Nickelback
The continued growth of Nickelback is a success story built on the road, on the radio and by above all things – great rock songs. With over 21 million records sold worldwide and numerous album, radio and video accolades, they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
By the summer of 2004, Nickelback had been on tour around the globe for the better part of 5 years, at that point supporting their third album, The Long Road (which at the time had sold 5 million copies). The plan was to take some time off to enjoy the fruits of their labor before even thinking about new songs. But two weeks into their vacation Chad, Mike and Ryan started feeling that old familiar urge, so they gathered in Chad's studio near Vancouver to jam. “Once we got in there and started messing around, we just didn’t stop,” says Chad.
Joining Nickelback just in time to make All the Right Reasons was new drummer, Daniel Adair. Adair’s hard-hitting yet multifaceted style perfectly matched the band’s new material. Adair jumped right into the fold and his ‘audition’ in Chad’s studio even made its way into the finished album. “We are totally thrilled to have Daniel in the band,” Chad says. “The creativity that went on with him in the studio was really inspiring. He’s an amazing player.”
Over the next seven months, the band spent countless hours making sure every song on their fourth major label release, All the Right Reasons, was exactly the way they wanted it. The result was 11 of the most insistent, dynamic and diverse tracks Nickelback has conjured to date. The first single “Photograph” shot to #1 on radio and video charts around the world and was followed quickly by “Animals”, “Savin’ Me”, “Far Away” and “Rockstar”.
“Number One” has been a common phrase in Nickelback’s career. Their eagerness to experiment and evolve lit up All The Right Reasons in October of 2005, and the album debuted at the top of the Canadian SoundScan Top 200 Sales Chart and the coveted Billboard Top 200 Sales Chart – a first for the band.
Nickelback’s all-inclusive approach has been a large part of the band’s immense success. The Long Road sold over 5 million copies worldwide (4 x platinum in Canada), and bore several rock, and pop radio smashes including “Someday,” “Figured You Out” and “Feelin' Way Too Damn Good.” The album earned the band 6 Juno Award nominations (2 wins), 3 Grammy Award nominations and 1 American Music Award nomination. Their previous disc, 2001’s Silver Side Up, was even more successful, selling over 11 million copies around the globe and spawning three number one hits, “Too Bad,” “Never Again” and their monstrous breakout single, "How You Remind Me," which was the number one Most Played Song of 2002. Silver Side Up achieved multi-Platinum status around the world and racked up 4 Juno Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations, 2 American Music Award Nominations and 4 Billboard Awards.
Over the years, Nickelback’s music has appealed to listeners of pop, rock, alternative and metal. A number of seemingly disparate celebrity artists have also embraced the band, including ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and ex-Pantera members Vinnie Paul and the late Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Both Gibbons and Abbot (albeit posthumously) aided in the creation of All the Right Reasons.
“Side of a Bullet” is just one of the many tracks on All The Right Reasons that’s rife with compelling narrative. Ever since Kroeger started writing about his personal trials on “Never Again” and “How You Remind Me” he has strived to tell stories his fans could simultaneously relate to and be transported by. “I really like to tell a story that comes off like a movie inside the listener’s head,” Kroeger says. “And I try to put myself in the scene when I’m writing it. That makes it easier for me to look around and see what I can sing about. Otherwise you don’t get any details and it doesn’t play out very well.”
Like all of Nickelback’s albums, All the Right Reasons was born of sincerity, emotional revelation and a genuine love for music, but this time the music also stemmed from necessity – not the necessity of making deadlines or getting albums on the shelf. Rather the necessity of an artist to create, explore and try to understand more about the world around him. Hence the album title, which was a play off the track “Fight For All the Wrong Reasons.”
“I really want to make music for the right reasons,” Kroeger says. “The most important reason is to make music because you love it. And I think that’s why we spend so much time on it. Throughout the creation of All the Right Reasons, the band tweaked verses, changed choruses and altered arrangements until the songs passed the band's own litmus test - no song was deemed "done" until it made the hair on the back of their necks stand up. “We’re perfectionists,” he says. “If you finish a song and it’s not stuck in your head, then how will it stick in someone else’s head when they’ve only heard it once or twice?”
Over the past year and a half, Nickelback have been recognized with a plethora of awards and nominations including the accolade of most played artist at radio in 2006. On November 15th, 2006, Nickelback was named the World’s Best Rock Band at the World Music Awards and on November 10th the band won the Breakthrough Artist Award at the Billboard Touring Awards. Additionally, the band won three awards at the Billboard Music Awards, one American Music Award for Best Duo/Group, a People’s Choice Award for Favourite Group, and 2 Juno Awards for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.
The momentum continues in 2007, when Chad, Ryan, Mike and Daniel will spend the better part of the Spring and Summer headlining tours in North America.
On June 9th, 2007, Nickelback will be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
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