Aaron Solowoniuk ( ) is the drummer for the Canadian band
Billy Talent
Billy Talent is a Canadian Rock music, rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup change ...
.
Background
Solowoniuk was born and raised in
Streetsville, a neighbourhood of
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
, and began drumming at a young age, his first set being a gift from his parents. His father was born in Ukraine. His grandfathers were from Poland.
As he grew up, Solowoniuk continued drumming and eventually met
Benjamin Kowalewicz
Benjamin Ian Kowalewicz (; born December 16, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of rock band Billy Talent.
Early life
Kowalewicz, of Polish descent, was born December 16, 1975, in Pierrefonds, Quebec, and raise ...
and
Jon Gallant at their high school,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Secondary School
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School is a Catholic separate school in Mississauga, Ontario. It is part of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and is affiliated with the parish of St. John of the Cross.
The Trustee is Brea Corbet ...
where they started a band called "To Each His Own". A few years later, the band met
Ian D'Sa
Ian D'Sa is a Canadian guitarist and producer best known as a member of the rock band Billy Talent.
Early life and career
Ian was born in the suburb of Southall, London. He is of Goan background. His family moved to Canada when he was three ...
who was playing in "Dragon Flower". The four later joined up together and became "The Other One" then later "Pezz". Solowoniuk continued to play in Pezz and after high school, he got his auto body certificate and worked at a
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
factory as an assembly line worker. In 1999, Solowoniuk helped record two demo tapes, and ''
Watoosh!
''Watoosh!'' is the only studio album released by Canadian rock band Pezz, released in 1999 before they changed their name to Billy Talent. The album was re-released in 2005 through Atlantic Records.
Track listing
* Track 13 is an instrume ...
'', Pezz's first full-length album. Pezz would later become "Billy Talent".
In March 2006, he wrote a letter to the bands' fans in which he told them that he had been diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
. The Billy Talent song ''This Is How It Goes'' is written about Solowoniuk's battle with the illness. He had kept it secret in an attempt to avoid unwanted pity, but decided to reveal his condition after discovering some MS cases are diagnosed as early as three years of age. Since then Solowoniuk has become an advocate for finding a cure for MS. An example of his dedication for fighting MS, Solowoniuk helped organize F.U.M.S, a concert benefit on
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
2006 which Billy Talent,
Moneen
Moneen (sometimes stylised as .moneen.) is a Canadian indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario.
History
Moneen formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. The founding members were singer/guitarist Kenny Bridges ...
and
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ( ...
performed at The
Opera House
An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets.
While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. All proceeds from the show went to the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Solowoniuk is married and has a daughter named Willow and son named Niko, and a dog named Roxy. His wife is a tattoo artist.
On 2 February 2012, he underwent open-heart surgery. He wrote a letter to his fans through Facebook informing them of it on 17 February.
On 15 January 2016, Solowoniuk explained in a video that he would not be playing the drums for the rehearsal of their
fifth studio album, due to an MS relapse. Instead,
Jordan Hastings
Jordan "Ratbeard" Hastings (born March 15, 1982) is a Canadian musician born in Hamilton, Ontario. He is best known as the drummer of Alexisonfire, having replaced their former drummer Jesse Ingelevics. Hastings was originally intended to be a t ...
from
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ( ...
would be playing on the record.
As of Billy Talent's 2022 tour with
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...
and
Anti-Flag, Solowoniuk is still not playing drums live, but is still with the band on tour, handling charitable events and occasionally playing one or two songs. He organized the food drive during this tour.
Equipment
Aaron has been known to play
Pearl Drums
, simply known as Pearl, is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominantly percussion instruments.
History
Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa -who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo- o ...
, most often the 'Masters' Kit, with tom sizes of 12" and 16", along with a 22" Bass drum. He also uses the HHX and AAX lines of
Sabian cymbals.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solowoniuk, Aaron
1974 births
Living people
Canadian punk rock drummers
Canadian male drummers
Musicians from Mississauga
People with multiple sclerosis
Canadian people of Polish descent
Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
Billy Talent members
21st-century Canadian drummers