Barenaked Ladies (or often just BNL) is a Canadian alternative rock band composed of Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart and Jim Creeggan. They formed in 1989 in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.
The band's first two tapes, Buck Naked in 1989 and Barenaked Lunch (also known as the Pink Tape) in 1990, were barely demo quality and only featured Steve and Ed. Both tapes are extremely hard to come by now. During this time period, Jim and Andy Creeggan joined Steve and Ed in the band. While Andy was on a trip to Ecuador and the band was lacking a percussionist, Tyler Stewart joined the band as well, and remained after Andy's return.
The full band's first release of note was the 1991 independent Yellow Tape which was the only indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. Sales of the tape were jumpstarted when BNL were taken off the bill of a concert at Toronto's City Hall because a staffer for then-mayor June Rowlands saw the band's name and felt it objectified women, which catapulted BNL into a media frenzy. (Ironically, in 1996, it was made legal for women in the province of Ontario to go topless without clothing in the same places as men are allowed! The BNL are not related to this new law.)
The band's first album, Gordon, released in 1992, was a smash hit in Canada and included some of the band's most well-known songs, including "Be My Yoko Ono" (the single which helped fund the album), "If I Had $1000000" (which spawned a macaroni-throwing tradition at live shows that the band has recently been trying to discourage), and "Brian Wilson" (named after the Beach Boy).
BNL's second album, Maybe You Should Drive, released in 1994, fared considerably less well with the Canadian public. After the release, Andy Creeggan left the band to begin college.
The band released Born on a Pirate Ship in 1996 as a quartet. The album received two large boosts from the Jason Priestley-directed video for "The Old Apartment" and the inclusion of the song "Shoebox" on the Friends soundtrack. Kevin Hearn was hired as the keyboardist for the subsequent tour and then was asked to join the band.
From two dates on the Born on a Pirate Ship tour during 1996, BNL recorded and released a live album called Rock Spectacle, which had a modest radio hit with "Brian Wilson."
The band's greatest success to date and greatest recognition within the United States has come from their fourth album, Stunt, released in 1998, buoyed by the #1 single "One Week". Immediately after Stunt was released, however, Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia and had to spend several months in the hospital recovering. The band toured, but with friends Chris Brown and Greg Kurstin on keyboards until Kevin recovered enough to rejoin them on the road. The singles "It's All Been Done" and "Call and Answer" also came from this highly successful album.
Maroon, released in 2000, also did fairly well in stores, led by the single "Pinch Me". In 2001, they released a compilation album, entitled Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001.
BNL has a reputation as an excellent live band, and are particularly well-known for improvising amusing songs during their shows.
The band has recently finished work on a new album entitled Everything to Everyone, which was released October 21, 2003. The first hit off that album was "Another Postcard."
