GRANT LEE BUFFALO ***

Grant Lee Buffalo is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another Los Angeles band, Shiva Burlesque.

Career

As Grant Lee Buffalo, they released four albums: Fuzzy (1993), Mighty Joe Moon (1994), Copperopolis (1996) and Jubilee (1998) (the final album without Kimble who had left the band the previous year). In the United States, the band may perhaps best be remembered for their 1998 single, “Truly, Truly” which received extensive airplay.

After the release of Jubilee, the band broke up. Phillips continues to pursue a solo career. In 2001, Storm Hymnal, a compilation of singles, album tracks and rarities was released. Virginia Creeper is another solo album continuing in the Grant Lee Buffalo tradition but with less electric backup.

The sound of Grant Lee Buffalo has similarities with Neil Young, and an electrified version of americana song writer John Stewart, and old-fashioned country music, and often tackled political and social issues in their lyrics. 
For example, “Lone Star Song” from Mighty Joe MoonWaco siege and “Crackdown“ from Copperopolis referenced the murder of Yoshihiro Hattori as well as the Oklahoma City bombing. They toured with major bands of the early-to-mid 1990s such as R.E.M., Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins.

As of May 5th, 2011 the band has returned on a limited tour, making stops in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, Brussels and Oslo.

THE WALLFLOWERS ***

The Wallflowers are a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant.

They have released five studio albums, one compilation album and have had various songs on television and movie soundtracks. They have won two Grammy awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song for their song "One Headlight" in 1998.

History

(1992–1994) The Wallflowers

The band started in 1989 in Los Angeles's clubs. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1992 on the Virgin Records label. It sold 40,000 copies initially, and has sold an estimated 1,000,000 to date.

The original members of the Wallflowers include Jakob Dylan (vocals and guitar), Barrie Maguire (bass guitar and vocals), Peter Yanowitz (drums and percussion), Rami Jaffee (keyboards and vocals), and Tobi Miller (guitar). Peter Yanowitz and Barrie Maguire left the band shortly after the album's release and went on to join Natalie Merchant's band.

(1996–1998) Bringing Down the Horse

The band seemed quiet for a few years but stormed back on the scene with their 4x platinum 1996 release, Bringing Down the Horse, which comprised such hits as "6th Avenue Heartache" (with Adam Duritz of Counting Crows), "One Headlight" , "The Difference," and "Three Marlenas." The band switched record labels, from Virgin to Interscope. 

For this album, Dylan was joined by Rami Jaffee and Tobi Miller from the original lineup. Michael Ward (guitar), Mario Calire (drums and percussion) and Greg Richling (bass guitar and vocals) were called in to form the new band. "One Headlight" peaked at #2 and "6th Avenue Heartache" peaked at #33 on the Billboard American Hot 100 Airplay charts. At the Grammy Awards of 1998, The Wallflowers walked away with two Grammys; one for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "One Headlight," and Jakob Dylan was awarded Best Rock Song for writing "One Headlight." Bruce Springsteen joined the Wallflowers for a live performance of their song "One Headlight," at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. "One Headlight" was the #1 video of the year for 1997 on VH1 and #5 on MTV.

(2000–2001) (Breach)

After almost four years, the Wallflowers continued work on their next album, (Breach), released October 10, 2000; the first single was "Sleepwalker," the video of which poked fun at Dylan's "rock star" status following the success of Bringing Down the Horse. "Sleepwalker" was followed by "Letters From the Wasteland", which was featured with Dylan in a commercial for Coca-Cola. The record was featured on MTV's First Listen show. The band also played Saturday Night Live, featuring the songs "Sleepwalker" and "Hand Me Down".

(Breach) ends with a hidden track entitled "Babybird," often played in concert. Guests on the album included Elvis Costello, who lent vocals on "Murder 101." (Breach) peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold on September 21, 2001.

