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Nickleback
- Mike Kroeger, bass; Chad Kroeger, vocals, guitar; Ryan Peake, guitar; Ryan
Vikedal, drums
Interview with band founder, Chad Kroeger – by David Huff
What's
it like being a boss?
It's great. When the crew says they want raises, I don't have to say yes or no.
I let the tour manager deal with it. He evaluates them. You know, "Well,
you've been doing some good work here, so we'll give you an extra $100."
Or, "Well, there was those couple of times when you brought girls out with
us from one city to another, when I asked you not to. You crossed state lines
with a minor, commited a federal offense, so no raise."
You surprised me with two versions of "Leader of Men." I've never seen
that before. What made you go with both an acoustic and electric version on here?
In Canada, we're from Vancouver, and next to us is a place called Vancouver
Island. We go over there and play all the time, but there's a radio station over
there that won't play our stuff because it's a little bit too heavy. So we did
this acoustic version of "Leader of Men," and they still didn't play
it, but have the other radio stations that initally rejected playing the
electric version of the song did.
When "Leader of Men" was released in the U.S., was any of the music
cut?
Yes. Some radio stations in America thought it took to long to get to the meat
of the song, so they wanted us to pull out a couple of songs here and there.
Then the record company made the cuts and delivered it.
I saw your performance in Dallas with Three Doors Down a few weeks ago.
A couple of the Dallas Stars partied with us on our bus that night after the
show. We had a blast.
I was impressed by the way you worked the crowd. You threw the music of
Nickleback in the crowds face, and they loved the honest and fresh way in which
you presented the band. Coming across as a great live act is just as important
as having a hit single. Did you learn the importance of that aspect of the music
business from your touring in Canada, where you have to make an impression, or
your long 8-10 drive would be just a waste of time.
You know all too well. You have a half hour or 45 minutes to make a statement to
a crowd when you're opening for someone, and 90 minutes when you're the
headliner. That's all the time you have to win them over. If you don't pull them
right at the moment, then exactly, you have wasted your whole drive. I learned a
long time ago from a musician friend of mine the importance of first impressions.
His philosophy was simple. His theory going into a new place for the first time
was this. You may not like us, but you're going to pay attention no matter. Even
if I have to set myself on fire. That was his attitude, and he would do whatever
it took to get the crowd to at least go, "You know, I didn't dig the music,
but this show was great."
It's too bad you're not in Dallas right now, the Stars are playing tonight for
the Stanley Cup?
Scott Thorton and Brad Linquist called a couple of days ago when we were in
Toronto shooting a video for "Breathe." They were pissed at us because
they thought they we didn't dig them, and that's why we didn't phone them back.
They called and said, "Hey, I thought we swapped numbers for a reason. You
haven't called us back once." I said, "Dudes, your in the playoffs. I
thought we should give you some space because of the intense time you're going
through. We were going to throw in a congratulations call after you win the
Stanley Cup." Believe me, if I had a day off, I would fly to wherever the
Stars were playing to catch a game. We have Nickleback jerseys made up, and they
just delivered them to our hotel.
There's a four year gap between the release of the independent CD Curb and this
new one, The State. What's the story behind that?
Well, there wasn't a four year gap in Canada .The State came out in 1998, and we
worked the album for a year and a half, selling 10,000 copies on our own. That's
what got the record companies interested in the first place. Then we got a
bidding war going in the U.S., and got ourselves a decent contract. After we
signed, we sat around and spent money for a year. Then the record company put
the album out.
What did you do for a whole year?
Buying cars...
Did you tour at all
I bought a brand new car, brand new amps and guitars, bought my girlfriend some
stuff, and then I sort of lounged and enjoyed the time off. We were still
working the record in Canada, because we signed a seperate deal with another
label to license our music there. We got Roadrunner to exclude Canada from our
worldwide deal so that we could get another advance. We structured the deal
rather uniquely. We shot another video in Canada, went to a second single in
Canada, and did a few tours.
Were you unable to transfer the type of business deal you cut in Canada to a
record company here in the United States?
The reason we cut the Canadian deal is so we could keep Canada to ourselves
because we had worked it for so many years. That's our backyard, that's our
bread and butter. Basically, if we fell off in the rest of the world, but held
on to Canada, that would be fine with us. We structured a deal with Roadrunner
to exclude our country from the contract we signed with them. All Roadrunner was
required to do was pay for our videos to be shot up there. We didn't need tour
support, and they had a marketing commitment that had to make dollar wise.
America was its own thing. Now it's getting complicated because we just shot a
video for "Leader of Men," through Roadrunner, and EMI in Canada now
wants it even though the song was our first release there. Now, we're going to a
our third single in Canada, and we're going to shot a live video from the road
when we open for Creed in June. Now "Breathe" will be the second
single in the U.S. Coordinating all this stuff between the labels is sort of
complicated, but somehow it's getting done.
When EMI closed there doors in the U.S., did it at all give you any concerns
about signing on with the company in Canada?
No, because we just licensed the music to them. They are like our babysitters in
Canada. EMI isn't really our record company up there. We set up our own company.
