Barenaked Ladies | House Of Strombo

The Strombo Show presents The Barenaked Ladies in an incredibly intimate performance and conversation from the home of George Stroumboulopoulos. The BNL jam their biggest songs to an audience of fans and Canadian musicians from throughout their career and reflect on their 30-years with George. They’re joined by friends Fred Penner, Maestro Fresh Wes and Sloan’s Chris Murphy on a few of the classics.
SETLIST
01:55 Canada Dry
09:38 Lovers In A Dangerous Time
18:42 Old Apartment
22:54 Enid
29:56 The Township Of King
34:00 One Week (Ft. Maestro Fresh Wes)
40:20 If I Had $1,000,000 (Ft. Fred Penner)
45:14 Bringing It Home
53:28 Grade 9 (Ft. Chris Murphy of Sloan)
The Strombo Show / House of Strombo is the home of the best records played in the best order, from the 1-2-3-4 to the 808's and beyond. For over two decades, George Stroumboulopoulos has been working on behalf of you to find and champion the songs that'll get you through the night. Interviews, intimate sessions and out-of-its-mind full blown house concerts. The Strombo Show reflects the beautiful and the badass of Canada's diverse cultural landscape. There are no boundaries, with the gamut running from Aretha Franklin to Slayer and everything in between.
We have welcomed many musical guests onto the program, including major international artists like A.R. Rahman, Against Me!, Alice Cooper, Ani DiFranco, Anthrax, Bill Murray, Bjork, Bonnie Raitt, Charles Bradley, Chuck D, The Cult, De La Soul, Diana Krall, Dinosaur Jr., DMC, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello, Gene Simmons, Ghostface Killah, Grandmaster Flash, James Franco, James Hetfield of Metallica, The Kills, Lady Gaga, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Little Stevie Van Zandt, Loretta Lynn, Maynard James Keenan of TOOL, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, Missy Elliott, Mix Master Mike, Moby, The National, Neko Case, Patti Smith, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robbie Robertson, Saul Williams, Slowdive, SPOON, Steve Earle, Thurston Moore, Tom Morello and Vampire Weekend; Canadian talent such as A Tribe Called Red, Alexisonfire, ARKELLS, BadBadNotGood, Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, City And Colour, Coeur de pirate, Death From Above 1979, Gordon Lightfoot, Joel Plaskett, Rheostatics, RUSH, STARS, Tegan & Sara and The Tragically Hip; emerging acts that include Courtney Barnett, Dilly Dally, Father John Misty, Jazz Cartier, Jessie Reyez, Kate Tempest, Leon Bridges, Lowell, The Lemon Twigs, Mac Demarco, Margo Price, Partner, Pussy Riot, Sampha, Thundercat, Weyes Blood and The XX.
Director: Alex Narvaez
Editor: Alex Narvaez
Camera: Alex Narvaez
Recorded by Todd MacDonald
Mix by Todd Macdonald
Photo Credit: Vanessa Heins

[@witneyskye5556]

Thank you for the joy, BNL. I have been a fan since 1992. You rock it with CLASS!!! Sending hugs, love and much respect. 💕💞💞💕

[@student702]

Props to these guys for keeping it going this long after Page. If you saw BNL live with SP in the band, you won.

[@linamoss292]

Outstanding. My heart is bursting. Kevin's song.... so beautiful.

[@mjking9019]

Love them! I still remember watching Much Music when they went in the booth and sang. God I just aged myself.

[@brettservice640]

Speakers corner....yeah that's going back a while for sure.

[@chrishodgson6302]

What a lovely insight into a talented set of guys who blend great fun into great music. I saw BNL in Newcastle, England, donkeys years ago (haven’t you always wanted a donkey) and they were brilliant then. I’m delighted they are coming back to Newcastle in 2021 so I’ll get to see them again. Fabulous. Thanks for the video, George. Cheers.

[@stankeebals713]

What a setlist, bravo! Especially Lovers in a Dangerous time... Love BNL!

[@ESmyth-nu7ug]

Great quarantine morning music

[@MaggieTyree]

Love you, BNL! 💘 🐒 Thank you for all you do to lift our spirits 🙏

[@mellieaqua6954]

I second

[@andrespandehra4902]

What a wonderful Performance. Just awesome!!!!!!! Thank you dir Upload👍👍✌🖖

[@tylerc8273]

This has to be the most Canadian performance on the interwebs! Beauty b'y!

[@johnelliott5859]

Driving south on Highway 11 from Timmins in the early 90's. Pass utility van with a bare naked ladies sign on it. Laughed all the way to North Bay. Bare naked ladies. LOL

[@JustinC905]

Man, what a performance. Love how they played it out on "Lovers In A Dangerous Time." Levels were absolutely stunning, too. Nice work on the mix.

