In a new interview with iHeart Radio Canada‘s Jesse and JD, guitarist Ryan Peake of Canadian rockers NICKELBACK talked about the band’s longevity, having formed the group in 1995 with brothers Mike and Chad Kroeger in Hanna, Alberta, Canada. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think being from a small town and playing together when we were younger, you create this bond and you know the people. You can be in a band with people that are really talented and if you’re not really friends, who knows how long it could last? Whereas I think, at the time, it was three of us from Hanna, and then their cousin was from north of us, in Camrose. And then we ultimately had a couple of drummer switches. Within that kind of group that the three of us, at the very least, you know each other well, and there’s just something that worked. We weren’t the most talented guys by any means, but there was something about when we got together to work that just something worked on stage, that there was something that was happening, and you couldn’t put a finger on it. But I think that’s what helps us in the longevity.”
He continued: “We’ve been around — somebody reminded me that it was almost 30 years. Like, man, that just goes by so fast. It does. But the fact that we’ve stayed together that long, I think, that’s kind of a testament to us having mutual respect for each other. We all have issues, like anybody else, but maybe it’s that — maybe it’s just that we’ve known each other since the small town and we really know each other. So we know when to put some pressure on, to give each other some space. There’s a good camaraderie that we’ve got.”
Trafalgar Releasing, Gimme Sugar Productions and Submarine Entertainment will bring “Hate To Love: Nickelback”, a feature-length documentary film which explores why “the most hated band in the world” has been the subject of so much vitriol, to cinemas worldwide on March 30.
Premiering last September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF),the film tells the authentic story of the band from their humble beginnings in Hanna, Alberta to their explosive global success in 2001 and the highs and lows that followed. Directed by Leigh Brooks and produced by Ben Jones, the film celebrates the loyalty of NICKELBACK fans and delves into the years of online vitriol while exposing the personal impact it had on each of the band members. The film also unveils the rock group’s decision to return after a five-year break with a new record and a hugely successful sold-out tour, finding themselves riding a sudden wave of online love that has introduced their music to an army of new fans and audiences worldwide.
“Hate To Love: Nickelback” offers fans and audiences 90 minutes of translucence — an unvarnished and emotionally revealing look into the career of one of the world’s biggest rock bands. Combining never-before-seen archival footage, concert footage, interviews and enthusiastic celebrity advocates like actor Ryan Reynolds and SMASHING PUMPKINS‘ Billy Corgan, NICKELBACK‘s Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair don’t shy away from the band’s topsy-turvy legacy as they share compelling and real-life stories alongside life-changing moments that have never before been divulged publicly.
“Hate To Love: Nickelback” is produced by Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions and directed by British filmmaker Leigh Brooks, who has previously worked on films about LIFE OF AGONY and TERRORVISION.
NICKELBACK‘s latest album, “Get Rollin'”, was released in November 2022 via BMG.