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Brad Walst

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Brad Walst (born February 17, 1977)[1] is a Canadian musician. He is the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Three Days Grace, which also includes his younger brother Matt.[2] As of 2022, Three Days Grace has sold over 10 million albums and singles combined worldwide and the band's songs streams surpass two billion.[3]

Brad Walst
Walst performing in 2023
Walst performing in 2023
Background information
Born (1977-02-17) February 17, 1977 (age 47)
Norwood, Ontario, Canada
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentBass guitar
Years active1992–present
Member ofThree Days Grace

Early life

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Brad Walst was born in Norwood, Ontario[4] on February 17, 1977. In 1992, he attended Norwood District High School, where he met and befriended Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson and Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier.[2] Gontier suggested Walst to play bass for the band.[5] He was in a cover band with Sanderson and Gontier called "The Jupiter Effect" and covered songs from bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.[6] Walst had plans on becoming an accountant before turning to music.[7]

Career

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Walst played in a band called "Groundswell" in 1992 with Gontier, Sanderson, Phil Crowe and Joe Grant.[5] The band broke up in 1995 and him, Sanderson and Gontier regrouped as "Three Days Grace" in 1997.[2] Walst thought of the name while he was in college in a business class.[7][8] The band was soon signed to Jive Records after being sought out by the company's then-president Barry Weiss.[2] Their debut single, "I Hate Everything About You", was released in 2003 and peaked at number one on the Canadian rock chart.[9] They also released their debut self-titled studio album that year.[10] Their second studio album, One-X, was released in 2006 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200.[11] Their third studio album, Life Starts Now, was released in 2009, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200. It is the band's highest-charting album in the US to date.[12] The band released their fourth studio album, Transit of Venus in 2012, which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.[13]

Following Gontier's exit from the band, his brother Matt joined the group in 2013.[14] Since then, they have released three more albums, Human (2015),[15] Outsider (2018)[16] and Explosions (2022).[17] Their first three albums went multi-platinum in Canada and the United States.[18][19] Walst, along with Three Days Grace, was a recipient in the 2012 SOCAN Music Awards in the category Pop/Rock Music Award for their song "Lost in You".[20] Walst was inducted into the Norwood District High School Hall Of Honor in 2022 along with Adam Gontier and brother Matt Walst.[5]

Musical influences and technique

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Walst in 2010

Walst cites influences from grunge music, as well as the 90s Seattle rock scene, which has also been an influence to Three Days Grace. He has also cited inspiration from Alice in Chains, Nirvana, The Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace.[21][7] On writing bass lines, Walst likes taking the "less is more" approach and considers his style of playing very melodic.[22]

Equipment

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Walst uses an Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay as his main bass guitar,[23] as well as using a Lakland bass in the past, during the recording of the band's second album, One-X.[24] He bought his first Ernie Ball bass in 2002, before the group signed with Jive Records. He took out a loan to fund it and has remained a part of his set up ever since.[23] He also uses two Peavey Headliners, an Ampeg SVT-810E Bass Cabinet and a Mesa Boogie amp. He has several boss pedals, an electro-harmonix effects pedal and various bass drivers.[25]

Personal life

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Walst has a wife named Rhonda and they have three kids.[24][8] He currently resides in Norwood, Ontario.[26] His son James Walst was diagnosed with having a cancerous neuroblastoma tumour.[27] He joined the James Fund's walk-run fundraiser with a goal to reach $3,000 in donations.[27] He has a younger brother named Matt who is currently the lead singer for Three Days Grace and former vocalist for My Darkest Days.[14]

Discography

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Main article: Three Days Grace discography

References

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  1. ^ @threedaysgrace (February 17, 2022). "Not only did we release a new song, but it's also Brad's Birthday today!! Everyone wish Brad a HBD!!! 🤘🥳👇" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d Sutton, Michael. "Three Days Grace - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Nick Krewen (May 4, 2022). "Scenes from aftermath of Kentucky tornado featured in new Three Days Grace video". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rocker Brad Walst helps the cause at James Fund Golf Classic". The Peterborough Examiner. June 4, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Three Days Grace Bassist Says Reunion With Ex-Vocalist Adam Gontier For High School Honor Was 'Powerful'". Blabbermouth.net. July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Alev, Iklim (May 7, 2022). "Brad Walst Says Three Days Grace Was a Cover Band at the Beginning". Metalhead Zone. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Wayne Bledsoe (June 15, 2007). "Three Days Grace is a far cry from Christian rock". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Hopkins, Jenny (March 21, 2011). "An interview with Three Days Grace bassist Brad Walst". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Yuri Wuensch. "Three Days Grace cheats death". Jam!. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ Doray, Dave (December 2, 2003). "Three Days Grace". IGN. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Harris, Chris (June 21, 2006). "Busta Rhymes Opens with a Bang, Scoring His First Number-one 1 LP". MTV. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Keith Caufield (September 30, 2009). "Pearl Jam Scores First No. 1 On Billboard 200 In 13 Years". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  13. ^ "Shinedown, Three Days Grace Unite for Arena Tour". Billboard. November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Childers, Chad (January 9, 2013). "Matt Walst Discusses His New Role As Singer of Three Days Grace". Loudwire. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  15. ^ Childers, Chad (February 25, 2015). "Three Days Grace Reveal 'Human' Track Listing + More". Loudwire. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Chad Childers (March 7, 2018). "Three Days Grace's Matt Walst 'More Comfortable' With 'Outsider'". Loudwire. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Childers, Chad (November 29, 2021). "Three Days Grace Seek Escape With Heavy New Song 'So Called Life', Announce New Album". Loudwire. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "Gold/Platinum – Three Days Grace". Music Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  19. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum – Three Days Grace". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  20. ^ Karen Bliss (November 20, 2012). "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, Deadmau5 Honored at 2012 SOCAN Awards Gala". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Margot Noel (January 17, 2016). "Interview: Brad Walst (Three Days Grace)". Medium. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  22. ^ Dany Jones (September 30, 2022). "Brad Walst, Three Days Grace – "Matt's Come a Long Way, so I'm Excited for the Future"". Metal Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Stuart Williams (June 30, 2022). "Take a tour of Three Days Grace's guitar, bass and drum setups". Music Radar. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Music: One-X". threedaysgrace.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Three Days Grace – Gear". threedaysgrace.com. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "Norwood's Three Days Grace nominated for three Juno Awards". KawarthaNOW. January 29, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Childers, Chad (October 20, 2012). "Three Days Grace's Brad Walst Joins Neuroblastoma Research Fundraiser". Loudwire. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
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