Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier and bassist Brad Walst both grew up in Norwood, a one-stoplight burg (population 1,500) two hours outside Toronto. The lack of people, good weather and things to do may have contributed to the band's pissed-off vibe, most notably in its grungy hit "I Hate Everything About You." "In Norwood, you basically had three options: sports, drugs or music," says Gontier, 25. "We stuck with music and used it as an outlet. Our anger derives from seeing what happens to people in a small town."

What happened, Gontier recalls, was an unusually high occurrence of murder and suicide. By ninth grade, Gontier and Walst had found their escape after hooking up with drummer Neil Sanderson and forming a classic-rock band named Groundswell. After high school, the band broke away to Toronto, channeled its Seattle-rock influences and transformed into Three Days Grace. "That's the grace period to pay off a debt," explains Gontier. "For us, it stands for urgency: If you had three days to change anything in your life, could you do it?"

The group's dark yet radio-friendly hard-rock sound caught the ears of Jive Records. Although TDG (who recently added a fourth member, guitarist Barry Stock) might seem out of place on a label better known for the likes of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, they figure being the label's lone rock band makes them a priority. Plus, there are cool perks.

"I got to meet Britney," Gontier says. "And we met Justin at a party -- I talked to him for ten minutes. He seemed pretty down-to-earth."

Thanks to the success of "Hate," the band has landed gigs with Trapt and Nickelback, and will headline its own tour in the spring. Although the track was written about a specific relationship, Gontier understands the song's mass appeal. "It's about spending too much time in your life on something you don't need," he says. "I think a lot of people can relate to that."

Roni Sarig
(January 5, 2004)