Steven Page

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This article is about the Canadian musician; for the Australian choreographer, see Stephen Page.
Steven Page

Steven Page in 2008
Background information
Birth name Steven Jay Page
Born June 22, 1970 (1970-06-22) (age 39)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s) Singer
Songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Associated acts Barenaked Ladies
The Vanity Project

Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970), is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies (BNL); he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Page was born in 1970 in Scarborough, Ontario. After skipping first grade, Page was enrolled in Scarborough's gifted program at Churchill Heights Public School.[1] Page's father, Victor, was a drummer,[2] as is his brother, Matthew. As a child, Page would attempt to play songs on the piano, while his dad would keep the beat on the drums.[2]

During childhood, Page had his best friend "stolen" by a schoolmate, Ed Robertson, and resented Robertson for some time. The two went to high school at Woburn Collegiate Institute but steered clear of each other until Page spotted Robertson at a Harvey's restaurant after a Peter Gabriel concert and was surprised to find that Robertson was also a fan. This led to them talking, becoming friends, and ultimately, forming BNL.[3] They were both counselors at the Scarborough Schools Music Camp in the summer of 1988, where some of their early collaborations in music were born. Page wrote songs with his friend Geoff Pounsett and made tapes of those songs; Robertson had obtained a tape the two had made, and knew some of Page's songs.[1] Page was flattered by this and the two eventually became good friends.

[edit] Barenaked Ladies career

Page at Massey Hall in 2005

Robertson invited Page to perform with him at a charity show under the name Barenaked Ladies in 1988, and ultimately the show led the pair to full time careers in the band. Page attended York University in the English program, but dropped out to focus on the band's rising success.

Page had been the band's main lead singer since the beginning, though he always shared some of the lead vocal duty with Robertson. Early songs principally featured Page's voice, but as the band's career progressed, Robertson was featured on more tracks as a vocalist (as well as other band members on occasion). Page played acoustic and electric guitar (and occasionally other instruments) for the band both in the studio and live. Most of the time, he played rhythm parts on songs he wrote, allowing Robertson to play more of a lead guitar role; but occasionally, he played a lead guitar role to Robertson's rhythm guitar. Page sometimes assumed guitarist duties on tracks he did not sing on.

Page was also a main songwriter since the band's inception. A majority of the band's material came from Page alone, or co-writing with Robertson. Since 2003's Everything to Everyone, the rest of his bandmates had more songwriting input.

On February 24, 2009, it was announced by both Page and the band that he would be leaving the group to pursue other opportunities including solo projects and theatrical opportunities, and that the remainder of the band would continue in his absence.[4][5]

[edit] Partnership with Stephen Duffy

Page was a fan of songwriter Stephen Duffy, and began corresponding with him after Duffy replied to a fan letter. Page was ultimately invited to co-write with Duffy, and several co-written songs subsequently appeared on BNL albums, starting with Maybe You Should Drive. With the aforementioned shift to a stronger intra-band writing process, Page/Duffy material found itself without a forum.

In June 2005, Page released his first "solo" album, of which all but one song were Page/Duffy co-writes (the other was written by Page alone). The duo's collaborative project is called The Vanity Project, which is also the title of the album. Page has implied in interviews that the project is his alone, and that it is a forum for him to collaborate with writers/artists outside BNL. He suggested that future albums might not involve Duffy, but could feature other collaborations. Currently, there does not seem to be any active plan for a follow-up album.

He also contributed a track, "The Chorus Girl", to the 2006 charity compilation album Our Power.

[edit] Other activities and interests

  • Page is an avid member of the New Democratic Party, and is a notable supporter of federal NDP leader (and his riding's MP), Jack Layton.
  • He is a member of the board of directors for World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada).
  • Page is also a member of the WindShare co-op that built/owns the wind turbine at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.
  • Page owns a farmhouse somewhere in the region surrounding Toronto. At some point prior to the recording of Barenaked for the Holidays, he invested in building a recording studio at his farmhouse, which he has named Fresh Baked Woods. The band's first record there was the aforementioned Holidays album. The band also used the studio for the recording sessions for Barenaked Ladies Are Me, including the bonus tracks that were later released separately as Barenaked Ladies Are Men. Page acquired the console from Le Studio, where the band recorded Gordon (among the many famous albums recorded at that studio), and integrated some of that equipment into the console at Fresh Baked Woods.
  • In the original 2002 edition of Canada Reads, Page advocated for Michael Ondaatje's novel In the Skin of a Lion, which won the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Page returned to champion David Bezmozgis's short story collection Natasha and Other Stories.

