Nickelback, a post-grunge band from Alberta, are the first Canadian band
since the Guess Who (in the ’70s) to have a Number 1 hit single in both Canada and
the United States Since the mid-’90s, the group — singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist
Mike Kroeger, guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Brandon Kroeger (eventually
replaced by Daniel Adair) — has evolved from near-Pearl Jam tribute band to its
signature polished, hard-rock sound. Nickelback’s popularity first gathered
steam with the single “Leader of Men” off their second self-released album,
1998’s The State. The song was in heavy rotation on Canadian radio, and soon
American label Roadrunner signed them (and reissued The State). They then toured
with Creed, and in 2001, Silver Side Up yielded subsequent hits, such as
“Someday.” In 2005, Nickelback returned with All the Right Reasons, a departure
from their previous harder sound that pushed them into contemporary heavy-rock
territory and made them one of the biggest bands in alt-rock of the 2000s.
Meteoritic hits “Photograph” and “Savin’ Me” assured the album’s dominance at
the Number 1 spot on the Billboard charts, and it went more than seven times
platinum.
(Eric Shea)

Nickelback’s video

Nickelback is a rock band formed in Hanna, Alberta by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then drummer Brandon Kroeger. The band’s musical influences include grunge acts such as Soundgarden and Alice in Chains and heavy metal acts such as Metallica and Motörhead. Although the founders of the band hail from Hanna, Alberta, a small town east of Calgary, they are now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The band’s name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger often had to give customers in his previous job at Starbucks, and would frequently say “Here’s your nickel back”.
The band is signed to EMI at home and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world.

In the late 1970s and on into the 1980s, E. Van Halen’s virtual re-invention of the guitar and D. Lee Roth’s horny circus performer stage presence were the core of one of Hard Rock’s most enduring bands. Eddie’s older brother Alex’s shimmering hi-hat attack has always been as much a trademark of their shiny, sexy sound as Eddie’s hammer-on-crazy solos (that essentially introduced the phrases “ribboning leads” and “guitar pyrotechnics” into the rock vernacular).

Van Halen video

The Van Halen Press Conference on Monday 8-13-2007 with Eddie Van Halen on Guitar, David Lee Roth on Vocals, Wolfgang Van Halen on Bass and Alex Van Halen on Drums.

Van Halen history

From their self-titled 1978 debut to the chart-smashing, band-wrecking 1984, each of their records with David Lee Roth contains at least one Classic Rock gem, if not an entire side of them. The band’s early era was topped off with Fair Warning (’81) (an uncharacteristically dark record that, through blazing songs of pure, unyielding rock power, reflects the growing tensions between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth at the time. Those same tensions eventually led to a much-debated switch to frizzy-haired “Red Rocker” S. Hagar in ‘85. While the Sammy Hagar years still featured dynamic playing, the dreaded power ballad became a staple of their new, more mature demeanor. Nevertheless, Van Halen continued to sell an unholy number of records on through the middle 1990s, and you practically had to kill yourself in order to avoid hearing their cloying soft drink anthem “Right Now.” After further upheaval led to the departure of even Sammy Hagar’s replacement Gary Cherone, rumors flew that the unfortunately named Bruce Cockburn would take over next.
(Mike Mc Guirk)

Musicians evolve at the risk of losing their audience — fans always prefer known quantities to variables. David Bowie is one performer who’s made a career out of defying rock convention so flagrantly and with such finesse that fans not only forgive him for it, they worship him. From the fey folk of his pre-Space Oddity days to the right-angled, martinet funk of “Fashion” and Tin Machine’s bloated hard rock, Bowie’s only constant has been his inconstancy. Considering his vast, diffuse output — three dozen or so albums and counting — you can hardly fault him for the occasional bit of slag, especially when there are more than enough nuggets to make all the panning worthwhile. At every career turn, Bowie has often sustained his flashes of brilliance — The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory are two examples among many. His Janus ability to perform with utter candor (as on “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Quicksand”) and then, in the blink of an eye, don a mask and enter a role (witness the plastic soul of Young Americans) makes Bowie a living puzzle. We’re still awaiting all the pieces.
- Chad Driscoll

Although he made an initial splash with his flamboyant stage getups, it’s Elton John’s effortless way with simple, yet memorable melodies that have won him his ongoing popularity. With lyricist Bernie Taupin, the British pianist crafted a string of hits in the 1970s:
zoologically-themed numbers such as “Crocodile Rock”
and “Honky Cat” showed off his rock ‘n’ roll side, while “Rocket Man” and “Bennie and the Jets” proved he could slow things down just as effectively. A range of personal and artistic problems began to take their toll around 1976, but he reclaimed a place on the charts in the 1980s with songs like “I’m Still Standing” and “Sad Songs (Say So Much).” His work during this era generally ranked a notch below the earlier glory days, but he continues to make his presence felt, filling concert halls, contributing to soundtracks and issuing a massively-selling rewrite of the perennial torch ballad “Candle in the Wind” on the occasion of Princess Diana’s death in 1997. That same year, John was knighted Sir Elton John. In 1999, he collaborated on an adaptation of Verdi’s opera Aida. With the coming of the 2000s, John became as much a humanitarian as a pop figure, raising millions for various charities and forming the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2005, he married longtime boyfriend David Furnish.
- Mike McGuirk