Shawn Meehan came up with the concept of his band Krome after receiving marketing advice from Gene Simmons of KISS. "He recommended I keep the name simple and short. I picked Chrome, but as a tribute to Gene, I spelled it with a K."

Krome. KISS. And now, Krome's new album Kronic Rock, which dropped on Aug. 10 across Canada on Fontana (does he spell cash cow with a K too?).

But when it comes to the product inside, well, Meehan took his inspiration from a slightly more controversial source: Nickelback. One of the most successful bands touring today, Nickelback may be intensely popular with old-school rock and rollers who like to party over babes and shots of Jagermeister, but they're universally loathed by critics, who revile the band for their sexually juvenile, misogynistic lyrics and hard-partying lifestyle.

That doesn't bother Meehan at all.

"Chad Kroeger is an amazing songwriter," the 35-year-old frontman says before a gig in Revelstoke, B.C. "His music is pure rock and roll. It isn't complicated. That's why Nickelback is so big. Grunge music was so serious. Kids who grew up on it didn?t know how fun music was before the 1990s. We wanted to bring the fun and excitement back to rock and roll."

Like Nickelback, Meehan?s new disc has been getting mixed reviews. Critics point to Meehan's formulaic songwriting, which talks a lot about the party lifestyle, but comes up woefully short on anything substantial. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, the mini-album fails to set its sights higher than "rock with me," "roll with me" ... you get the idea. There is no message. That's the point.

Still, it's hard to resist the sheer rush of testosterone the album's singles Turn It Up and TMZ. No wonder Krome's current nationwide tour has been selling out.

"I'm not a scholar," Meehan, the band's songwriter, defends. "I'm a rock and roller. The new album is about putting your fist in the air, trying to get laid and having fun."

What began in 2004 as an 1980s tribute to Van Halen and AC/DC has since evolved into a chronic rock and roll lifestyle for Meehan and his band, which includes Derek Merrell on guitars, Adam Reid on bass and Scott Aquino on drums. They spend upward of 300 days a year on the road.

And though he admits that the worst part of his musical lifestyle is all the travelling, "it's nothing a shot of Jager can't fix," he says. Krome plays Mavericks on 221 Rideau St. on Thursday, Sept. 2. Opening is D-Activ8 and A Gust of Rival. Tickets are $10 online at www.mavericksbar.com

denis.armstrong@sunmedia.ca

You can watch Krome's set at the Supermarket in Toronto at 11:15pm EST and 8:15pm Pacific Sepptember 1st at www.livestream.com/voodootv1.

http:///www.livestream.com/voodootv1