The band supported this album through tours with Tom Petty and John Mellencamp, as well as an extensive headlining tour. While on tour the Wallflowers covered Blur's "Song 2" and The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" regularly. Guitarist Michael Ward left the band following the tour, citing creative differences. The band has officially been a 4-piece ever since.

(2002–2003) Red Letter Days

On November 5, 2002, The Wallflowers released their fourth studio album, Red Letter Days. Red Letter Days peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200. This was the first Wallflowers record that featured Jakob Dylan playing a majority of the lead guitar parts. The album had a much more aggressive sound than any of their previous releases, especially the song "Everybody Out of the Water," which they performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. The first single and only music video shot was for "When You're On Top." The single was a smash hit on AAA radio stations, but received little mainstream attention. Subsequent singles from the album include "Closer to You," and "How Good It Can Get" which received radio airplay across multiple formats. Some versions of the album featured an in-studio cover of "(What's So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding."

The band was a part of many exclusive performances during promotion of the record, including a Live at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame concert for MTV, and a special televised concert for VH1, Live at Alcatraz, being the first band to ever play a concert on the infamous island. They also played "When You're on Top" on Last Call with Carson Daly, and "How Good It Can Get" on The Late Show with David Letterman.

(2005–2006) Rebel, Sweetheart

The band's most recent release, Rebel, Sweetheart was released on May 24, 2005. This is the first Wallflowers record available as a DualDisc. The DVD, directed by American video director Jason B. Bergh, included interviews and exclusive performances and arrangements of many of the band's songs, including reworked versions of "One Headlight" and "6th Avenue Heartache" as well as an amusing band interview with comedian Jon Lovitz. Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Train) was called in to produce the record and played guitar as well. Fred Eltringham, the newest Wallflowers member, played drums. A video was filmed for their first single "The Beautiful Side of Somewhere" which hit #5 on AAA radio.

The second single released was "God Says Nothing Back."

In promoting the record, The Wallflowers performed special televised concerts for the Oxygen Custom Concert Series on the Oxygen channel and were also featured on the PBS series Soundstage. Singer/songwriter Carole King was the special guest performer for the Oxygen concert.

In conjunction with the release of Rebel, Sweetheart the band released an exclusive iTunes Originals album for the iTunes music store. The album featured exclusive performances and interviews with Jakob Dylan. The band also volunteered to perform for sailors on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as the troops were returning to California.

Much to the dismay of longtime fans, The Wallflowers did not tour in 2006, although keyboardist Rami Jaffee toured with the Foo Fighters for their acoustic tour, and drummer Fred Eltringham worked with the Dixie Chicks. Jakob Dylan toured with T-Bone Burnett during Burnett's first tour in 20 years. Dylan played 40 minute solo opening sets for the tour. The two share a long history that extends further than just Burnett's impactful production work on Bringing Down the Horse.

The Wallflowers parted ways with record company Interscope in 2006. Jakob Dylan recorded a couple of solo songs in 2006, including "Here Comes Now," which was featured prominently in the television show Six Degrees.

(2007–2010) Present

Jakob Dylan performed John Lennon's song "Gimme Some Truth" with Dhani Harrison for the Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur CD.

On August 31, 2007 The Wallflowers announced that they would be touring for the first time in two years. The band played shows at clubs in the Northeast and Midwest United States in October and November 2007. In a late 2007 post on the band's website it was revealed that keyboardist Rami Jaffee left the band. Singer-songwriter Stuart Mathis joined the band as the lead guitarist for those shows.

Jakob Dylan released his first solo album Seeing Things on June 10, 2008.

The Wallflowers recently announced the impending release of a Greatest Hits record on their MySpace page. They will embark on a nationwide tour to support the release, which will include two unreleased tracks. The band also announced that Rami Jaffee and Stuart Mathis will be returning for this tour. These will be Jaffee's first shows with the band since the Summer of 2005.The band's website has recently stated that producer Bill Appleberry will join them on tour to play keyboards making no mention of Rami Jaffee as it had previously reported.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS *****

Stone Temple Pilots, often abbreviated to STP, is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Robert DeLeo (bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo (guitar), and Eric Kretz (drums, percussion). The band's early hard rock, grunge-reminiscent style of music found them immediate success in 1992 with the release of their debut album Core. Further releases from the band have shown a variety of influences, and as such the band is considered to transcend the genre barrier.

