b a r e n a k e d    m u s i c

Barenaked Ladies (BNL) began in 1988,when Ed Robertson and Steven Page performed at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square for a food drive. The band is usually thrown into the alternative rock bin, but their music is a unique blend of rock, jazz, folk, and (often) -cynical humor. Consisting of Steven, Ed, Tyler Stewart, and brothers Jim and Andy Creeggan- the band spent several years playing smaller clubs around Canada, all the while building a strong fan base.

With their 1991 EP - known as the yellow tape- BNL became the first band in Canadian history to have an independent release go gold. A year later they signed a major deal with Sire/Reprise Records.

The band's first studio album, Gordon, was released in July of 1992 was number 1 in Canada for eight weeks and earned the band a Juno Award. Their 1994 follow-up album Maybe you Should Drive and the enhanced 1996 Show Box EP followed, with similar success at home, but little play in the US.

The band was, however, building a strong underground fan base along "border" cities such as Albany, Detroit, and Boston - earning them a cult-like status due to their incessant touring. After losing Andy to academia, the band hired Kevin Hearn to play keyboards and the band was on its way to excellence.

1996 also brought Born On A Pirate Ship, containing BNL's first "official" US hit - "The Old Apartment" - finally cracking the airwaves a full year after it was released. Sales of Rock Spectacle, a live CD also released in 1996, began to explode. Radio play for the live version of "Brian Wilson" exceeded all expectations, giving the band their first certified-gold US album and crossover pop smash.

BNL's next album, Stunt, went Quadruple platinum - and solidified the bands success in both Canada and the US.

Maroon, released in 2000, brought BNL to new levels of pop grandeur. The album was produced by the respectable Don Was who has previously worked with such high-name acts as the Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, and now the Barenaked Ladies.

Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits, came out in 2001 and included a mix of the bands best-loved songs and a few bonus extras. New songs "Thanks that was Fun" and "It's Only Me (the Wizard of Magicland)". The album is a wonderful peek into the musical journey of a band who is far from over.

The lastest CD, Everything to Everyone, was released in Oct. 2003, after the guys took a well-deserved break to really focus on writing. It paid off. The lyrics are rich, the music is tight and the album is mature without being stuanch, clever without being trite, and diverse without losing focus.