Has there ever been a band that divided rock lovers’ as much as Canadian band Nickelback do? Rock critics can’t stand them while the mainstream rock fans can’t get enough of them.
The steady mix of grunge and the softer side of hard rock, Nickelback has been one of the most successful and most loathed bands of the decade. There are certainly a lot of Nickelback fans on this blog - see previous post.
Nickelback have dominated the charts with four consecutive multi-platinum discs and they have won Juno awards, several Grammy nominations and a handful of American and Billboard Music Awards.
And yet, the rockers have still met with a barrage of criticism about all the band represents and the most bland and generic qualities of the mainstream music business.
It doesn’t help that while the band seem to poke fun at the “Rockstar” lifestyle in the song of the same name, they still continue to indulge in all these perks.
Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger who has increasingly isolated himself from the media, even admits to enjoying the commercial viability of the music business: “(The music business) truly is a popularity contest and when lots of people enjoy your stuff, it’s difficult for me to see the downside in that.”
Whatever your views on this band, Nickelback continue to make rock music albums and they have a loyal worldwide fan base that defies the critics.
I have been an avid Green Day fan since Dookie was released in 1994. I have seen the band many times and after almost five years since “American Idiot,” the new album, “21st Century Breakdown” is almost here and will be released on May 15th.
“Know Your Enemy,” the first single from Green Day’s upcoming eighth studio album, will be released digitally on April 16th. The video for Know Your Enemy will premiere on MTV and VH1 worldwide from April 24th.
Green Day have been gauging the reaction to their new album with guerrilla-style gigs at random venues across the US, with some gigs only being announced hours ahead on a first come first served basis.
For those of you who can’t wait to see the band again, in the tour section of the band’s official website, the message “World Tour coming soon!” is shown. I for one am eagerly awaiting the tour dates here in the UK as Green Day are probably the best live band I’ve ever seen - and I’ve been to a lot of gigs and concerts over the years.
The track listing and song lyrics can be found on the website at www.greenday.com.
One of my friends in a Manchester rock band has just sent me a link to his band’s new single which can be downloaded on iTunes for 79p. I was a bit taken aback by this as previously the only way I had considered local bands to be able to release material was as I had seen through my brother’s old band, when he was a drummer during his teens; they got their band noticed by creating a music CD at a studio. A week or so later, the CD duplication service would deliver the CDs of their demo so they could hand a few out to their mates.
Nowadays, it is so much easier to get your band on the radio or known through the internet. One of my brother’s old band mates had his new band’s single played on the Rock Radio playlist for a week, when it won the weekly Future Classics battle vs another local band. All they did was send in a demo CD to the radio station and they were well-received by the DJs including Mike Sweeney.
Obviously, the sudden availability of music may also lead to the problem of oversaturation and too many bands to be able to hone in on a particular one, but I’m sure the most talented and durable bands out there will rise to the top of the pile eventually.
I have always enjoyed listening to music and topical discussion radio programmes when driving to/from work and on various journeys in my car. I occasionally listen to Talk Sport and Five Live as a break from music and enjoy the football phone-ins and debates on the latest sports news. However, my main passion is music.
A few years ago, I listened to Virgin Radio before it changed to Absolute Radio as I enjoyed the Pete and Geoff Show. Eventually, I found the music to be too easy listening most of the time on this station and gave XFM, a local Manchester radio station a go. I do like indie music but never really got into the style of the shows on this station.
Last year, I turned to Rock Radio (Manchester) – “Manchester’s first classic rock station” – and gave it a try. I have not turned off ever since and even listen to the radio shows online when using my laptop at home. I really enjoy the varied classic (and contemporary) rock the station plays and also the features from DJs such as Mike Sweeney and The Moose. I was also impressed with the pirate radio station feature last Sunday which looked back at the history of pirate radio in the UK. Part II is on this coming Sunday and I’m looking forward to it in the afternoon.
So, if you’re ever at a loss for something to listen to and want to hear some great music, then why not tune in to 106.1 Rock Radio either in the car or on your computer at home.
Rock music is great. I just can’t get enough of it. Whether it’s Nickelback’s last album or Marilyn Manson’s new album, I love playing it at full volume and just losing myself in my own home.
I recently found a way that will truly transform my humble abode in to a fully fledged rock house, through the use of Sonos. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t be surprised, I hadn’t until I saw it in action at a friends house the other night.
Putting it simply, Sonos is a multi-room audio solution. Sorry to sound like an advert, but that pretty much sums it up perfectly. It allows you to play music throughout your home on state-of-the-art audio equipment. It’s all wireless too, so you don’t have any wires to contend with and lining your walls.
The noise these things generate is intense. I can just picture blasting out some Prodigy , much to the annoyance of my neighbours.
Now I just need to save up the cash, because even the lower end of the range for Sonos set ups cost a few hundred pounds. Still, it will be great for supplying music to any parties I’ll be hosting in future. In fact, its my birthday soon, so at least I know the music is now sorted for the party. Now all that’s left is to get some birthday party supplies…
As soon as I found out that Bruce Sprinsteen was to headline the Sunday night of the Hard Rock Calling festival I decided then and there to get day tickets for the event. I later found out that Dave Matthews Band was the support for the occasion, which I was also happy about. The South African band is huge in America but hardly known here in the UK, which surprised some of my friends living in Florida.
The day tickets for the Sunday are already completely sold out so I’m glad I was quick to get them. Earlier this month, Neil Young announced he is to follow his Glastonbury appearance by headlining the Saturday night slot of the festival, taking place on June 27th and 28th at Hyde Park in London.
Young, whose new album, ‘Fork in The Road’ will be released this coming Monday (6th April), will play the Hyde Park festival with his full band. I was actually quite tempted to get the Saturday ticket as well, especially as it was confirmed the Fleet Foxes, Ben Harper, Seasick Steve and The Pretenders will all be playing. The Gaslight Anthem will also be playing on the Sunday, although I will need to get listening to some of their music before I go.