Core, certified 8× platinum by the RIAA, drove the band to popularity. STP went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s, selling nearly 40 million records worldwide, including 17.5 million units in the United States, before their dissolution in 2003. The band has had 16 top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, eight of which peaked at #1, and one #1 album for Purple in 1994. That same year, the band won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Plush" from the album Core. Stone Temple Pilots were also ranked #40 on VH1'sThe 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

After Weiland's five-year stint as the frontman of Velvet Revolver and the DeLeo brothers' involvement with the Army of Anyone project, Stone Temple Pilots reunited in 2008 with a successful 75-date tour and the band's sixth studio album Stone Temple Pilots was released in 2010.

History

Formation and "Mighty Joe Young" demo (1986–1992)

Stone Temple Pilots can trace its beginnings to a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California in 1986, where Scott Weiland met Robert DeLeo. They began discussing their girlfriends, and, after realizing they were dating the same woman, developed a bond. They each subsequently broke it off with the girl, who left town, whereupon Weiland and DeLeo moved into her vacated apartment. Immediately, Weiland and DeLeo formed a band with two of Scott's friends from Edison High School, Corey Hicock (guitar) and David Allin (drums). After Allin's departure, drummer Eric Kretz joined the band. Soon after, Robert DeLeo's brother, Dean DeLeo, decided to play guitar in the band replacing Hicock, completing the quartet. They then named their band Mighty Joe Young. The band recorded a demo tape that was completed around 1990.The "Mighty Joe Young" demo features tracks that would go on to be re-recorded for the band's first studio album, as well as some musical styles not featured on any of STP's albums, such as funk and yodeling.

The group then began to work on their debut album with Brendan O'Brien. During the recording, they received a call from their lawyer who informed them that there was a bluesman who had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young. They liked the initials STP and eventually settled on the name "Stone Temple Pilots". Scott Weiland later said on The Howard Stern Show that the band's name was inspired by a carving in an ancient temple that depicts a man in a small flying ship, a reference to ancient aliens.

Early years and mainstream success (1992–1994)

Stone Temple Pilots built a fan base in San Diego clubs in order to steer clear of the Los Angeles corporate music scene and build up their technique and following in the clubs. In 1992, Stone Temple Pilots signed with Atlantic Records. Their first album,Core, was released on September 29, 1992, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Albums Chart. Core was a big success, producing hits "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," "Creep", and "Wicked Garden." Despite hostile reviews from critics, Stone Temple Pilots continued to gain fans. They toured for four weeks, opening for Rage Against the Machine, and then played a 40-date tour supporting the heavy metal band Megadeth. 1993 brought continued success on the road, with the band headlining a two-and-a-half-month American tour. Around this time, Stone Temple Pilots also performed at benefits for pro-choice organizations.

Despite commercial success, the music press criticized the band as grunge imitators. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote in a 1993 concert review, "The San Diego band has climbed onto the Seattle grunge bandwagon. Its slow songs, with heaving riffs and half-speed vocals, are second-rate Pearl Jam; for variety, there are some midtempo groans that imitate Nirvana." Weiland told Entertainment Weekly in 2008, "It was really painful in the beginning because I just assumed that the critics would understand where we were coming from, that these weren't just dumb rock songs."

In 1993, the band filmed an episode of MTV Unplugged, where they debuted the song "Big Empty." In a January 1994 Rolling Stone poll, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stone's readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics. The following month the group won Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist and Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the American Music Awards. In March 1994, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "Plush."

