Nickelback's Kroeger Talks Fable
As well as being the rock-n-rolling frontman for Nickelback and co-creator of Vancouver-based production company 604 Records, Chad Kroeger gladly admits to being a devout Xbox® gamer who happens to love RPGs. So it was no surprise that Fable®, the latest ground-breaking Xbox RPG from Lionhead Studios, has definitely caught his attention.
Recently, Xbox.ca dropped in on Chad and Jonathan Simkin, the two men behind 604 Records, to chat a little bit about Fable, gaming and life at 604 Records.
Xbox.com: So what's new at 604 Records?
Jonathan: Well, Thornley is obviously doing very well for us right now, touring with a top-10 radio tune and a top-20 video. The Organ is the #1 college album in Canada for the fifth month in a row, or something ridiculous like that.
Xbox.com: I hear they play an organ.
Jonathan: They do indeed play an organ, hence the name. We've also got a new Theory of a Deadman record produced by Howard Benson of POD, Hoobastank and Papa Roach fame, so that's pretty exciting. We've got records that are out now, records that are coming out in the new year, and we're playing Fable like nuts. Life is good.
Xbox.com: Is it true that you were anticipating Fable as much as the rest of us?
Chad: As soon as somebody told me that they were creating the greatest RPG of all time, yeah, I think my mouth watered a little bit.
Xbox.com: So obviously, with Fable the most important question is… Good or Evil?
Chad: Good, I went good. But I think I'm switching halfway through, just to make sure that I get both aspects of the game.
Xbox.com: In Fable you can be "bad," and then you can be "evil." It's very difficult to get to the extreme evilness, it takes devotion. So when you say "evil," do you mean "kick a chicken here and there," or…
Chad: I've kicked a couple of chickens. It's been a recurring theme all day. But yeah, anything I do in this life, I usually commit whole-heartedly to, so I'll probably go evil until I achieve full horn.
Xbox.com: Fable allows for a very dynamic style of play. You can use magic, stealth, and brute strength and these all affect your character physically. Which gameplay approach are you most comfortable with?
Chad: Well, everyone knows what someone looks like when they're swinging a sword, but you don't always know what it's like when somebody's casting a spell. It's a whole new thing every time, so I was a little more interested to go down the spell-caster path. But I was a little pissed off that my guy wasn't getting any bigger, because I wasn't contributing enough points to the physical side.
Xbox.com: When you meet people in the game, what's your preferred expression?
Chad: Well, the ability to flip somebody off is good… but then again the fart, does that ever get old?
Xbox.com: So, as you perform more heroic deeds (not farting, actual heroic deeds) in Fable, your renown increases. Now, this is a very serious question: are you more famous in Fable than you are in real life?
Chad: I'm far more famous in Fable, to the point of annoyance! In real life people usually only applaud after I finish a song, but in Fable I get applauded everywhere I go.
Xbox.com: Speaking of real life, Danny Elfman composed the theme for Fable. He, like yourself, works primarily in an industry other than videogames. Could you see yourself doing music for a videogame at any point in the future?
Chad: Absolutely. I would love to. Music is such a phenomenal mood-setter. We've all played videogames with bad music, and just felt that void there, and we've all played videogames with great music, and realized just how much it adds to the game. I love exploring all avenues when it comes to where music can end up. I just love music, I'm a huge music fan, and that doesn't put me in a box, or a category, or in one genre.
Xbox.com: A lot of things didn't make it into Fable. An online component, the ability to have children, direct competition for renown with other heroes. What would you like to see in Fable 2?
Chad: Online play! The thought of another player online coming to kill you adds a whole other level of suspense. Having other people online -- people who are just as smart as you are -- gives games a new kind of challenge.
Here’s the latest on 604’s artists:
THEORY OF A DEADMAN
Currently in LA with Producer Howard Benson (Hoobastank) finishing up their much anticipated follow up to their gold status, Juno- Winning debut LP Theory Of a Deadman.
http://www.theoryofadeadman.com/
THORNLEY
On tour throughout North America and then off to Europe, check out Thornley's chart topping album Come Again. Current single (the title track) continues to burn up the rock and MuchMusic charts.
http://www.thornleyband.com/
THE ORGAN
On a cross Canada tour the Organ are still holding strong as Canada’s #1 college record with their album Grab That Gun.
http://www.theorgan.ca/
TIN FOIL PHOENIX
The newest release on 604 Records and just now, in stores, is Tin Foil Phoenix's debut album Living in the Shadow of the Bat. First single "Neopolitan" has been added to CFNY, accompanying video added to MuchMusic.
http://www.tinfoilphoenix.com/
MARIANAS TRENCH
What do you get when you combine the insane vocal arrangements of Jellyfish, the alt/rock guitar driven attack of the Foo Fighters, the aesthetics of the Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds, and the angst-filled emotional lyricism of Jimmy Eat World?… You get one hell of a sweet mess called Marianas Trench. New record in 2005!
Unofficial Marianas Trench Site: http://www.far-from-here.net/
ARMCHAIR CYNICS
Vancouver Island "favorites" that have produced the likes of Nelly Furtado, Hot Heat and the Swollen Members, this new band takes over the scene and will be another 604 Records 2005 release.
http://www.armchaircynics.com/
BLUE MUNDAE
"…what we are, were, gonna be…" Exciting young band, also from Victoria, and have signed a development deal with 604 Records.
http://www.bluemundae.com/website/
THE SOLUTION
604's latest signing! Winner of CFOX's Seeds contest. Debut record to be released in 2005.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: SEE http://www.604records.com/.
