Barenaked Ladies

         

Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL or occasionally BnL) is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart.

Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto. The band began as the duo of Ed Robertson and Steven Page who were schoolmates from an early age. Their musical friendship supposedly started after they ran into each other after attending a Peter Gabriel concert.

They found they had similar musical interests and while both of them were counselors at Scarborough Music Camp in Ontario, they would play music and harmonize. They also made up various fictional band names, one of which was "Barenaked Ladies".

There are a number of origin stories on music sites like AmIRight.com, but the most common story seems to be the following.

In 1988, Robertson had agreed to perform with his cover band in a battle of the bands, but the band broke up before the gig.  He had forgotten about the gig when he got a phone call a week before the show asking him to confirm the gig. He said that the name of the band had changed and pulled up "Barenaked Ladies" from the past.

He called Page and asked if he wanted to do the gig. Without rehearsals, the two played while the other bands set up, using every song they could think of that they both knew.

Surprisingly, the gig went well. They got another gig, failed to rehearse again, played and established a pattern for future improvisation.

Page and Robertson continued performing and began writing songs together. The band's first recordings, Buck Naked, were recorded on a four-track recorder in basements and bedrooms in 1989.

They are best known for their hit singles (click to hear samples): "One Week", "The Old Apartment", "Pinch Me", "If I Had $1,000,000", and "Brian Wilson" and for their light-hearted, comedic performance style with humorous banter between songs and improvised raps and songs.

          

Official website www.barenakedladies.com

Snack Time
All In Good Time
Stunt
Gordon
Maroon
Maybe You Should Drive
Rock Spectacle
Barenaked Ladies Are Men
Barenaked Ladies - Talk to the Hand - Live in Michigan [Blu-ray]