Lawrence.com

It was a few weeks ago, standing onstage in New Orleans, that Ryan Peake noticed the difference.

"The crowds are going crazy," the Nickelback guitarist says, phoning from a Salt Lake City soundcheck. "It's just absolutely off the hook. And that's something we really couldn't predict. You always think, 'This is the standout single,' and everyone kind of agrees on that. But you never guess how the public's going to react. This whole tour has been completely leaps and bounds for us, career-wise. It's just insane."

The difference stems from a single song � "How You Remind Me" � which has steadily scaled the charts over the last couple of months and currently resides atop Billboard's modern-rock charts, ever threatening to enter the Top-10 pop charts. Fueled by this monster hit, the band's sophomore effort "Silver Side Up," has already sold in excess of a million units since its September release. Of course, that doesn't come as a complete shock: One glance at the current modern-rock charts makes it clear that The Sons of Pearl Jam (P.O.D., Incubus, Staind, etc.) are all the rage in American shopping malls. Dismissing any notion that Nickelback has joined the mook-rock movement, Peake swears that his band doesn't require much categorization.

"We just consider ourselves rock 'n' roll," he says. "We've never called ourselves anything different. We don't play heavy, nu-alternative alt-grunge or whatever; we play rock music. People ask us if we're part of this new movement of rock bands and it's like, 'We never left.'"

Roadrunners

When Nickelback (Peake, vocalist Chad Kroeger and his brother, bassist Mike Kroeger) formed in Vancouver in the mid-'90s, grunge still ruled supreme. With melodic songs and ear-friendly riffs, the four-piece outfit was about as out of fashion as it got in the era of heavy flannel. Instead of staying home, Nickelback crisscrossed Canada time and time again, taking whatever gigs were available and trying to build some kind of audience.

"When we were starting out, we were not what people wanted to hear � record companies told us that," Peake recalls. "We were struggling for a while; it was kind of unfortunate. Obviously, you had to get your ass across the country if you really wanted to get exposed, and Toronto's about a 56-hour drive. A lot of driving for Nickelback, across country in the wintertime."

Amazingly, the band caught the attention of a record company not known for light fare: Roadrunner, a label whose roster includes monsters of rock like Slipknot and Machine Head.

"I was a little bit puzzled as to why they were interested in us," Peake admits. "I was aware of their bands, and I was like, 'What in God's name do they want us for?'"

Nickelback inked a deal with Roadrunner in 1999 and things started getting busy. The band spent a few weeks recording its debut, "The State," with new drummer Ryan Vikedal and then "went on tour for a year." The quartet spent the better part of 2000 on the road, opening for groups like Stone Temple Pilots and Three Doors Down.

"Our motto was: Open for people until they won't let you open for them anymore," Peake laughs.

Though the quartet spent most of its early tours sharing stages with acts with harder sounds, fans seemed to latch on to Nickelback's catchy songs and emotive live performances anyway. Through the group's sheer determination, "The State" sold more than 200,000 copies, a huge showing for an indie release.

When it came time to record a follow-up, Nickelback was still on the road, darting back and forth between studio and stage. Though Roadrunner offered to put the band up in a cozy Los Angeles studio, Nickelback took its advance and spent it in Vancouver.

"Time is money in the studio," Peake says. "We're kind of control freaks when it comes to that stuff. Usually a record company pays for stuff, and we're like, 'No, you pay us and we'll manage that money.' Otherwise, it can get lost in the cracks very quickly."

Silver back

Nickelback was still touring when its second album hit record store shelves. Unfortunately, "Silver Side Up" was released on Sept. 11, not a day that will be remembered for great music. Though most major events in the country were canceled, Nickelback was forced to perform anyway, opening for 3 Doors Down in York, Pa.

"I was so ... just kicked in the teeth all day," Peake recalls. "They canceled ball games, everything, but the promoter said, 'Nope. The show goes on.' We were just like, 'Jesus.' We went onstage and I felt sick to my stomach � out of respect, I didn't want to play. But 10,000 people showed up to watch us and 3 Doors Down. So apparently, somebody wanted to be distracted. We were like, 'You know what? Let's be the best distraction we can be on this day. Let's just look away for an hour.' You can only be so down, so negative for so long before you have to put yourself in a better frame of mind."

Putting yourself in a better frame of mind is what Nickelback's music is all about. This is not a band of sour-faced alterna-punks looking for trouble, but an outfit of down-to-earth guys who just want to make the kind of rock they enjoy.

"We like to play good melodies that stick in your head. I think good songs are coming back around again. We want the people walking away singing our songs, having them stuck in your head � but in a good way. There's some pop songs that get stuck in your head that you wished never would, right? We're hoping you'll walk away in a good mood, not a bad mood."