After a decade and a half, the alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies is still going strong. They are most commonly known for their number one hit “One Week” and their humorous live performances. They have released nine full length albums with a tenth to be released September 12. These are just some of the many reasons Barenaked Ladies is a Blogcritics' Featured Artist for September
All members of the band are Toronto natives, mostly the Scarborough area. Their legacy started when Steven Page and Ed Robertson were at a Bob Dylan concert. They got very bored and began coming up with fake band names to make fun of, Barenaked Ladies was one of them. The name stuck because it reminded them of something a child would say, and they always felt their music was kind of childish in its humor.
Originally the band was just Steve and Ed singing while playing the guitar, often around a single microphone. They soon met brothers Jim (bass) and Andy (originally drums later Keyboard) Creeggan at a music festival with Tyler Stewart (now drummer) soon following. They soon acquired a deal with a major label and released their first record, Gordon. It went double platinum in Canada but had only mild success in the US.
After their second album (Maybe you Should Drive) had less success than Gordon, Andy Creeggan left the band to pursue other musical interest. They continued on for a short amount of time without replacing him, recording their third album Born on a Pirate Ship, but decided they would need to replace him for the tour. They enlisted a friend of Tyler’s, Kevin Hearn.
Next came a live record, Rock Spectacle, recorded during the Born on a Pirate Ship Tour. It was just what they needed to break into the US. Soon after Barenaked Ladies released Stunt, and the lead of single “One Week” was their super hit. This CD not only made them well known in the US as well as the UK, but also renewed their appeal in Canada.
The follow up albums Maroon and Everything to Everyone with the singles “Pinch Me,” “Too Little Too Late,” and “Another Postcard” had marginal success but was nothing compared to Stunt.
Two years ago, in 2004, they tackled the holidays - in a fun way. The CD Barenaked for the Holidays has Christmas songs, Hanukkah songs, and just plain winter themed songs, including originals and classics. It has multiple musical guests such as Sarah McLachlan and Michael Bublé. It was also the first record in which they took complete charge. They released Barenaked for the Holidays under their label, Desperation Records.
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! A link to this article now appears at our Myspace Profile page.
2 - christine
Nicely wrapped up synopsis of their career and where they are now. I invite you over to read my full synopsis of the album in its deluxe version (all the tracks) at my blog Amusings
if you're interested.
It's september 23rd and yours is the only article I've found for a band featured for the month of september. they start their tour next month, so too bad they're not featured for october, otherwise you'd have some show reviews to include.
3 - Josh
I get to go see the band on October 27th so I will do a review of that show. There are two other articles and one that should be up soon. One is a music videos review and Barenaked Ladies Are Me