People: Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies

Published 10:30 pm Friday, February 27, 2009

Singer-guitarist Steven Page said a big reason he decided to leave the Barenaked Ladies was he felt his songwriting voice was occasionally being squeezed out as a result of being in a five-member band.

A day after he announced on the band’s Web site, www.bnlmusic.com, that he was leaving the group, Page said the Barenaked Ladies has so many songwriting voices that he’s looking forward to a future as a solo artist.

“Frankly, the band itself was a five-way democracy and one of the great things about it is that it’s been about the five-way collaboration, but it’s also one of the things that’s made me decide to be a solo artist,” he said this week.

The Barenaked Ladies were formed in Toronto nearly 20 years ago. Their hits include “If I Had $1,000,000,” “Brian Wilson” and “Too Little, Too Late.”

Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn and Tyler Stewart plan to continue, and have no immediate plans to replace Page. They will return to the studio in April and tour in the fall.

Page is excited about the future, but he said leaving the band is bittersweet.

“I will miss being a Barenaked Lady like crazy, but there are lots of other things I’m really looking forward to,” he said. “No one’s going anywhere. I’m going to continue to make music and those guys are going to continue to make music as well. I think it will be good for everybody.”

Page said he is scoring his third play for Ontario’s Stratford Festival, has finished an album with Toronto’s the Art of Time Ensemble, and will begin work soon on a record.

Associated Press