Billy Talent Win Rock Album of the Year Juno Award

Posted on Apr 17th 2010 6:40PM by Joshua Ostroff

'Hey, f--- fog,' joked Billy Talent lead singer Ben Kowalewicz as the band accepted Rock Album of the Year during Saturday night's non-televised Juno Awards gala, having only barely made it to St John's, Newfoundland while many other winners and their families were still not present to accept.

(As Newfoundland-born broadcaster and host Seamus O'Regan said to kick off the show, "We have a saying here: 'coulda been worse, coulda been volcanic ash!")

"We had Maverick and Goose as our pilots," he elaborated backstage. "They were like, 'we're just gonna give it a go.' It was a scary flight.'

This win marked Billy Talent's seventh career Juno Award -- "I'm gonna make a Voltron out of them," Kowalewicz kidded, "a Super Juno!" -- but the band was clearly as honoured as ever with their win, though they were personally rooting for someone else.

"I think Alexisonfire should have won," Kowalewicz said of their friends, who were busy playing a show across the street at the time, "but that's just my opinion."

And as for the Vancouver rock stars who swept the Juno Awards last year with their current album 'Dark Horses,' Kowalewicz wondered, "Hasn't Nickelback been nominated on this record for the last four years?"

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The 2010 Juno Awards

Michael Buble accepts the Juno for the Pop Album of the Year for his album Crazy Love during the 2010 Juno Gala Dinner and Awards show in St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

CP/Mike Dembeck

Christian Charisius, Reuters

The 2010 Juno Awards

Members of Metric receive the Alternative album of he year award for their recoding, Fantasies, at the 2010 JUNO gala dinner and awards show in St. John's, N.L. on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Amelia Curran shows off her Juno award for Solo Roots and Traditional Album of the Year at the Juno Awards Saturday, April 17, 2010 in St. John's N.L.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Michael Buble accepts the Juno for the Pop Album of the Year for his album Crazy Love during the 2010 Juno Gala Dinner and Awards show in St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Bill Talent vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz addresses the crowd after the band won rock album of the year for their release 'Billy Talent III' at the 2010 JUNO gala dinner and awards show in St. John's, N.L. on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Michaela Neale, widow of Juno award-winning artist Haydain Neale, of the R&B band Jacksoul and band member Ron Lopata, accept the R&B soul recording of the year award at the 2010 JUNO gala dinner and awards show in St. John's, N.L. on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Neale died from cancer late last year.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Jazz fusion performer Alex Cuba plays at the 2010 JUNO gala dinner and awards show in St. John's, N.L. on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Max Kerman, lead singer for The Arkells, nominated for new group of the year award, performs at the 2010 JUNO gala dinner and awards show in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

The 2010 Juno Awards

Billy Talent's Ben (left), Jon (second left), a Ian and aaron pose their trophies for Rock Album of the Year at the Juno Awards Saturday, April 17, 2010 in St. John's N.L.

The 2010 Juno Awards

The Arkells, winner of New Group of the Year, celebrate at the Juno Awards Saturday, April 17, 2010 in St. John's N.L.

The 2010 Juno Awards