LOS ANGELES (Barenaked Ladies Official Website) - With over 14 million albums sold worldwide, Toronto-based BARENAKED LADIES prepare to release their first original album in three years, BARENAKED LADIES ARE ME,
September 12, 2006 on their own imprint label, Desperation Records. The first single, "Easy," is set to hit radio on July 17.
Their most melodic and accessible album since 1998's Stunt, which featured hits like "Call and Answer," "It's All Been Done" and Billboard chart-topper "One Week," Barenaked Ladies Are Me will be released in multi-platform versions. While the physical 13-song CD will be in stores September 12, the band will also offer the album digitally to fans in two different packages that same day. One of these will feature the 13 songs from the physical album plus two bonus tracks, while the other will be a 27-song digital package called Barenaked Ladies Are Me: Deluxe Edition. These will be offered on digital service providers as well as the band's website (www.bnlmusic.com).
"Desperation Records and Barenaked Ladies Are Me are about forging new relationships with our fan base," explains vocalist/guitarist Steven Page. "It's the fans who make our music and the lives we lead possible, so we're trying to get the music to them in innovative ways."
In addition to the 27-song digital package, Barenaked Ladies Are Me: Deluxe Edition will be made available on a physical USB flash memory stick, which will also include bonus materials.
"The music industry is in a state of reinventing itself," adds vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Hearn. "We are very fortunate to be able to create and sell our music as we see fit."
Self-produced by BNL (with some engineering help from Stunt producer/engineer Susan Rogers), the band teamed up for the first time with renowned engineer Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Rolling Stones) to mix the album. The finished product is their most cohesive and holistic set of songs to date. More than ever, the Barenaked Ladies wrote together, jammed together and lived together, raising each other's standards and blurring the lines of who wrote what. As a result, Barenaked Ladies Are Me more accurately represents a group dynamic where everyone work shopped each other's ideas into full Barenaked Ladies songs.
Currently, Barenaked Ladies-Steven Page (lead vocals/guitarist), Ed Robertson (lead vocals/guitarist), Jim Creeggan (vocals/bass), Kevin Hearn (vocals/keyboard), and Tyler Stewart (vocals/drums)-are busy planning out their fall tour and preparing for their sold out "Ships and Dip" cruise, a 4-day luxury cruise with a stop in beautiful Turks and Caicos on the Carnival Legend leaving Ft. Lauderdale on January 15, 2007 (www.shipsanddip.com).
