Stop the press; it's Nickelback

December 26, 11:05 PMRock Music ExaminerSteven Douglas Losey

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Nickelback's latest opus titled Dark Horse is another monster record for the Canadian band. Debuting in December the disc has already went platinum and spawned two hot singles. The record was recorded by legendary producer Mutt Lange and really finds the band leaning on their strengths which is writing hit rock songs! I have had quite a history with the band dating back to 2005. The following is something that happened to me last year that just doesn't occur everyday.

I have written over three hundred national pieces on bands like Three Doors Down, Seether, Nugent and the like. Because I am a freelancer that means I pitch every single article that I write. Pitching a piece takes alot of work, it involves many emails, several phone calls, and I must be convincing in order to gain the assignment from an editor. I only pitch bands and artists that I like. that way I'm meeting people that I like, going to shows that I like, and generally being happy as a writer and never having to write about artists like  Britney Spears.

Throughout 2006 and 2007 I must have written national articles on Nickelback five or six times, most publicists love me because that is essentially their job, making pitches to difficult magazines. I featured the band in Guitar Player Magazine, Metal Edge, Modern Drummer, and a few others. I was scheduled to interview the bands bassist Mike Kroeger for a piece in Play Magazine. Mike is the brother of front man Chad Kroeger and I was looking forward to doing the interview.

Apparently, unbeknownst to me Nickelback had really been crucified in the press. Critiques generally don't like the band and the Canadian Press had been especially unmerciful to the band even though they have sold over 25 million records world wide. This had caused some bitterness in the bands camp regarding the press.

Sometimes when I interview bigger bands the publicist will actually connect the call and stay on the line. I've never had a publicist disrupt an interview, they will typically say things like 'Ten more minutes Steve,' or 'I can get you that information Steve,' things like that. One thing that I believe has always been in my favor is that I'm a musician. I can ask questions with musical nuances and dynamics, it typically makes an interview more interesting, especially if I'm writing for a magazine like Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, or Modern Drummer. In this case I had worked with Nickelback's publicist on several occasions, never a thank you, never an appreciative attitude, it was always as though I owed her something even though I constantly bent over back wards to help her band.

Because Mike Kroeger is the bass player I decided to start the interview with the question, 'Why don't bass players get any respect?' Every musician knows that drummers and bassists never get the attention that guitarists and singers do. As I asked the question the bands publicist interrupted and said something like 'That is a highly inappropriate question Steve.' I couldn't believe it. That set the tone for what was to come. Because of Mikes brother having such a high profile in the band I thought I would ask him 'What he hated about his brother?' I was going to follow that question with 'What do you love about your brother?' Once again when I asked him what he hated about his brother the publicist came on the line, again stating that I was crossing the line. Here I was writing my fifth or sixth piece on the band while a non-musician publicist just didn't seem to get it.

The interview went fair, I was able to garner enough material for a solid piece and the article was published nationwide in Play Magazine and can be seen here.

Following my interview the band immediately shut down all tour press. They did not do another interview, I was the last one. Strangely enough a year or so later I was in Nashville preparing to interview a band called Day of Fire. I was staying with their lead singer at his apartment because were pretty tight friends. As I sat in the Radisson preparing for the interview in walked that particular publicist. It turns out she was doing some work for the band. After I left she told them the story of how Steven Douglas Losey shut down press for one of the biggest bands in the world, little did she know it was really her fault!