Music
Steven Page Leaves Barenaked Ladies
Steven Page has left The Barenaked Ladies, as announced late yesterday in a statement posted on the Toronto-based band's website and Page's own blog.
Page intends to continue to sing without the band, with plans of recording a solo album and collaborating with The Art of Time Ensemble, such as in the concert I quite enjoyed last June.
He also intends to try his hand as composer for a production of Bartholomew Fair at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival later this summer.
The band was co-founded by singers Page and Ed Robertson over 20 years ago in Scarborough, Ont. Their early hits such as Be My Yoko Ono, Brian Wilson and If I Had a Million Dollars quickly earned them radio airplay, which led to numerous other radio hits and over 10 million records worldwide.
I still have the Barenaked Ladies' first EP released on cassette tape, perhaps best known as The Yellow Tape.
The band had recently recorded Snacktime, a kids' album, which they were also touring recently in between stadium shows for adults.
I guess we'll always have their Crazy ABC's song.
Last July, Page was charged with cocaine possession, which didn't bode well for the band's child-friendly image. Maybe this had something to do with him leaving the band. It wouldn't surprise me if the band or the band's management asked him to leave or take a hiatus while he cleaned up his image.
Maybe Page tore a page out of the book of his second cousin, reggae artist Snow and is using his newfound street cred to launch a new solo path for himself?
In his interview on CBC radio this afternoon, Ed Robertson said they have no plan to search for another lead singer, à la Rockstar INXS. Instead, the band intends to record a new album in the spring and tour in autumn, all without Page.
All the other band members also sing, but I doubt any of them will be stepping up to replace Page's vocals in their songs. They'll probably have to rearrange the songs to sound decent without Page at the helm.
Some of my fondest memories of the band came during their many shows at Massey Hall, where I worked as an usher for about five years during the peak of the band's success in the mid-to-late '90s. Their encores in particular were highly entertaining as they'd switch styles (and even instruments) mid-song and never miss a beat.
Rewind to 1990 and you'll see the Barenaked Ladies do an impromptu rendition of Be My Yoko Ono on CityTV's Speaker's Corner:
The Barenaked Ladies were one of the most consistently strong Canadian bands of the past 20 years. It's uncertain whether the band will continue to succeed without Page.
If you're a fan, would you pay to see the band play without Page? What are your memories of the band?
Photo by Roger Cullman.
Discussion
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I was a fan at one point. However they haven't really put out anything worth listening to in quite a while, so it's not really such a big loss.
I feel the same as Layton.
If you want a better and longer version of the Speakers Corner video you can get it here http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_32387.aspx
meh and then feh.
who cares! i can't believe this made the national news, it's pretty pathetic that north american culture is so obsessed with celebrity.
It is sad to hear that Steven Page and the remaining members of BNL have decided to split....To hear that Steven has decided to pursue a solo career leads one to think that it should be one of a hermit ( for a little while, at least)....this entire group took Canada and the world and shook it by the ear.....what great music !!...Steven,...Fame and fortune are both incredible and intoxicating all at the same time ( and it is easy to get caught up in the intricate web spun by it ), but I do not believe that anything great can come of this solo/split adventure........Salt, without sodium, is Chlorine gas - toxic and very un-popular.......Salt, without Chlorine, is just a very reactive, flammable, explosive metal - toxic and dangerous....You guys made music from the salt of the earth....most listeners and fans could identify with what you were presenting.....based on the musical releases from this band, it is evident that all of you were meant to be together, making great music.......Steven, take some time and get your (expletive) together.....All of the members of BNL need to take a step back and realize that you can only be great when you are all working in the same direction....splintered, I feel that the results will be, at best, only minimally palletable.....this of course is only my humble opinion as a fan and a pretty good drummer ( so, if you are ever looking, drop me a line )....All the best,
Chris
Good Riddance!
What !!?? Eric !! Are you leaving !!?!!
Woo-Hoo !!
Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
You might be interested in reading this morning's National Post article on Steven Page, in which he's been interviewed about his split with the band.
I've been hoping that band break up for years.
This is a good day for music.
This isn't being obsessed with celebrity. This is about a successful band breaking up. It's not about the private life of the band's lead singer, although circumstances that led to his decision may have contributed to this.
Celebrity obsession, to me at least, is going on about the drama that some celebrities choose to surround themselves with. Like where they went partying, who they slept with and what designer clothes they're now wearing.
I might still have a copy of their song "McDonalds Girl" somewhere. She was an angel in a polyester uniform, you know.
Kristen Chenoweth's "Taylor The Latte Boy" sometimes reminds me of McDonalds Girl only it remains in my head longer.
I met the band almost four years ago and it was one of the most disappointing experiences of my life. They obviously weren't in the mood to meet anyone, and hardly had anything to say. I remember going on fansites and having people say meeting them would be great, blah, blah, blah. Three minutes after I met them, I wished for a hole in the floor to swallow me. I called in sick to work and drove eight hours round trip and got home at 3 a.m. and had to be at work at 8. This is one more example of how if people are crappy to me, bad stuff happens to them. I stopped listening to their music that night. Wish I'd never met them. I would still be a fan.
Thanks for sharing, Gloria.
This kind of thing happens all the time. When we put our favourite musicians/actors/authors/you-name-it on a pedestal and adore them for their art we often forget that they too are mere humans and are subject to failure, to off days, etc. and tend to disappoint easily, given our heightened expectations.
What were the circumstances surrounding your meeting the band? Was it a back-stage meet-and-greet, a fundraiser or an entirely different scenario?
I saw them last summer at a private concert. This was a couple of weeks before the drug situation. We noticed Steve looked a little thinner than normal and to be honest, he seemed like he did not want to be there. He was in a bit of a mood onstage, did not seem too happy. The others however were fantastic. So everything that has transpired now, I am not surprised. Oh well..
Good for him for moving on. He's a very talented guy and needs to challenge himself with other projects. Page still has much to contribute and the BNL was a comfortable but complacent niche for him.
Steven Page's drug possession charges have now been dismissed, as reported today [CBC].
I will miss him He is awesome I wish him all the best....We all make mistakes..
I just saw BNL last night without Page. I had been secretly hoping he'd rejoin them, but when I saw that the kickdrum's emblem was a big number 4, I had to abandon hope. They played a few unreleased songs that sounded great, and they really carry off the old stuff just fine without Page. They're talented musicians, and I believe they'll do just fine without Page. It seems to me that over the course of their history, Robertson has become more and more prominent in the group anyhow. This is not to dismiss Page, but the band has enough talent to be a musical force without him.