In the spring of 1994, Stone Temple Pilots returned to the studio to work on their second album, Purple. Completed in less than a month, Purple debuted at number one in the United States upon its release on June 7, 1994. The radio-friendly "Interstate Love Song" quickly became a big hit, spending a record-setting fifteen weeks atop the album rock tracks chart. Other hits from the album included "Vasoline" and "Big Empty" (the latter also being featured on the soundtrack to the film The Crow). By October, just four months after its release, Purple had sold three million copies.

Legal troubles and Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1995–1996)

Although the band's success continued into 1995, it would not be a good year for the band. Two weeks of recording session work had to be scrapped in February, and in May, Weiland was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine in Pasadena, California, when police found the illegal drugs in his wallet. Facing up to three years in prison, Weiland pled not guilty, and a trial date was set the next year.

Following Weiland's arrest, the Pilots separated. Weiland formed a temporary side unit called The Magnificent Bastards, which contributed a song to the movie soundtrack of Tank Girl and a cover song to a John Lennon tribute album. By October 1995, however, the band regrouped with Weiland to begin recording its third album, renting out a mansion in Santa Barbara, California for the band to live together during the recording process.

Stone Temple Pilots released their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, on March 5, 1996. Fans again showed their support of the band when the album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts. Critical reception, however, was mostly mixed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "None of it ... has a distinct personality." Rolling Stone was more favorable, regarding the release as the group's best effort to date. They expressed surprise, however, at "the clattering, upbeat character of the music" given Weiland's much-publicized run-ins with drugs and the law. Stone Temple Pilots were also featured on the cover of issue #753 in February 1997.

However, Weiland's drug addiction again became a serious obstacle to the band's success. The band was unsuccessful in being able to fully tour in support of Tiny Music.... A short tour in the fall of 1996 ensued in the U.S. but final dates at the end of December in Hawaii had to be cancelled. The band issued a statement saying that: "[Weiland] has become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs. He is currently under a doctor's care in a medical facility."

Weiland's entry into a drug rehabilitation program was not voluntary. In April 1996, he was ordered by a Pasadena judge to spend up to six months under 24/7 medical supervision. After Weiland completed five months in a drug treatment program, the charges of cocaine and heroin possession were dropped in October 1996. Weiland's 1996 stay in a rehabilitation center proved unsuccessful and in January 1997 he checked himself into another drug treatment center. This resulted in another canceled tour.

As a result of Weiland's personal issues, Stone Temple Pilots went on hiatus. The DeLeo brothers and Kretz formed Talk Show with a new singer, Dave Coutts, releasing one album in 1997. In 1998, Scott Weiland released his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues. After the commercial failure of both Talk Show and Weiland's solo album, Stone Temple Pilots reunited.

Later projects and separation (1997–2002)

The band released No. 4 in 1999. STP scored one of its biggest hits since the success of Core and Purple with the single "Sour Girl". Inspired by Weiland's failing relationship with his then wife, the single peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. The popular music video for "Sour Girl" featured actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. Shortly after No. 4's completion, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating probation, making a tour in support for the album impossible. Despite this setback, the album went on to become certified Platinum by the RIAA.

During the summer of 2001, the band released their fifth album, Shangri-La Dee Da, which produced two modest rock radio hits: "Days of the Week" and "Hollywood Bitch". The band began work on a sixth studio album in 2002 that reportedly would go back to their Core-era sound and planned on finishing it in January 2003, but when Dean DeLeo and Scott Weiland nearly got into a fistfight during the last show of Stone Temple Pilots' fall 2002 tour the band decided to separate.

Post-breakup and subsequent projects (2003–2007)

On November 11, 2003, Atlantic Records released a greatest hits album, Thank You, with a bonus DVD. The compilation included a previously unreleased single called "All in the Suit That You Wear". The bonus DVD included an acoustic performance of "Plush" filmed in 1992 on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.

That same year, Weiland joined the successful supergroup Velvet Revolver, composed of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum, and Duff McKagan, as well as former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner. The band released two albums with Weiland, Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007).

