The show with former Barenaked Ladies (BNL) singer Steven Page is sure to be the highlight of the Tour De Fort Season.
In early 2009 Steven Page left the famous Canadian band he had been a part of since its founding in 1988. Since then he has struck out on his own and his show will be a mix of new solo material and BNL classics.
“I’ve been working as a solo artist since 2009 which kind of blows my mind,” Page said in an interview with the Times. “That’s almost 15 years now and I was in Barenaked Ladies for 20, so it’s close to getting even with each other. I’ve done several solo records and just toured like crazy.”
Page’s most recent solo effort was an album entitled Excelsior, which was released last fall.
“Since that came out, we’ve done everything from tour the UK and the US and all over Canda and open for The Who last fall at a bunch of arena shows,” Page said. “That was the first time I’d played big arena shows since I was in the Barenaked Ladies so it was a real thrill to do that and especially to do that with a band who are heroes of mine since I was about eight.”
Page is now touring with two other musicians as the Steven Page Trio.
“The trio has me, Craig Northey, who people might know from his band The Odds, he plays guitar, and then Kevin Fox plays the cello,” Page said. “It’s amazing, it’s just three guys but to me it feels like a very full ensemble and we do everything from the earliest Barenaked Ladies record all the way up to the latest solo record, so it’s a real survey of the whole career.”
Page says there are some key differences between his current material and show than from when he was with the Barenaked Ladies.
“A big part of it was the fact we had two lead singers, myself and Ed Robtertson, so there was a lot of back and forth that way. But this way I’m the lead singer, although the sense of banter and camaraderie that I had with those guys is very similar to what I have with Kevin and Craig. So there’s still that same same sense of fun,” Page said. “But as we’ve gotten older, we’ve grown up a little bit. I guess the material gets a little bit more nuanced. It doesn’t mean the sense of humor goes away, it just means that it changes as you get older and your experiences change. I would say that’s probably the biggest difference.”
At the show on Tuesday, Page will pull from his entire catalogue.
“[The audience will] hear everything from Brian Wilson to The Old Apartment, and old songs from the Barenaked Ladies days like that all the way to stuff from Excelsior and the solo records in between,” Page said. “I think it’s lots of fun, sometimes I can talk a little bit too much. If it’s a good audience I like to have a good chit chat. So sometimes my bandmates have to kind of rein me in a little bit. If I’m having too good a time, we can play a little longer than people want. It’s always a fun time, and I’m just looking forward to coming in and playing for folks.”
The last few tickets for the Steven Page Trio at the Townshend Theatre on Nov. 7 are available at Ski’s Variety or the Fort Frances Public Library. Online tickets have sold out.
Tour De Fort is also supporting the local food bank as we enter the holiday season so anyone attending the concert should bring a non-perishable food item to donate.
