Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL) is a Canadian alternative rock band composed of Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart, and Jim Creeggan. They formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. BNL has a reputation as an excellent live band, and are particularly well-known for improvising amusing songs during their shows.

Indie origins

The band's first tape, Buck Naked, released in 1989, was recorded in basements and bedrooms, and featured only Steve and Ed. Barenaked Lunch (also known as the Pink Tape) was released in 1990, and featured two new band members, Andy and Jim Creeggan. Unfortunately, the tape was mastered incorrectly and plays too fast. As there were very few copies made of both, these tapes are now extremely rare.

Related Topics:
Buck Naked - 1989 - Barenaked Lunch - Pink Tape - 1990

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While Andy was on a trip to Ecuador and the band was lacking a percussionist, Tyler Stewart took over the position, and retained it after Andy's return.

Related Topics:
Ecuador - Percussion

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The band first gained significant attention when they squeezed into a small "Speaker's Corner" video booth, operated by CityTV in Toronto, and performed "Be My Yoko Ono." After the song was aired on television it quickly became popular with viewers, and noticeably increased the Barenaked Ladies fan-base.

Related Topics:
Speaker's Corner - CityTV

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The full band's first release of note was the 1991 independent Yellow Tape, the first indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. Sales of the tape were jumpstarted when BNL were taken off the bill of a concert at Toronto City Hall because a staffer for then-mayor June Rowlands saw the band's name and felt it objectified women, which catapulted BNL into a media frenzy.

Related Topics:
1991 - Yellow Tape - Indie - Platinum - Toronto City Hall - June Rowlands

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Also in 1991, the band contributed a cover of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" to the Cockburn tribute album Kick At the Darkness. That song became the band's first Top 40 hit in Canada.

Related Topics:
1991 - Bruce Cockburn - Kick At the Darkness

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~