Basically, EMI and Warner entered into a bidding war to license our music in
Canada. We went worldwide with Roadrunner, just excluding Canada. Since we've
done that deal, a lot of other bands that are with our same attorney, he's also
trying to structure their deals the same way. If you can keep Canada under a
different term, and you die off in the rest of the world, you still have a
territory you can live off the rest of your life, because no money is being
drained from you there.
What kind of town is Vancouver?
Very diverse, and no one scene dominates. Heavy music is making a big return,
probably because of all the influx of music coming in from the States.
What is the state of music in Canada like right now
It's good. We have a stipulation in our constitution that's known as CanCon, or
Canadian Content. Every radio and television station must air at least 35%
Canadian originated content. It has to be written in Canada, or performed by
Canadian musicians. Our country does a lot to preserve its culture. We have to
do that because we are so bombarded with the U.S. All of our music directors
watch the American trade publications, they all read Billboard. They all look to
the States to see what to play. But thank God we have some legislation that
forces us to preserve Canadian music, and sort of develop it.
What sort of criteria did you pick in order to pick a record label in the U.S.?
Well, we knew we wanted to go with a large independent, not a major. The go out
and sign 20 bands, and by playing the numbers, they throw the music out to radio
for eight weeks to see what sticks. Whatever makes an impact in those two months
gets priority with the label, and those who don't cut it won't receive any
attention or money from the company to promote their music. We didn't want to be
one of those bands that would be caught in the crossfires of that particular
philosophy. We went to an independent that can't afford to sign 20 bands at
once, throw them to the wind and see what goes. We wanted a label that would
work our record, and as I stand here talking to you right now, we definitely
made the right move, because Roadrunner is one of the largest independents in
the world, so all we asked for was major label money with independent attention
given us. They promised us a Top Ten record in the U.S., and they did it with
"Leader of Men."
I've read about the circumstances surrounding "Leader of Men," and how
the inspiration for the lyrics came about. But you know what, lyrics don't mean
shit unless you have the right music to go with the words. How did that come
about?
Well there's only three or four chords in that song. The way I do it is this. I
actually come up with the music first, then right the lyrics later. I come up
with a riff first, then the melody, and things start developing from there. In
the actual case of "Leader of Men," both the words and the music
basically came at the same time. I was noodling around with some chord
progressions when I was pretty wired, and everything just sort of came out at
the same time.
When it comes to writing music, is it a group effort or is it Chad presenting a
rough sketch of a song, here it is?
I come with the skeleton. I've got most of the melody down, the changes down>
I sort of bring the spaghetti sause and they other guys throw in the spices, and
what you hear is what you get.
Is hard rock in Canada viewed differently by the musicians there than oppose to
the way U.S. musicians see it?
Absolutely. We don't have the heavy scene. As a matter of fact, we're one of the
heavier bands in Canada, but in the U.S., we are considered one of the lighter
bands. If you just listen to that single, then we are definitely one of the
lightest bands on the radio right now.
Well, I've been fortunate enough to see you in concert, so I know the difference.
Listen, "Leader of Men" is a good song, but it's a poor representation
of the whole album, because it's so light.
If Canadian law dictates that 35% of all content must be originated in that
country, does that knowledge influence you in any way when it comes to writing
songs because you know the music is going to get played?
There's the business side of you that tries to stay at home when you're writing
a song, and then there's the songwriter part of you. Every musician on earth
would love to write seven minute songs, because when you start writing a piece,
you think it's the coolest thing on the planet. But you know, that if you want
anyone else on the planet to hear that song, you have to keep it between three
and four minutes to get it on the radio.
Interestingly enough, if you have written three to four minute songs in the
'70s, you probably would have never made it on FM radio.
That's so true.
I've always had respect for Canadian bands who start out in this business,
because in order to make in your own country, man you have to drive long hours
in-between shows. Musicians up there are true road warriors.
You know all too well. You see all.
Does that type hardened road work bring band members closer together?
Of course it does. It makes your live show tighter. When you stay in your local
area, as a band, you know what to expect. When you travel out into the great
unknown in Canada, it's a crapshoot. If you build up a following there, you are
always going to do well. But, you have to be able to do well under any
circumstance. If you have hecklers, if you have everyone in the crowd standing
there with their arms folded, you have got to win them over. Travelling around
in Canada to areas that have their own music scenes, if you learn how to handle
those crowds, you're definitely ready for the United States. What I try to do is
tear down the initial wall that makes somebody fold their arms, stare at the
band and say, "Okay, impress me, because I was impressed last week when I
saw this band." When you tear down that wall of us verses them, then it's
just us. If you can get people to stop critiquing every move you make on stage,
looking for mistakes, overanalyzing your music, and just have fun, then you've
won the battle.
Did the Canadian 35 percent law make a difference in breaking Nickleback?
Oh absolutely. We have to compete with American bands, English bands, you name
it.
Now that you have an American label, is it forced any type of philosophical
changes as far as you writing goes?
No, I don't think so.
Have you and your brother always gotten along pretty well?
No, not really. I play with him because he's a bass player, and it doesn't hurt
that he is my brother.
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