[edit] Personal life

Page was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish mother and Anglo-Protestant father. Although Page's father, Victor, converted to Judaism to appease Page's mother's traditionalist grandparents, her grandparents disowned her nonetheless.[citation needed] As a result, Page never met his great-grandparents. However, his mother's Jewish background was the subject of an episode of a CBC genealogy program called Who Do You Think You Are?.

Page married Toronto musician and teacher Carolyn Ricketts on December 28, 1993. They have three sons: Isaac (b. November 19, 1996); Benjamin (b. December 1998); and Jonah (b. April 16, 2001). The two separated in mid-2007.[6]

Among Page's many relatives in the Toronto area is Page's second cousin and reggae musician Snow. [7]

[edit] Drug arrest

On July 11, 2008, Page was arrested while visiting the apartment of Christine Benedicto in Fayetteville, New York, along with Benedicto and another tenant.[8] According to police, just after 2:00 AM, officers were investigating Benedicto's car, which was suspiciously parked across the sidewalk or driveway (reports vary) in front of the home.[8][9][10] The officers noticed Page and the other tenant, Stephanie Ford, at the kitchen table through a glass door. The two quickly covered the table with a towel when they noticed the officers.[11] Though initially claiming that the white powder he was snorting was calcium, when Page was informed by the police that it was testing positive for cocaine Page allegedly said, "Yeah, it's cocaine." [12][13] Officers also found two capsules in Page's pocket. The total weight of the cocaine discovered was 0.314 ounces (8.9 g).[13] Police subsequently found marijuana in the apartment as well.[9][10][14]

Page and Ford were arrested and charged with fourth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony. Ford was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.[9][10] When Page's car was returned and searched, additional cocaine was found in the vehicle, but no charges were laid in connection to those at the time.[15] During the arrest, Ford identified Page to police as the lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, which Page confirmed.[16] Though she was not home at the time, Benedicto was later charged with seventh degree possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana.[8][9][10] Page was due back in court on July 17, 2008 after posting $10,000 cash bail,[14][17] but the date was later adjourned until August 26[18][dated info], then adjourned to October 14[19], then adjourned again to October 28.[20] Page also paid Ford's $5,000 bail himself, and Benedicto was released on her own recognizance.[21]

Terry McBride of the band's Nettwerk management refused to comment on the case in a statement but said he was confident Page will be cleared, and that "in the meantime it’s business as usual."[8][10][11][14] Bandmate Jim Creeggan said that "we're fighting the charges and hopefully they'll just go away."[14] Page played a scheduled Barenaked Ladies concert at the Horseshoe Casino in southern Indiana the next night (July 12).[17][22] On July 16, a statement credited simply to the band was posted on its official website echoing the statements, and noting that "Steven has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and the validity of the charges against Steven will be strongly contested."[23] McBride also announced that the band chose to cancel its appearance at several Disney Music Block Party concerts to avoid putting Disney in an awkward position pending the resolution of the matter.[24] Page also hired the Sitrick And Company public relations firm, who reportedly also managed Paris Hilton's legal issues, to help him handle his situation.[6]

