Turn It Up To Twelve

Jonny Hetherington, singer and songwriter with Canadian rock outfit  Art Of Dying, was recently gracious enough to answer some questions from TiTT via Email.  Hetherington is well known for taking the time to interact with his fans, both on the road and via social networking.  He has always made it known that he is well aware that if the fans were not around to give support, that Art Of Dying would not be where they are today.

A gracious man, yet highly talented and very deserving.  An unusual mix and for that we are all grateful.

We know the Die Hards have been waiting for this for a while and we are pleased to bring this quick update on all things Art Of Dying….

TiTT;  You are writing now for another record. How many tunes have you got so far and when do you anticipate a new release?
JH;  We are a writing band, so writing never seems to stop.  We write on the road, at home and pretty much everywhere we go . Out of the 50 or so ideas we have kicking around, we’ve narrowed down the new record to about 15 or so songs that we love.  We’ve been demoing those songs over the past couple of months and are pretty much ready to step into the studio.

TiTT;  Will there be more from Adam Gontier in partnership with Art Of Dying now that he is going it alone?
JH;  I wouldn’t count it out, although it’s not in our current plan.  Adam has been so supportive in the past, so you never know.  It usually winds up being a scheduling thing – if we happen to be in the same neck of the woods at a creative time it can happen quite naturally.  As many of our listeners know he is Cale’s (Gontier, bassist) cousin, so we end up bumping into each other quite a bit, whether it’s on a tour or on a patio in the middle of nowhere.

Art Of Dying

TiTT;  What live work will AOD be doing this year?

JH;  When the new album is done we will be touring to support it wherever we are able.  The road is our home and we can’t wait to get back out.  We’ve been getting so much love online from outside of North America as well, so we’re going to do our best to play in more parts of the world than ever.  I can’t stress this enough: Let your local radio station know how you feel about Art of Dying.  Call, text, tweet and post on their Facebook pages.  Your radio station will listen to you, and they are a huge part of bringing us back to town.

TiTT;  You seem to have a very balanced life. Does it still rain inside?
JH;  Balanced? Me? Ha! I’m anything but balanced… in fact, I live via extremes much more than in the middle.  Moderation is pretty foreign to me.  It definitely rains inside for me as I’m sure it does in everyone’s world that is reading this and I wouldn’t want it any other way, as that’s where the inspiration for music and art originate.

TiTT;  You have always loved Soundgarden. What is your opinion of King Animal and did you catch a live show yet?
JH;  I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been too wrapped up in my own music to give it my full attention. Rain check?

TiTT;  Do you think the Seattle bands will have a very strong influence on todays youth as they did when you were growing up?
JH;  I think the music and energy of the grunge years will last just as the strong music of every generation has.  The youth of today will find the music that makes them feel, question and stand up.

TiTT;  Your fans have a huge love of tattooing band references on themselves and yet you have no (visible) ink. Will you ever consider getting a tattoo?
JH;  I can’t seem to commit to anything long enough to have it tattooed.  My songs are my tattoos, so if I ever get ink it will most likely be Art of Dying lyrics.

TiTT;  As you get older does the influence for writing change, or do you always use similar experiences and subjects of reference ?
JH;  I write about how I’m feeling in the moment and that has never changed.

TiTT;  Dan Donegan and David Draiman of Disturbed believed in you and groomed you. What are the most important things you learned from them, both on the road and in the studio?
JH;  Pace. They both taught us how to pace ourselves in the studio and while touring.  It’s really important to be the best you can be on stage and on recordings, and they’ve had great advice on how to meet the challenges.

TiTT;  What is a great recipe to start the BBQ season off?  We all know you are a master of the grill!
JH;  You’ve inspired me to post a blog.  Head over to http://jonnyhetherington.com/2013/04/jonnys-bacon-irish-whiskey-cheddar-meat-ball-sliders/ as I’ve just posted my Bacon Irish Whiskey Cheddar Meat Ball Sliders!

AOD in colour

A HUGE thank you to Jonny Hetherington for taking the time to email us the answers to our questions.

By Karen Graham April 3 2013