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Steven Page

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

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.

Early life

Page was born 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.

Career

Barenaked Ladies

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 was a main songwriter since the band's inception. A majority of the band's material came either from Page alone, or co-writing with Robertson. All but one of the songs on the band's first album had a songwriting or co-writing credit for Page. He is credited on every song from both Maroon (2000) (other than the album's hidden track) and Everything to Everyone (2003). In all, 97 of the 113 songs on the band's primary studio albums during his tenure (not including its holiday or children's albums) are credited or co-credited to Page. Though his level of credit remained steadily high, the contribution of initial song ideas became more evenly distributed to Robertson, and later other bandmates Kevin Hearn and Jim Creeggan; though Page continued to contribute his skill in completing or just polishing lyrics.

Page had also been the band's main lead singer since the beginning, though he always shared some of the lead vocal duty with Robertson. This stemmed, in part, from the band's common practice of writing for one's own voice; As Robertson came up with more song ideas, he would sing lead on more songs. All of the singles from the band's first three albums featured a Page lead vocal (not including "If I Had $1000000" which featured a call-and-response lead vocal from both Robertson and Page), and nine of the 11 songs on the band's first live album, Rock Spectacle, featured a Page lead. Following the success of "One Week", the band's first single with a Robertson's lead, songs with a Robertson lead became selected equally as singles from that point on.

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, though never to the exclusion of Robertson on guitar as well.

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] The decision had been made about a week and a half before the public announcement, with one reason being the rest of the band's desire to record a new album, and Page's reluctance to do so.[6] Page believes that his much-publicized drug arrest was a catalyst that hastened his already-imminent split with the band.[7]

Partnership with Stephen Duffy

As a young man, 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 in the early 1990s, 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. At the time, 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.

Gone solo

Following his departure from Barenaked Ladies, Page's first major project was completing his work writing music for the first production of Bartholomew Fair: A Comedy in the New World at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Summer 2009. During that summer, he also embarked on a tour of music festivals (mostly folk festivals) accompanied by Kevin Fox on cello.

Page has set up promotional accounts for himself on several social networking sites both under his name, and under the billing "The Steven Pages".

Page's first release following his split with Barenaked Ladies is A Singer Must Die, a studio recording of cover songs arranged in unique ways by a variety of arrangers. He originally performed the songs at a pair of shows in Toronto accompanied by the Art of Time Ensemble (an ensemble of mostly classical instrumentalists) as part of its regular concert season. Following the lead of fellow vocalist Sarah Slean's Black Flowers, the Art of Time and Page recorded the songs for a studio album, to be released February 16, and an subsequent 12-date concert tour.[8] He plans to release a solo album of original material later in the year.[8]

Other activities and interests

  • Page has been an avid member of the New Democratic Party, and has been a notable supporter of federal NDP leader (and his riding's MP), Jack Layton.
  • As of August 31, 2008, he was a member of the board of directors (marketing and events committee for World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada).[9]
  • As of July 2007, Page was a member of the WindShare co-op that built/owns the wind turbine at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.[10]
  • 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.

Discography

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.[11] Page recently purchased a house in Fayetteville, New York with girlfriend Christine Benedicto, and is reportedly splitting his time between there and Toronto, where his children live.[12]

Among Page's relatives in the Toronto area is Page's second cousin, reggae musician Snow.[13]

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.[14] 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.[14][15][16] 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.[17] 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." [18][19] Officers also found two capsules in Page's pocket. The total mass of the cocaine discovered was 0.314 ounces (8.9 g).[19] Police subsequently found marijuana in the apartment as well.[15][16][20]

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.[15][16] 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.[21] During the arrest, Ford identified Page to police as the lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, which Page confirmed.[22] Though she was not home at the time, Benedicto was later charged with seventh degree possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana.[14][15][16] Page was due back in court on July 17, 2008 after posting $10,000 cash bail,[20][23] but the date was later adjourned until August 26[24][needs update], then adjourned to October 14[25], then adjourned again to October 28.[26] Page also paid Ford's $5,000 bail himself, and Benedicto was released on her own recognizance.[27]

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."[14][16][17][20] Bandmate Jim Creeggan said that "we're fighting the charges and hopefully they'll just go away."[20] Page played a scheduled Barenaked Ladies concert at the Horseshoe Casino in southern Indiana the next night (July 12).[23][28] 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."[29] 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.[30] 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.[11]

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.[31][32]


References

  1. ^ a b Moll, George (executive producer) (2000). Behind the Music (TV-series). New York, New York: VH1.
  2. ^ a b Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart (2004). The Barenaked Truth (Television documentary/DVD). Take 3 Productions/Casablanca Media Television.
  3. ^ Robertson, Ed & Frohman, Lorne (Interviewer/Host) (2005). 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. ^ >Medley, Mark (February 26, 2009). "Steven Page interview: 'Wow, I'm not a Barenaked Lady anymore'". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  7. ^ McCoy, Heath (July 21, 2009). "Steven Page stripped bare". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  8. ^ a b Barenaked Ladies, Steven Page to drop new albums
  9. ^ WWF Annual Reprt
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ a b Nicholas Köhler and Cathy Gulli (2008-07-23). "Barenaked Mess". MacLean's. Retrieved 2008-08-16. Also printed in the August 4, 2008 physical magazine.
  12. ^ Delen Goldberg (2009-07-19). "Fayetteville village home bought by ex-Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  13. ^ Road Stories with Alan Frew - SNOW
  14. ^ a b c d Reaves, Michele (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page arrested in Fayetteville". Central New York News: Syracuse.com. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  15. ^ a b c d ""Barenaked Ladies" singer faces drug charge in Fayetteville". 9WSYR.com. July 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Barenaked Ladies singer faces drug charge in N.Y." CBC News. July 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  17. ^ a b "Singer arrested on drug charge". WSTM NBC3 News. July 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  18. ^ theglobeandmail.com
  19. ^ a b Scan of Pre-Trial notices hosted by WSTM NBC3 News]
  20. ^ a b c d Popplewell, Brett (July 16, 2008). "Cocaine bust nabs Barenaked Ladies' Page". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  21. ^ "Supporters rally around Barenaked singer Page". The National Post. July 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  22. ^ "Barenaked Ladies singer faces drug charge". CTV.ca News. July 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  23. ^ a b Mulcahy, Matt (July 16, 2008). "Singer's court documents released". WSTM NBC3 News. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  24. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies fans stunned by news of Steven Page drug charge". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  25. ^ "Court date delayed for BNL singer Steven Page". Canwest News Service. August 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  26. ^ "Next U.S. court date for Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page now Oct. 28 e". The Canadian Press. October 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  27. ^ Kates, William (July 16, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies singer arrested on drug charges". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  28. ^ Barenaked.net message board thread confirming the concert's occurrence.
  29. ^ 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"
  30. ^ 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.'"
  31. ^ Rook, Katie (October 28, 2008). "Page could be spared jail time for drug charges". National Post. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  32. ^ Kates, William (October 29, 2008). "Barenaked Ladies' Page gets reduced drug charges". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
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