[@BananaWhiskers]

What a joy this is.

[@amytucker1902]

Grade 9 was so much fun to watch. The guys looked like they were having so much fun

[@HRT1nman]

Love the Maestro!

[@bbbart77]

Lovers in Covid19 time. Thanks

[@dgirard96789]

Just as good, if not better than when I first heard the guys in a beer tent in Windsor during Freedom Festival (30 years ago!) Keep on Rockin!

[@johnandjanmorrison4952]

Is Jim Kreegan ever a fantastic bass player. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks George!

[@johnandjanmorrison4952]

Sorry for mis spelling your name Jim CREEGGAN!!!!!!

[@onewileyguy]

So glad you played Grade Nine! One of my all time favorites. You played it in Chicago and I had 7th row seats. Was awesome then, is awesome now.

[@Apotheotika]

Holy Canadiana Batman! Great video Strombo (and especially crew!)

[@lareina3381]

Chris Murphy is the bomb. It would be fun if he went on tour with the BNLs.

[@mindovermatter2009secretstash]

I'm HOME wherever you are!! thank You!

[@TheBigOllie]

Nice video. Thanks for uploading this.

[@rottenryan9457]

Strombo you the man from Alberta me to the Ontarion you 🤘💯🤘thanks for being so immersed in what we all love your a knowledgeable man much love my guy

[@lancefarrellance]

Yeah, keep on track

[@lancefarrellance]

i have to say, steve page was wonderful at the junos.

[@BardofCornwall]

Just discovered this channel--loving it!

[@bobhilbig7704]

I've watched this 5 times... workin on 6th. I love this band so much.

[@andydixon4424]

Grade 9 was superb. What a great show. Thanks for putting this up. Awesome!

[@1977jjc]

This was good. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Grade 9 when Gordon came out.

[@mellieaqua6954]

❤❤❤❤

[@StereoAnthony]

Very cool! Ed comes into the restaurant I work in often, and yesterday after I congratulated him on their Hall of Fame induction, he suggested I look up House of Strombo and "check out Maestro Fresh Wes doing a verse in One Week". Although I'm not particularly a fan of BNL, they are certainly in the history books for Canadian music.

[@stankeebals713]

Please tell him he's incredible!

[@miked2654]

Awesome. I love BNL always have and always will. A true hockey fan sticks with there team no matter what. Same goes with anything you really care about. It used to be that way anyway. To the post Page haters you are entitled to your opinions but holy crap its been 9 years!!!! get over it and stop listening to something you hate.....or maybe you really don't? Denial is a bad place to be. ;)

[@stevetjames7922]

Top stuff guys 👍😁😎

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Thankyou for this, this landed right now when i really needed it.

[@fanbladeinstruments]

Release this as a live album and win a bunch of grammys. Or just release it anyway😁

[@adrienpiette6746]

Simply brilliant.

[@prfer9299]

Maybe it's just me, but I do enjoy them more with another front person for Ed to interact with. The guest spots here were great, and I thought, the highlights of this interview.

[@adrienpiette6746]

Oh. My. Glob! Maestro fresh west! Edit: and Chris Murphy !

[@emilywilkins5124]

Adrien Piette Ive actually met Chris so it was really cool seeing this for me too.

[@jessicaloree9033]

Holy fuck this was seriously depressing lol. Didn't realize what I was watching until it was to late 😂 (thought for a second it was the studio because I always do live playlist). So thanks, now I'm sad lol. I gotta go watch Great Guinness Toast now 😁 No but seriously, this was a great video, thank you! 🙌🤘

[@okiedokay9551]

That was awesome

[@1whimsicallie]

I love Denise Donlon ~ and the sweet fun & JOY that BNL exudes! Awesome big set ~ thanks George

[@1whimsicallie]

and Lovers in a Dangerous Time will always be my fave BNL Bruce Cockburn song!

[@johnandrews3568]

Ok Maestro Fresh Wes was super cool but Fred Penner was fuckin' EPIC! Super cool George. I remember bumping into Ed in the elevator in my Grandma's building a bunch of times just around the time the Speakers Corner Yoko Ono went viral. So happy to see them enjoying a long career.

[@TheDefeatest]

16:10 ....I got your "jif" "gif" thing you did there Tyler! .....I like Jif!

[@JesseENew]

I shouldn't have missed the Portland show ugh i need to let myself out more :(

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Awesome!