The DeLeo brothers formed Army of Anyone with vocalist Richard Patrick, from the industrial rock band Filter, and drummer Ray Luzier. The band released its only album on November 14, 2006. Army of Anyone went on "indefinite hiatus" in May 2007 after Richard Patrick announced he was working on a new Filter album. Eric Kretz kept a low profile during this time, operating his own studio, Bomb Shelter Studios, and drumming for the band Spiralarms.

Reunion tour and self-titled album (2008–present)

According to Dean DeLeo, steps toward a Stone Temple Pilots reformation started with a simple phone call from Weiland's wife, Mary Forsberg. She invited the DeLeo brothers to play at a private beach party, which led to the reconciliation of Weiland and the DeLeo brothers. In 2007, Dean DeLeo and Weiland discussed a concert promoter's offer to headline several summer festivals. Despite clearing the brief tour with his Velvet Revolver bandmates, Weiland would be ostracized and, as a result, in the middle of a Velvet Revolver show on March 20, 2008, Weiland announced that it would be his last tour with the group.

The following month, Stone Temple Pilots announced they were reuniting for a 65-date North American tour. During one of these shows, Weiland hinted at a possible future album, stating that he had "lots of new songs in his head". Prior to the tour's start, Weiland was ordered by a court to serve an eight-day jail sentence on charges from the previous year for driving while intoxicated.

In June 2008, Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit against Weiland and Kretz for trying to end their contract to the label early. (The DeLeo brothers had been released from their contract in late 2003 for pursuing separate careers.) Although the band recorded six albums for the label, Atlantic wanted Stone Temple Pilots to record a seventh album, in addition to two more albums if the label decided to release the records. The band released a statement hoping for "negotiations to continue in a positive spirit rather than under a dark cloud of hostility."

Stone Temple Pilots toured throughout the summer and fall, headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore on August 10, 2008, as well as the 10th annual Voodoo Experience in New Orleans on the weekend before Halloween. This marked one of their biggest and most successful performances since reforming. The band's six-month reunion tour wrapped on October 31, 2008 in Pelham, Alabama.

Scott Weiland released his second solo album, "Happy" in Galoshes, on November 25, 2008, and toured throughout 2009; this was his first solo tour since 1998.

Recording for the band's sixth studio album began in mid-2009. By June 2009, the band had written 18 songs, twelve of which were planned to be released on the album. The band performed at South by Southwest in March, debuting four new songs live, and also appeared at England's Download Festival 2010 in June, as well as at the Hurricane Festival and the Southside Festival in Germany. The band also performed during the Final Four Concert Series in Indianapolis on April 2, 2010. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time in ten years on May 19, performing "Between the Lines." STP's self-titled sixth record was released on May 25, 2010, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200.

In September 2010, STP announced it was rescheduling several U.S. tour dates so that the band could take a "short break." This announcement came a few days after Weiland said the following at a show in Houston, Texas: "I started drinking again. My brother died, me and my wife got divorced, and my whole world basically spun around. So you know what? I'm going to take care of myself because that's what I need to take care of. Instead of just having a few shows, I want to have a whole hell of a lot of shows."

In October, after STP resumed its tour, Eric Kretz hinted at a possible seventh album for the band, stating: "We’re maybe looking at putting out another record next year or touring some more and trying new ideas of how to present music, especially for downloading."

In 2011, STP toured Southeast Asia for the first time, playing in Philippines (Manila), Singapore, and Indonesia (Jakarta). Following this, the band played successful shows in Australia, including sell out performances in Sydney and Melbourne. 

Musical style and influences

The band's sound is considered a blending of modern alternative rock and hard rock of the 1970s. While Core and Purple resembled a strong grunge-inspired sound, later albums would include elements of psychedelic rock, glam rock, bossa nova, and country. Dean DeLeo's trademark guitar sound is considered to be "crunchy" and especially distorted. DeLeo's playing has received critical acclaim, as Stone Temple Pilots' second album, Purple, was ranked number 73 on Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time. Stone Temple Pilots has covered several popular classic rock artists live and in the studio, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, The Doors, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, as well as reggae artist Bob Marley.