On October 28, Page appeared in court in Fayetteville, New York. Charges against him and the two women were reduced to misdemeanor possession. In accordance with an arrangement made with the court, the charges against Page were dropped on April 28, 2009, after he had complied with certain conditions for six months, including drug screening.[25][26]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Moll, George (executive producer).. Behind the Music. [TV-series]. New York, New York: VH1. 
  2. ^ a b Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart.. The Barenaked Truth. [Television documentary/DVD]. Take 3 Productions/Casablanca Media Television. 
  3. ^ Robertson, Ed & Frohman, Lorne (Interviewer/Host).. Distinguished Artists. [TV-series]. Toronto, Canada: Humber College School of Media Studies. 
  4. ^ www.bnlmusic.com Accessed February 24, 2009. "By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies. Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies. Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall.
  5. ^ The Steven Pages@Blogspot: Gone Solo Accessed February 24, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Nicholas Köhler and Cathy Gulli (2008-07-23). "Barenaked Mess". MacLean's. http://www.macleans.ca/culture/media/article.jsp?content=20080723_87241_87241. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.  Also printed in the August 4, 2008 physical magazine.
  7. ^ Road Stories with Alan Frew - SNOW
  8. ^ a b c d Reaves, Michele (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page arrested in Fayetteville". Central New York News: Syracuse.com. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/barenaked_ladies_singer_arrest.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  9. ^ a b c d ""Barenaked Ladies" singer faces drug charge in Fayetteville". 9WSYR.com. July 15, 2008. http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=cb29bd9d-dedf-4107-a167-2c9191257be2. Retrieved on 2008-07-15. 
  10. ^ a b c d e "Barenaked Ladies singer faces drug charge in N.Y.". CBC News. July 15, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2008/07/15/barenaked-charged.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  11. ^ a b "Singer arrested on drug charge". WSTM NBC3 News. July 15, 2008. http://www.wstm.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=159570. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  12. ^ theglobeandmail.com
  13. ^ a b Scan of Pre-Trial notices hosted by WSTM NBC3 News]
  14. ^ a b c d Popplewell, Brett (July 16, 2008). "Cocaine bust nabs Barenaked Ladies' Page". The Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/461034. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  15. ^ "Supporters rally around Barenaked singer Page". The National Post. July 16, 2008. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=659581. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  16. ^ "Barenaked Ladies singer faces drug charge". CTV.ca News. July 15, 2008. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080715/page_arrest_080715/20080715/. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  17. ^ a b Mulcahy, Matt (July 16, 2008). "Singer's court documents released". WSTM NBC3 News. http://wstm.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=160287. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  18. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies fans stunned by news of Steven Page drug charge". The Canadian Press. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080716/entertainment/music_page_drugs_1. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  19. ^ "Court date delayed for BNL singer Steven Page". Canwest News Service. August 22, 2008. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=743082. Retrieved on 2008-08-25. 
  20. ^ "Next U.S. court date for Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page now Oct. 28 e". The Canadian Press. October 9, 2008. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gx0XhEJ-xMlgm4HDSx8mBankq2sg. Retrieved on 2008-10-09. 
  21. ^ Kates, William (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies singer arrested on drug charges". Associated Press. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--singerarrested0716jul16,0,979813.story. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  22. ^ Barenaked.net message board thread confirming the concert's occurrence.
  23. ^ Barenaked Ladies official website news page Accessed July 16, 2008. "Many of you have probably read or heard press accounts about Steven Page's recent arrest in New York State. Steven has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and the validity of the charges against Steven will be strongly contested. While this is happening, it's business as usual for Barenaked Ladies. We will continue to perform and look forward to heading into the studio later this year to record a new album. We want to thank our loyal fans for their continued support during this difficult time. -BNL"
  24. ^ Barenaked Ladies official website news page Accessed July 17, 2008. "'Members of the band completely support Steven Page,' said McBride, 'but we don’t want to put Disney in an awkward position before issues involving Steven’s arrest are resolved.'"
  25. ^ Rook, Katie (October 28, 2008). "Page could be spared jail time for drug charges". National Post. http://www.nationalpost.com/rss/story.html?id=914933. Retrieved on 2008-10-29. 
  26. ^ Kates, William (October 29, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies' Page gets reduced drug charges". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0JdciAhWayMpb0qxT-jgxMJ4qrQD943SC3G0. Retrieved on 2008-10-29. 

[edit] External links

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Jim Creeggan · Kevin Hearn · Ed Robertson · Tyler Stewart
Andy Creeggan · Steven Page
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