Three Days Grace's second studio album, One-X. Unlike most singles, it was not released in stores, and only had one track. The song is featured on the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, and song stayed on US mainstream rock for 7 weeks at #1 and...
", was Canada's most played rock song in 2006 and won that year's Mediabase award for the most played rock song on radio. "Never Too Late
Never Too Late (Three Days Grace song)
"Never Too Late" is the third single from Three Days Grace off their second album One-X. It has received airplay at the Billy Talent tour and on several Canadian radio stations such as The Edge.-Popularity and censorship:...
" was nominated for Best Video and Best Rock Video and "Pain
Pain (Three Days Grace song)
"Pain" is the second single from rock band Three Days Grace's 2006 album, One-X.According to vocalist Adam Gontier, "It's a song about feeling like you're constantly numb to things around you, thanks to your own actions, and it's about being sick of that feeling."-Chart performance:"Pain" has...
" was nominated for Best International Video by a Canadian and People's Choice: Favorite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards
2007 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards were held in Toronto, Ontario at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 17, 2007 and featured performances by Fergie, Maroon 5, The Used, Avril Lavigne, Finger Eleven, Hilary Duff, and others. The most nominated artists were Billy Talent and Nickelback with five...
.
In 2010 Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now
Life Starts Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The album was released on September 22, 2009. The album was produced by Howard Benson. This is the second time in a row the band has worked with him, after the commercially successful One-X...
was nominated for best Rock Album at the Juno awards but lost to Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
-Special Guitar Villain edition second CD:In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:...
. In 2010, "Break
Break (song)
"Break" is the first single from Three Days Grace's third album, Life Starts Now. The single was released on September 1, 2009 at 6:45 pm EST for radio play as well as on -Release and chart performance:...
" was nominated for Best Post Production Video and Best Rock Video of the year at Much Music Awards
2010 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards were held in Toronto, Canada at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 20, 2010. Along with the MuchMusic VJ's, it was confirmed on the MuchMusic website that Miley Cyrus will co-host the show. The artists with the most nominations are Drake and Hedley with six. For the...
.On Fuse.tv
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
, The Good Life is in a poll for "Best Summer Hit". In 2010 "Break" and "Life Starts Now" were Nominated for "Best Single" and "Best Album" at the Casby Awards and "Life Starts Now" won Best Album.
Band members
Current members- Adam GontierAdam GontierAdam Wade Gontier is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Three Days Grace...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(1992–1995) (1997–present) - Neil SandersonNeil SandersonNeil Christopher Sanderson is the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the Canadian band Three Days Grace. He cites his influences as John Bonham, Danny Carey and Stewart Copeland.-Early years:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1992–1995) (1997–present) - Brad Walst – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1992–1995) (1997–present) - Barry StockBarry StockBarry Stock is the lead guitarist of the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace.-Biography:Barry James Stock is a Canadian guitarist, born in Belgium on April 24, 1974. He joined Three Days Grace in 2003, shortly after their first studio album. Barry uses Schecter,Ibanez and PRS guitars, but prefers...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2003–present)
Previous members (as Groundswell)
- Phil Crowe – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1992–1995) - Joe Grant – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1992–1995)
Discography
Studio albums- Three Days GraceThree Days Grace (album)Three Days Grace is the self-titled debut album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace, released on July 22, 2003.-Band name and background:...
(2003) - One-XOne-X-Notes:* The songs, "Animal I Have Become", and "Riot", were both featured in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007-Personnel:*Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar*Barry Stock – lead guitar*Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals...
(2006) - Life Starts NowLife Starts NowLife Starts Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The album was released on September 22, 2009. The album was produced by Howard Benson. This is the second time in a row the band has worked with him, after the commercially successful One-X...
(2009)