Nickelback

1996

This melodic hard rock band was formed in 1996 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Chad (vocals/guitar) and Mike Kroeger (bass), their cousin Brandon (drums), and Ryan Peake (guitar/vocals).

Canada's Nickelback started life as a cover band in Hanna, 215 kilometres northeast of Calgary. Eventually, they tired of playing other people's songs and singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger put together a bunch of original songs, borrowed 4,000 bucks off his stepfather, and went to big city Vancouver to record them in a friend's studio. Based on the results, Kroeger's guitarist brother, Mike, and pal bassist Ryan Vikedal all relocated to Vancouver in 1996; that same year, they recorded and released the EP Hesher and full-length Curb independently and embarked on a series of cross-country tours.

The group's singer had spent two years selling advertising for a soccer magazine and now applied some of the skills he had learned to his band. He asked his friends to fax and phone radio stations to request their first single until it was played often enough for Nickelback to pick up fans on their own.

1998

In late 1998, the band decided their managers were unable to bring them to the next level and started managing themselves. Mike Kroeger handled all the distribution, brother Chad handled all the radio tracking, and Ryan Vikedal handled all the bookings. The group had also invested $30,000 into a new album. The State was released independently in January 2000 during a slow rock period when Canadian content requirements were increased and local rock radio began desperately seeking out homegrown product.

It was rewarded by a major recording contract with EMI Canada and heavy metal label Roadrunner Records in the USA.

2000

Released in March of 2000 The State was a firecracker of a debut, with both “Breathe” and “Leader of Men” going top ten on the Mainstream Rock charts and “Old Enough” hitting Top 20 at the format. “It was fantastic,” enthuses guitarist Ryan Peake. “The snowball effect of the album was phenomenal. We started doing well in Canada and then the buzz in the States took over. It totally went off the hook and was a great kickstart for us!”

Nickelback toured ceaselessly for The State and 200 shows later the band had gone from virtual unknowns to playing in front of over a million people alongside the likes of Creed, 3 Doors Down, Fuel and more. A lot of the songs that comprise Silver Side Up were actually written even before The State was released in America and got road tested in front of eager audiences on cross-country treks, including such anthemic rockers like “Money Bought,” “Hang Nail,” and “Where Do I Hide?”

2001

Silver Side Up (Roadrunner) Released 09.11.01

However, there are still some songs that will be completely fresh to Nickelback's set lists. One of these is “How You Remind Me”, which is the first single, was written at rehearsals shortly before the band were set to go into the studio. “That's the cool thing about making music -- sometimes the best songs come out in fifteen minutes and totally unexpectedly,” singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger enthusiastically asserts. The song reveals a more emotionally raw side to Nickelback. “How You Remind Me” finds Kroeger singing, “Never made it as a wise man/I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing/Tired of living like a blind man/I'm sick inside without a sense of feeling.” Over a quiet bed of melodic guitar. “Those opening lines refer to that time in your life when the person you're married to or living with starts pointing out all your faults at one time,” explains Kroeger.

Many of the songs that comprised the next album, Silver Side Up, were written even before The State was released in America and road-tested in front of eager audiences on cross-country treks.

"How You Remind Me," the first single from the album, was written at rehearsals shortly before the band went into the studio.

To record the album, the band decided to work with producer Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog) at the same studio as The State, Vancouver's Green House. The

Further listening to Silver Side Up, one quickly realizes that Chad's lyrics have become far more personal and insightful. “I got so much slack from everyone for writing so metaphorically on the last record,” Chad admits. “I thought that if I kept it all metaphorical and vague, then I could keep it all secret.” Well, the secrets are revealed on Silver Side Up, as Kroeger and company squarely face off with their demons. Kroeger becomes uncharacteristically subdued when discussing “Too Bad.” “That's about my dad,” he says quietly. “The chorus 'It's too bad, there's no time to rewind/Let's walk, let's talk' is about how my father was never around when I was growing up. That's me just wishing that he had been there. It's about the wish to turn back time and to fix things that are completely beyond your control.” Another poignant example is “Never Again” a song inspired by bearing witness to countless broken homes “He's drunk again/It's time to fight/She must have done something wrong tonight/The living room becomes a boxing ring/It's time to run when you see him.” Not only is it one of the more lyrically profound songs, it's also one of the standout tracks musically.

When it came to laying Silver Side Up onto tape, the band decided to work with veteran rock producer Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog). Recorded at the same studio as The State, Vancouver's prestigious Green House studio, the quartet whipped through the recording of the album in five short weeks. After wrapping up, they handed the finished thirteen tracks over to Randy Staub (Metallica, U2) for mixing at The Armory. The potent combination of Parasher and Staub made Nickelback's sound grow not only exponentially bigger and better, but also in new directions. Case in point, the epic “Good Times Gone,” which features some spontaneous slide guitar work by Big Wreck guitarist Ian Thornley. The song builds into a climactic chorus as Kroeger reminisces out loud “All the stupid fun/And all that shit we done/Where did the good times go?”

Needless to say, there are many good times yet to come for Nickelback. No matter how big it gets though, Nickelback's philosophy remains simple -- “We just like writing good songs with good melodies that you'll sing at our shows and remember when you walk away,” asserts Peake. And with an album as well-crafted and catchy as Silver Side Up, these are songs that will stay with you long after the ringing in your ears has faded away.

Silver Side Up into the sales charts around the world, spearheaded by the hit single "How You Remind Me." It was only the second time in history since the Guess Who's "American Woman" that a Canadian band had been number one on both the Canadian and U.S. rock charts at the same time. After their initial mainstream exposure, Kroeger produced Vancouver natives Default and colaborated with Saliva singer Josey Scott for the Spiderman soundtrack.

2002

In the summer of 2002, the band re-released Curb since it had fallen out of print years before.

The Long Road (Roadrunner) Released 09.23.03