STEVEN PAGE IS dead. Long live Steven Page.
After a tumultuous period marked by an arrest, a divorce and the breakup of the Barenaked Ladies, one of the most successful bands in Canadian music history, Steven Page is finally starting over with the release of his first post-everything solo album, Page One.
A genre-busting affair that pulls from decades of musical history from ’60s soul to ’80s pop.
“This feels like the real thing, the other ones were all done as side projects,” says Page.
“All the other projects, as much as I loved doing them, I couldn’t devote 100 per cent of my time or effort to. It was like having an affair on the side. This one is a marriage.”
In many ways, the album is vintage Page, including the sweet lo-fi cover graphic. But the musical ground covered is much broader than in years past. The lyrics, ironically, are more upbeat and positive than one might expect, and the pipes are in fine working order, thank you very much.
With his newly found freedom from BNL commitments, Page says he relished the opportunity to sequester himself at his farm and work away at a song until it matched the original idea in his head. A process that was muddied in collaboration.
“For me, it was an opportunity to attack all kinds of genres,musical and lyrical ideas without the fear of rejection,” says Page.
“Collaboration is a wonderful thing, and my bandmates in BNL always brought great things to the table I wouldn’t have thought of, but sometimes the original idea gets lost.”
The album’s first track, “New Shore,” was penned with Craig Nothey (Odds) just weeks after the BNL breakup, and it reflects the theme of the album: new beginnings and hope.
Despite the lack of a band, Page did have a large crew to work with on various songs, production and engineering, including the opportunity to work with Pete Thomas, the drummer from Elvis Costello’s band. There are a number of tracks written before the BNL breakup, including a few with long-time songwriting partner Steven Duffy, a founding member of Duran Duran.
And the band Page has assembled to work on the record and to tour includes Jesse and Jay Baird, from Feist’s band, along with Kevin Fox and Karen Graves. Page and company are preparing to tour in support of Page One, and should be playing in Toronto early in 2011.
“I’d like to think I’m still delivering that thing that has connected with audiences for so long. I enjoy the process of being artistic, of taking chances and not knowing what might come next” says Page. “It’s been very liberating to make this solo record as there’s been no ‘conflict’ with other projects. That in itself has been a true pleasure.”