Bio


There is an old saying which claims that great art is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. The truth though is that exceptional creativity is nurtured by a complexly brewed combination of unswerving dedication and God-given talent. It’s a fact no better illustrated than by the history of Vancouver’s hard-rock icons ART OF DYING and their talismanic frontman Jonny Hetherington. From hours busking on the corners of frozen streets to gatecrashing some of North America’s biggest venues, to writing and recording records of truly earth-shattering proportions, the trajectory of the quartet’s career has astonished both fans and industry insiders alike.

“In my early days as a musician I just wanted to hone my chops,” explains Hetherington, “and playing on the street seemed like the best way to do that. I’ll never forget the folks who came and took notice of what I was doing back then, lots of them are ART OF DYING fans now and I think that’s testament to what we’ve been able to create as a band.”

And what ART OF DYING have been able to create is muscular, vivacious hard-rock bursting with lung-shattering choruses and a sincerity that is impossible to fake. Equally at home with a lead-fingered riff or a deft slow-burner, there is an ease of breadth in AOD’s repertoire.

“I was blown away when I first heard their independent record,” enthuses DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan. “I lived with it for quite a while and I was so impressed with the quality of the songwriting that I had a feeling there was something special going on. David (DISTURBED vocalist David Draiman) and I had been looking for someone to sign to our imprint for a while, but I wanted to make sure the guys could do it live - it’s hard to find a band that are the complete package these days. So, we invited them out on a DISTURBED tour of America, we really threw them in the deep end!”

The band introduced guitarist Tavis Stanley and bassist Cale Gontier to their ranks on the eve of the run with DISTURBED - the quartet playing onstage together for the very first time during the soundcheck of the opening show of the tour. But suddenly, everything clicked. “The moment I knew that we had it right was when our voices started harmonizing,” says Hetherington, of the band’s now-trademark three-way vocals for which David Draiman has dubbed them "Eagles in Chains" referencing a blend of 70s supergroup The Eagles and 90s grunge rockers Alice In Chains. "It felt like the band I had always been looking for and that tour went brilliantly for us - it was the catalyst for us to step up to another level.”

Now, with two critically-acclaimed and widely-played major label releases under their belts, ART OF DYING are releasing music on their own.

“Working with Benson (Howard Benson/Warner Bros) and Bendeth (David Bendeth/Eleven Seven) gave us a great foundation to build on.” states Hetherington. “We are finding a new freedom and fluidity in releasing music on our own and ultimately being at the helm of everything we do”.

If Art of Dying is about one thing above all else it is a study on the power of human will and the uplifting capacity of one’s own self belief. This is rip-snorting rock ’n’ roll that will smash your self-doubt into a million pieces.

Art of Dying has released 8 albums, selling over 100,000 copies and amassing over 100 million streams. The band's major label debut on Reprise/Warner Bros put them on the road in every US State (less Hawaii) and put them on the map as one of Canada's stand out post grunge/rock artists. Top 10 radio hits include "Die Trying", "Get Through This" and "Sorry".