Once again the Golden Civic Centre will be the site of a show by a Canadian music superstar when Steven Page comes to town on March 20.
The former lead singer for the band Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) is heading out for a short West Coast tour performing with Craig Northey.
“I met Craig and his band, Odds, back in 1993 when BNL were on the Gordon tour. We were playing in Vancouver and they invited us to come and watch them play down the street later that night. We became fast friends and had them on the road with us several times after that.
“After I split from the band, Craig and I wrote a couple of songs together for my album Page One. He and I are very compatible writers and are mutual fans, so we thought this would be a fun adventure for us to embark on together,” Page said.
Since he started performing as a solo act Page has experienced many interesting aspects as a performer and writer.
“I really enjoy the fact that I have so many options available to me now: Sometimes I perform solo, sometimes as a duo (on this tour it’s with Craig Northey, on others it has been with Kevin Fox), and also with my six-piece band, which is a really fun and talented group of people,” said Page.
“The biggest challenge was learning to do it myself without necessarily having partners to lean on, but also without others to have to please, either. The vision is mine alone, which is very liberating, but also a major change for me in how I plan out the flow of a show.”
In January Page released a two-song digital EP called A Different Sort of Solitude.
“I had written the title song for a film called French Immersion, and I came up with the title as a play on the Two Solitudes. Craig Northey and I wrote the other track, Manchild, and I was really excited about both songs. My wife, Christine, loved them as well and kept telling me I had to let people hear them. Finally, we put them up on the music site Bandcamp and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Now, it’s up on iTunes, and on my site, and CBC and other radio outlets have been playing it. It’s a great feeling to know that people still like what I do.”
As for preparing for the tour, Page explained that currently he does not do long tours like he has in the past.
“I don’t do long tours as much as I used to, so there’s a certain amount of anxiety. I know they sell toothbrushes everywhere, so I don’t need to worry about forgetting that, but I do wonder what I’ve forgotten to pack,” Page said.
“As well, I’m in a place where I’m very happy at home, so the prospect of three weeks away is a little daunting. The best part is the fact that I still love performing as much as I always have,” he said.
As for this tour Page explained people will have the chance to hear a great mix of music. “It’s a two-man acoustic show, with a great mix of new songs and Barenaked Ladies songs that everyone will remember. We’ll also be singing a few of Craig’s songs.”
Having his music used in a film is an area Page said is a process he likes to be involved with.
“I do enjoy it a lot. Obviously, one hopes that the projects one works on will be huge hits and win lots of awards etc., and we’ve been lucky in the past with songs like the Big Bang Theory theme, and songs we’ve written for Disney films and others, but I also just enjoy the process of working with people from other disciplines,” he said.
As for the future Page said, “I’d love to be writing more for film and theatre. It’s always been a dream of mine to write a musical, and that’s at the top of my list of things to do.”
For more information about this or any of the other shows check out kickinghorseculture.ca or drop by the Art Gallery of Golden at 519, 9th Avenue North or call 250-344-6186.
