Barenaked
Ladies
The first week of You Might Also Like will focus on
Barenaked Ladies. On September 12th, BNL will release
their fifth studio album, Maroon.
Background
Barenaked
Ladies was co-founded in 1988 by Ed Robertson and
Steven Page. The two went back as far as grade school,
but it took summer music camp to bring them together.
After impressing musical comedy troupe, Corky and
the Juice Pigs, they toured Canada, opening for the
trio. The two were joined by Tyler Stewart, Jim Creeggan,
and Andy Creeggan, eventually making a demo tape.
The demo, consisting of five songs, started to get
stocked in Toronto's HMV...and it started to sell.
It sold so much, it became the first independent release
to go gold in Canada. Andy left BNL to pursue his
education and solo music endeavors; Kevin Hearn, formally
of Jaymze Bee's Look People project, stepped in and
has since become a member of the Barenaked family.
Past
Work
Their
albums are:
Gordon (1992)
Maybe You Should Drive (1994)
Born on a Pirate Ship (1996)
Rock Spectacle (1996)
Stunt (1998)
Maroon (2000)
There's
also been many singles, compilations, and other "releases."
To view a complete discography, check the links below.
The
KITH Link
You
probably know Dave Foley is a certified Barenaked
Ladies fan. Other members of the troupe are also lesser
BNL fans. (Little trivia note: A few of them wore
BNL shirts on MTV years back when America would have
said, "Barenaked Who?") The band are also Kids in
the Hall fans.
Also,
you don't have to be a Barenaked Ladies fan to be
a KITH fan, but it sure helps. If you meet a KITH
fan, chances are they're at least familiar with BNL.
Why
You Might Like Them
They're
five, Canadian funnymen...for one.
They're good musicians...for two.
And, they, too, have been known to kiss in front of
an audience. Seriously, if you are dead set against
liking this band, nothing I say will convince you
otherwise. But...
Forget
What You May Have Heard
BNL's
"Stunt" was a hit album. With that inevitably comes
a backlash. It also featured an over-played radio
hit, "One Week." For those whose first introduction
to BNL was "Stunt," they might have been turned off
by the band for this or other reasons. BNL, who always
had a popular road following, started to gain DMB
fans and fans who might normally follow "boy bands."
These people may have become legitimate fans, but
they did not make the band. BNL were already huge
in Canada by their first album release in 1992 and
already had a large "cult" following in the U.S. Many
of THESE fans are also KITH fans.
If
"Stunt" turned you off, remember that each of their
albums was a reinvention of themselves. "Gordon" was
energetic and acoustic. "Maybe You Should Drive" was
more mellow, with string arrangements. "Born On A
Pirate Ship" introduced more a electric sound, but
with bounciness. "Stunt" was the first album to have
guitar solos and also had a much more rockin' sound.
I haven't heard "Maroon" yet, but don't expect another
"Stunt." Expect a continuation of an evolution.
Also,
BNL has never been a critical success. Critics write
about their bubbly pop sound or their good time show
as if they're bad things. But since when do KITHfans
care about what critics say?
-Trista
Lycosky (9.11.00)
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