Nickelback Rocks Its Way to the Top
You know their story: Nickelback's bassist Mike Kroeger, his younger brother Chad (the group's lead singer and writer), and their friends Ryan Vikedal (drums) and Ryan Peake (guitar) decided to rock their way out of Hanna, a lonely farm community in the province of Alberta, Canada. Their chances of escaping without sliding back down the hill to a life of boredom and a job at the local Starbucks? Slim to none.
Dreams do come true, however, and Nickelback is a case in point. Their in-your-face style resonated with the following they built, club by club, fan by fan. The four band members took a chance, threw their collective cash into the pot, and headed into a recording studio to record their first album, The State, released in 2000. It yielded a pair of top 10 Mainstream Rock hits, "Breathe" and "Leader of Men." With adrenaline and a heavy work ethic backing up their relentless grooves, Nickelback hit the road again. This time the crowds were larger, the buzz was stronger, and the group was playing alongside Creed, 3 Doors Down, Fuel, and other top acts.
Taking the rock world by storm is easy - at least compared to hitting the charts a second time, but Nickelback has done it again. And how. Their multi-platinum follow-up CD, Silver Side Up, has spawned the radio smash "How You Remind Me," one of the top-selling rock singles of all time. "The 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," says Chad Kroeger, who says he spent about 15 minutes penning the instant classic at the front end of a Nickelback recording session.
The crossover hit has been on the Billboard Modern Rock chart for over 30 weeks, where it peaked at #1, is currently #2 on the Adult Top 40 chart and # 4 on Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it also peaked at the top position. The second single, "Too Bad," is enjoying some similar chart action.
Nickelback continues to support Silver Side Up with tour dates and is set for a return to the US at the end of March from their sold out European dates. They have joined forces with hard rockers Default and Injected to lead MTV's annual Campus Invasion tour starting April 4 in Russellville, Arkansas through April 27 in Binghamton, New York.
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