Obwohl die Pandemielage fast schon wieder aus den Augen und aus dem Sinn ist, beeinflusste sie jedoch noch lange das Livemusik-Business merklich. Diesem Umstand ist es geschuldet, dass Nickelback erst in diesem Frühjahr mit ihrer Tour zu ihrem gleichnamigen, zehnten Studioalbum „Get Rollin‘“ aus 2022 auch bei uns zu Lande durchstarten können. Zu diesem freudigen Anlass traf sich Mike Kroeger, Bassist der Band und Gründungsmitglied, zum digitalen Interview mit unserer Redakteurin Jacky. Dabei gewährte uns Mike Einblicke in die Entstehung des Albums, die Beziehung zu den deutschen Fans sowie die persönliche Verbindung, die er zur deutschen Kultur pflegt. Wer zudem wissen möchte, welche Talente der begabte Bassist neben seinem Rockstarleben hegt, sollte definitiv weiterlesen.
Frontstage Magazine: What are you most looking forward to in Germany?
Mike: We love the German people! The people who come to our shows are Nickelback fans. It doesn’t matter whether they’re German, Japanese, African or Canadian. They support us, they make it possible for us to be able to do our job. We love our fans very much!
Frontstage Magazine: Can you tell a difference between the countries by their fans?
Mike: Not usually, there’s a big similarity, except when you go to a place like Japan. There’s a cultural element that’s kind of different. The audience is very loud, excited and animated. But when you stop playing the music, and Chad goes to the mic to speak to the audience, there is total silence. And it’s out of respect. The first time you experienced this, you’re worried because if it’s that quite it usually means something’s wrong.
Frontstage Magazine: For now, you will be back in Europe for your “Get Rollin’ Tour 2024”. How does it feel to be back after such a long time?
Mike: We’re happy to get the chance and we’re grateful for that. Germany has been a place where we’ve always had a good time, no matter what, even from the very humble beginnings. We’ve had fun and it just continues. We feel kind of home in Germany. Chads and my family are from the North, actually. Originally, we have a German background. Moreover, it just feels good in Germany as it is also a great rock market.
Frontstage Magazine: If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of German background do you have?
Mike: The Kroeger name! The Kroegers come from the North, near Hamburg. There is this thing called the Kroeger clock. It was invented by our ancestors.
Frontstage Magazine: Oh really? How many generations is it back?
Mike: A lot. I never learned about that part of our heritage after my grandfather had passed. He had to escape Europe because they were German Mennonites* who suffered constantly from religious persecution. On their escape, they went from Ukraine to Russia and further to Canada. In World War One, my great grandfather was a stretcher bearer, because he was not permitted to spill blood. So, he had to go into the battlefield without a weapon. He took the stretcher and helped fallen soldiers to get the medical aid.. He made it out alive. He was damaged, but not killed.
*Anmerkung der Reaktion: Die Mennoniten sind eine christliche Religionsgemeinschaft, die bis auf das 16. Jahrhundert zurückgeht. Die Mennoniten glauben an die Trennung von Kirche und Staat, die komplette Gewaltlosigkeit, also niemanden zu verletzen, die Nachfolge Christi und Taufe. Besonders ab 1715 wurden die Anhängenden erheblich religiös verfolgt, sodass viele Mennoniten nach Osteuropa und Nordamerika auswanderten. Die zuvor angesprochenen Uhren sind wertvolle Kulturobjekte aus der Zeit.
Frontstage Magazine: That’s impressive! I wonder how we will make it back to your tour but thank you very much for the historic excursion! Nevertheless, can you tell us about the creation of your latest album “Get Rollin’”? And what sets it apart from your previous works?
Mike: We played our last big show in October of 2019. We were about to set out on a tour of North America when COVID happened. We had to go home and whereas other artists like the Foo Fighters just worked as crazy, we didn’t do anything. We just sat around and sort of enjoyed the lack of expectations of work. Live music was the first thing to stop, and it was the last thing to come back. Once it started to look like we could come back Chad realized he need to get back to work and write an album, fast, because we know we’re going to be able to go on the road again. But everything was still during the COVID restrictions. Apart from that I think it’s another Nickelback album. There are some different sounds and things that we maybe haven’t done before, but for the most part, it is just another album.
Frontstage Magazine: True, we would agree. Now, we can speak about the fun part again of playing live again. To what songs are you especially looking forward to playing them live?
Mike: We had a lot of fun playing „San Quentin“ live. A good, hard rock song is a good one to play. I play live for the people.
Frontstage Magazine: Lovely! How do you evaluate the presence of your fans at the live shows?
Mike: It is even more pronounced for us that the fans are the reason why we still have a band. For me, there was some doubt that during the restrictions in the pandemic that we would come back at all. And as we got closer to it, I had some doubt of whether I even wanted to do it anymore. But it turned out to be that we do still love it. And the fans are still there for us.
Frontstage Magazine: Great! Our last question is always a little bit outside of music, but more related to your persona. I would like to know what skill have you most recently learned?
Mike: Well, I have a couple of skill sets that I’ve been working with for many years that are coming along nicely. Number one is, I’m finishing up a degree in the field of gemology. My wife and I have a jewelry business that we do together and she’s a jewelry designer. She carves in the old way**. There’s a process known as the last flax carving, where the carver takes a block of wax, and with tools carves it to the shape of the jewelry piece, and then you make a mold, and cast it and the wax melts out and then the cavity in the mold of plaster is where you pour the metal to create the piece and she does that part. That’s why I have chosen to learn it as a challenge and I’m just about finishing my degree now. I’m writing my final exam on Tuesday.
**Anmerkung der Reaktion: Es gibt einen Prozess der traditionellen Flachsschnitzerei, den Mike’s Frau ausübt. Bei diesem nimmt der Schnitzende einen Wachsblock und schnitzt ihn mit Werkzeugen in die Form des Schmuckstück. Daraus wird eine Form herstellt und abgegossen, wobei das Wachs schmilzt und somit den Hohlraum in der Gipsform freigibt, in welchen dann das Metall gegossen wird. Auf diese Weise entstehen die Schmuckstücke.
Secondly, I also pursue the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is a ground fighting technique I really love. And I train Muay Thai which is Thai boxing, too.
Frontstage Magazine: Okay wow, that’s a really impressive answer! Thank you so much for your time and the interview! It was a pleasure.
Mike: Thank you, too. I look forward to seeing you at the shows.
Fotocredit: Offizielles Pressefoto
