Music

Hero listens to Nickelback for 7 days straight to raise money for charity

by Josiah Hughes

Hanna, Alberta grunt-rockers Nickelback are as well-known for their muscular riffs, meaty vocals, and arena-ready rock anthems. But even if no one you know admits to liking them, they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. Now, they’ve inspired one man to make a large charitable donation. He’s using the ‘Back to give back, and he’s raised a hell of a lot more than a nickel.

Jesse Carey is an editor, writer and podcaster for RELEVANT Magazine — which is basically The A.V. Club, but for hip Christians. In an effort to raise funds for Charity: Water, an organization that builds wells in developing countries, Carey has promised to listen to nothing but Nickelback for 168 hours straight.

His plan worked, as the donations have gone through the roof. He’s nearly doubled his initial asking price of $10,000 USD, with the funds currently sitting upwards of $18,000.

Here’s a video wherein he explains the challenge:

Carey’s listening to nothing but Nickelback, around the clock, from February 16 to 22. That means he’s past the halfway mark. But as he’s been documenting on Twitter, it’s been quite a challenge:

We’re a little torn on this one. For one thing, Nickelback do have some solid jams in their catalogue — “Photograph” is a certified karaoke banger, and you would all love “Gotta Be Somebody” if someone else is singing it. The song’s basically just a Taylor Swift classic sung by an angry bar star.

Then again, Carey’s doing his quirky schtick — a musical Movember, of sorts — for a noble cause, and he also must’ve had to endure the band’s recent Flo Rida collaboration by now. And that’s something we wouldn’t wish on anyone….