Though critics initially claimed Weiland's vocal style to be similar to that of Eddie Vedder and the late Layne Staley, Weiland has said his vocal style is inspired by the late Jim Morrison of the Doors, and has also cited David Bowie as a major influence.

While mainly an alternative rock band, the band has incorporated a large number of musical styles throughout their career, including hard rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and funk rock. Guitarist Dean DeLeo uses heavily layered and distorted guitar playing and bassist Robert DeLeo continues to draw influences from genres such as rhythm and blues, lounge music, and ragtime. Weiland is the band's primary lyricist.

NICKELBACK ****

Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. While largely a rock band, the group has also experimented with various other musical styles such as pop and country, aside from their hard rock and post-grunge base. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold 30 million records worldwide. Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, and is the 2nd best selling foreign act in the U.S. behind The Beatles for the 2000s. In December 2009, Nickelback were ranked 7th on Billboard Magazine's list of "Artists of the Decade" - both the highest-ranked band and the highest-ranked rock artist in the list. Billboard Magazine also named Nickelback as the Adult Pop Artist of the decade. The band has sold 21,000,000 album copies in the U.S.

History

The band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his job at Starbucks; he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back."

The band is signed to EMI in Canada and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world. In July 2008, the band signed with Live Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth. The contract includes recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights.

Early years: 1995–2000

Nickelback's first release was a seven-track EP called Hesher in 1996. In the same year, Nickelback also recorded their first full-length album Curb. "Fly" was included on both Hesher and Curb and was the first single produced by Nickelback. The following album, The State, was recorded and released independently in 1998.

Roadrunner A&R Ron Burman told HitQuarters that one of his West Coast scouts sent him the self-released album and, suitably impressed, he travelled to Vancouver to see them perform live. Although an unknown property in the industry at the time, the venue was packed out. In Burman's words: "I immediately got the chills! I thought their song "Leader of Men" was a smash hit." Off the stage he was impressed by their industry and initiative in managing their career:

"I always respect a band who have made it happen on their own, without the help of a record label. They’re very industrious, and already had a Top 20 single in Canada on their own, and were touring the whole country. They’re professional and serious about their careers, and that makes my job easier."

Despite this it still took Burman three months for him to convince his label bosses' to approve the signing, a decision that would mark Roadrunner's first move into mainstream rock. Nickelback signed a record deal with EMI and Roadrunner Records, who re-released The State in 2000. Even though no song from the album proved to be a crossover hit, two singles from the album, "Leader of Men" and "Breathe" were Top 10 rock hits and resulted in the album being certificated gold in the United States in late 2001. It reached Platinum status in 2008, after the succes of three consecutive multi-platinum efforts.

Mainstream success: 2001–2007

In 2001, Nickelback released the Silver Side Up album, which propelled them into the mainstream. The single "How You Remind Me" was a huge success, peaking at #1 on both the American and Canadian charts at the same time. In the U.S., it was a #1 single on the Mainstream and Modern rock charts, as well as the pop chart. It also peaked at #2 on Adult Top 40. "How You Remind Me" became the Billboard Hot 100 #1 single of the year for 2002. The next single was "Too Bad", which also reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and had a small amount of success on the pop chart. The final single from the album was "Never Again", another #1 hit on Mainstream Rock.

In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborated with Josey Scott and Gaige Corvo who played the lead guitar on the Spider-Man theme song, "Hero". This also featured Tyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger, Matt Cameron, and Jeremy Taggart.

In 2003, Nickelback released The Long Road. The lead single was "Someday" and the album went on to sell five million copies worldwide. The band also released "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good" as a single, which peaked at #3 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. "Figured You Out" was also released as a single and topped the Mainstream Rock Charts for 13 consecutive weeks.

Nickelback's fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons, produced five U.S. Hot 100 top 20 singles: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared" and "Rockstar". Three of these became U.S. Hot 100 top 10 singles. All the Right Reasons had sold 7,357,944 copies in the US to June 19, 2010. In total, All the Right Reasons has sold about 11 million copies worldwide since its 2005 release. Aside from all the success of All the Right Reasons, lead singer Kroeger began his own label named 604 Records in 2005 and holds the position of executive producer.

