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MUSIC visit
DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
FEATURE
T o this day, The Beatles have sold more
records in America than any other band
not originally from those shores. But,
who’s second? Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? AC/
DC? … um, Adele? Nope, none of the above.
The answer? It’s not from Europe or Australia,
but closer to the USA. The second biggest
non-American selling band in
American recording industry history
just hopped over the border and
got amongst it – no, it’s not Bryan
Adams... it’s Nickelback. Yep, the
Canadian poster boys of post-grunge
arena rock – loved and hated in equal
measure – broke America wide open
some time ago. No matter what
anyone thinks of them, the facts
remain: nine Grammy Award nominations, three
American Music Awards, a World Music Award,
a People’s Choice Award, and 12 Juno Awards
(the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies).
Nickelback was formed in the early ’90s,
initially as a cover band called The Village Idiots.
The nucleus of the band was Chad Kroeger and
his brothers Mike and Brandon, who shared a
mutual love of Led Zeppelin and Metallica.
They re-named themselves Nickelback when
they released their Hesher EP, the name coming
from Mike Kroeger’s job at Starbucks where
he was often heard to say, “here’s your nickel
back” when giving customers their change.
The band’s new album, No Fixed Address,
comes over a year after Chad Kroeger’s
marriage to pop star Avril Lavigne, and arrives
just in time for him to turn 40. And while there’s
growly vocals, big-as-a-house power chords,
and plenty of lighter-waving rock choruses on
offer, there are some new directions afoot in the
world of Nickelback, no doubt about it.
While Nickelback fans will swoop on the new
album, it’s hard to ignore the jibes that have
been levelled at the band, sometimes from
fellow musicians. When Black Keys drummer
Patrick Carney attacked them in 2012 – telling
Rolling Stone that “rock ’n’ roll is dying because
people became OK with Nickelback being the
biggest band in the world” – the band simply
tweeted a ‘thanks’.
Despite its apparent voraciousness,
Nickelback laugh off the vitriol; in their world
it seems any publicity is good publicity. In any
case, much of the derision aimed at Nickelback
is inevitably amplified by social media.
Recently, a London resident named Craig
Mandell tried to crowd-fund an anti-Nickelback
campaign to keep them out of the English
capital. For every dollar raised, he would email
the band asking them not to visit. He got 60
backers and raised $339 – hardly the edge of
an anti-Nickelback revolution (he claims on the
campaign website that he donated the money to
charity, and that it was not for personal gain).
The band, if not quite seeing the funny side,
do admit the constant attention keeps their
name in the media. In October, after news of
the Mandell campaign reached the band, Chad
Kroeger ruefully admitted that, “if [the critics]
had stopped writing all this stuff about us, there
would be no controversy . . . and we probably
would have died out years ago. They don’t know
that they’re still responsible for us being around
today.”
The aptly titled No Fixed Address was
recorded in several different locations over 2013
and 2014. Mike Kroeger lives in Maui, Hawaii,
and several sessions took place there.
Brother Chad was based in Los Angeles at
various times in the last year, so some recording
took place there as well. The band also recorded
in Vancouver, and at several European locations
while they were on tour. So, the album is
literally and figuratively all over the map.
While that explains the splash of styles across
the album – from the electronic experimentation
of the opener Million Miles an Hour to the
funk of Got Me Running Around (featuring Flo
Rida), there’s another element in No
Fixed Address that might raise some
eyebrows – humour. For example, the
southern delta blues-fuelled Get ‘Em
Up is tells the story of a bank robbery
gone very wrong – disastrously,
absurdly, utterly wrong.
The other thing about Nickelback
is that, despite not quite being ‘elder
statesmen’, they are travelling toward
a certain maturity. Chad Kroeger just turned
40 and got married, and brother Mike admits
he’s had some funny moments playing the
band’s music to his kids. “I get some honest
feedback.”
He said, speaking to Loudwire.com, “there’s
a moment in Million Miles an Hour and my son –
he stops the track – and goes, ‘did he just say
‘trippin’ balls’? I was like, ‘yeah son. Your uncle
just said ‘trippin’ balls’, right there.’”
No Fixed Address by
Nickelback is available now
Nickelback return with a new album, No FixedAddress
There’s a moment in Million Miles
an Hourand my son goes, ‘did he just
say ‘trippin’ balls’? I was like,
‘Yeah your Uncle just said ‘trippin’
balls’ – right there