Ready to turn 55 at the end of the month, Steven Page is having a blast with his friends.
The co-founder and longtime voice of the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies brings the Steven Page Trio to the Okanagan and Vancouver this month, feeling fresh (though a little under the weather during the phone interview), sounding fantastic, and simply having fun.
"It's been great. We've been having so much fun out on the road," said Page, who is joined on-stage by Craig Northey – from another great Canadian group, The Odds – on guitar, and Kevin Fox on cello.
"We just did a run of shows in the northeastern United States, and I think it was some of the best shows we've ever done. The trio is really on a high right now, just kind of playing our best, and I think the audiences are really anxious to get out there and connect, and to have a good, fun positive experience."
The trio play the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Sunday, June 15; the Cleland Theatre in Penticton Tuesday, June 17, and wrap up their Okanagan swing at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country Thursday, June 19 (sold out). The shows in Vernon and Penticton start at 7:30 p.m.
Page has established himself as one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in music over the past three decades.
As a co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for Barenaked Ladies, he sang and wrote classics like Brian Wilson, If I Had A Million Dollars, What A Good Boy, It’s All Been Done and many more. With the band, he sold more than 15 million albums and scored multiple Juno Awards, Billboard Music Awards, SOCAN Awards, Gemini Awards and two Grammy nominations. Page was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with the Barenaked Ladies in 2018.
He left the group in 2009 to embark on a solo career that produced five solo albums. Page has been playing with Northey and Fox since 2016.
"It's me on acoustic guitar, piano, and keyboards, Northey is a legend on guitar, and I've been playing with Fox since 2009," said Page. "Musically, you'll get everything from the earliest Barenaked Ladies stuff all the way up to my most recent album.
"I approach the shows like it's catching up with old friends; you got to let them know where you're at, where you're going, and what you're thinking, but you also have lots of time to reminisce and enjoy what we did together in the past. So you'll get a real mix of stuff."
After the Okanagan, the trio lands in Vancouver for a date with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the famed Orpheum Theatre (Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m.). Page has worked with the VSO before – with a shortened version of the orchestra during COVID, and with every member available for a show in 2023.
"Hearing these songs (with an orchestra), some of which I wrote when I was 19, and some are brand new, and to hear all of these songs realized with a full symphony orchestra is amazing," said Page. "I don't travel with a drummer; we don't have guitar amps on stage; we're not a loud, crashing rock band on stage. But we can slot into the orchestra, and the orchestra can be the backing band.
"I think sometimes when you do a pop show or rock and roll show with an orchestra, the orchestra is kind of sawing away in the background. They look really cool but you don't really hear much different because a full band is full a arranged thing anyway, and you have people doubling each other's parts. Here there's a lot of space for the orchestra to really shine, which makes the songs really interesting and fun to perform."
Page is working on two solo records in the studio, including a holiday record that should be out, he said, in 2026, but he's having the best time playing in front of audiences with his pals.
"I think I enjoy it (performing) more now than I ever have," he said. "I'm having a blast, and life is good right now. I"m really lucky to be able to play with the people I play with. I enjoy spending time with them on and off the stage. I feel like we're on the top of our game."
Vernon tickets are available here;
Penticton tickets are available here:
Vancouver tickets are available here.