Latest releases: 2008–present

On September 4, 2008, Roadrunner Records announced that the first single from the upcoming album was going to be "If Today Was Your Last Day", to be released on September 30, 2008. However, the song was replaced by "Gotta Be Somebody". The new album, titled Dark Horse, was released on November 18, 2008. The album was produced by Mutt Lange. "Something in Your Mouth" was released as the second single to rock radio only on December 15, where it reached #1. "If Today Was Your Last Day" was released as the third single. Four more singles have been released, "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground" (which would become the theme for WWE RAW) and "Never Gonna Be Alone" released in September and "Shakin' Hands" as the seventh single on November 16. Its eighth single, "This Afternoon", was released on March 23, 2010.

On February 28, 2010, Nickelback gave a performance at the beginning of the concert portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "Burn It to the Ground".

According to an interview with Daniel Adair on January 23, 2010, Nickelback plans on recording a seventh album after the Dark Horse Tour is over, and the expected release is sometime in 2011. Also, Adair mentioned that the band wanted to go back to the musical style that All The Right Reasons had, which he described as "more organic."

Chad Kroeger has officially announced in an interview with Billboard.com that songwriting for the next Nickelback album will commence as early as February 2011 with 'about four tunes' already in mind.

Awards

Nickelback has been recognized by several Canadian awards ceremonies; the band has received twelve awards from twenty-eight nominations at the Juno Awards and seven awards from fifteen nominations at the MuchMusic Video Awards. Nickelback has also received two awards from six nominations at the American Music Awards and three awards from five nominations at the Billboard Music Awards. The band has received six nominations from the Grammy Awards but has not won any of them. In 2006, Nickelback receive an award at the World Music Awards for World's Best Selling Rock Artist. The group was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2007. In the same year received an award for People's Choice Awards for the category Favorite Group. Overall, Nickelback has received 26 awards from 62 nominations.

Critical reception

At various points in their career, Nickelback has received widespread negative reviews from various sources. Review aggregator Metacritic reports that three of their six most recent studio albums since becoming a mainstream act, The Long Road, All the Right Reasons and Dark Horse, have scores of 62%, 41% and 49% respectively. Criticism tends to focus on the band's themes of "strippers, sex, prostitutes, drugs, sex, drinking and sex", for being derivative in the music they create, as well as too often sticking to formula instead of innovating.

In 2007, USA Today reported that "few bands inspire such intense hatred as Nickelback." The article questioned whether Nickelback's commercial success made "critics wrong", and published several statements from various sources within the music industry. Nathan Brackett, a senior editor at Rolling Stone said, "There are some bands that, let's face it, are critic-proof." Both Brackett and Craig Marks, editor in chief of Blender, credit a lot of the band's success to young people who are introduced to them on the radio and "very casual music fans who don't buy a lot of CDs". Marks complimented Nickelback's popularity despite the critical response, saying "it is a tribute to their success."

Despite a barrage of criticism, Nickelback has still managed to please some reviewers with each of their mainstream albums. Allmusic reviewer Liana Jones complimented Nickelback after their commercial breakthrough, Silver Side Up; "what gives the group an upper hand over its peers is intensity and raw passion... Nickelback ups the ante by offering realistic storytelling that listeners can relate to." Following their 2008 album, Dark Horse, ChartAttack credited the band's success to knowing their target audience: "Chad Kroeger is a genius because he knows exactly what people want and precisely how far he can go. He turned out an extremely racy album that's loaded with songs about gettin' drunk and doin' it all without breaking any taboos, and with enough love and moral authority to grease its passage into the mainstream. Rejoice, North America. This is your world." Billboard gave praise to the band: "The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times." Also various fellow musicians like Chris Martin of Coldplay as well as R&B singer Timbaland support the band.