[@lamper2]

the old apartment is the sequel to no milk today

[@jessicaloree9033]

Those eyes ❤😉

[@octocoq]

While it’s true they’re not the same without Page, it’s super interesting to see Robertson sing his parts

[@losangulos]

Theres a pattern in this videos i saw franz ferdinand and then this band in this show, they talk about moving and getting bored of the old hits, its interesting

[@WorldMind]

Bring TWRP into the house!

[@postofficecb808]

Missing Steven Page.

[@jaysunhoffman]

Anyone else frustrated by the person on their phone behind Tyler. I'm like come on dude.

[@LifestyleRadioNet]

[@MM-vs2et]

_Chickity China the Chinese Chicken_

[@Art--Deco]

Wish I was there. Meastro Fresh Wes just shows up out of nowhere? Cool.

[@sligo34]

Usually say Joni ?

[@rich3371]

Awesome show - I thought they broke up though?

[@candacefontyn441]

I love BNL, but it sounds like Ed is really trying to sound like Neil Young.

[@billhinsperger8120]

Missing Steve for the backups their a little weak

[@kusuma.kusuma]

Love these guys but Ed's voice is starting to really go.... He was amazing when they released All in Good Time....

[@donmichaels2093]

Ed's voice has been going since 2013/2014. I don't know why he's not seeking any type of vocal therapy.

[@its_msk]

Don Michaels how do u know he's not

[@TheBigOllie]

We are all going. Act accordingly.

[@iangall76]

@@TheBigOllie Great quote.

[@tancar2004]

I know everyone makes a big deal about Steve not being there but i must say I liked that version of "Old Apartment" much better.

[@eVreckd]

I have to say, this version of One Week is an improvement over the original, which ironically is not one of my BNL favorites (from my favorite album Stunt!)

[@iangall76]

Old Apartment w/ out Steve :(

[@BrianSmith-ct3kh]

Comparing Kevin+Tyler doing "One Week" to how they sounded doing it with Steven is like comparing a cheap suit to a Brooks Brothers suit.

[@chestermcgillicuddy4368]

The main fella can't be replaced by Sloan!

[@seanm5537]

@1.40: Tyler Stewart's lack of knowledge re: Alberta's geography... Unless that's a subtle shot at his desire to drive past the two major Canadian cities and the two separate national parks that exist between Grande Prairie, AB and Lethbridge, AB.

[@PrincePapp]

Required 2 voices to make up for Steve's .. doesn't that tell you something ?

[@colinjones8846]

Lovers... sounded weak... though great... but something definitely missing....😢

[@briejulien1]

No offense to Ed, but they sound hollow and sad without Steve. Steve was the heart and soul. I have parts of 'Lovers' tattooed on me; I love the song that much. It kills me to hear this butchered version of it.

[@BrianSmith-ct3kh]

The old stuff only works with Steven in the mix, and the new stuff is... it's not great.

[@kusuma.kusuma]

I sadly agree. At least Kevin's piano is awesome and so is Tyler's drums

[@Met182]

Yeah I love Kevin and I have his solo albums but One Week sounds so weak without Steven. Township of King is my favourite from this performance.

[@heyalright_]

It's been...

[@dgwristen]

that foolish mayor of toronto by the name of june rowlands was the best publicity they could have had for their career to take off. she didn't want them playing someplace in toronto , cause she said they had such a sexist name to their band. good for the band , but political suicide for her.

[@SaZooCaballero]

This isn't BNL. Pack it up boys

[@eVreckd]

I'm always annoyed at the "we've been a new band for the last 10 years since Steve" bullshit. Like it's been such a huge accomplishment. The current band would not have had the success and following over these 10 years were it not for the first 20 with Steven Page! I'm sorry but the body of work of the 'New' band of 4 cannot touch the body of work created with Steve. Not even close, not with a 100 foot pole! The biggest success is probably Big Bang. I know because I bought every single one of the new albums. I've also been to many many post Page shows and it's the 'classics' the fans go wild for! Even if they're not sung by Page. I can't stand this line of demarcation that's been drawn in the sand. I'd like to hear Ed say in any of these recent interviews that they would be nothing without Steven Page. The new music is just OK to me. The band is sorely lacking Page. On the other hand, Page's solo works since BNL are freaking awesome! Memorable, touching, and embody everything we all miss about BNL. I hate to sound anti current foursome because I'm not. I love them always. But give credit and recognition where it's due. Now bury the damn hatchet and give the world what it needs before it's too late!

[@CameronClarkeOG]

it's kind of funny that they're so defensive about their accomplishments as a 4 piece considering how depressed and ashamed they all look to be hey hoing their way through any of the countless taylor swift aping bubblegum country pop tunes they've been shitting out since the split. They only ever liven up when they're doing an old song with a guest. This is just a job to them and it shows, and also seems to me to be the main difference between theirs and Page's post-split output and the reason he's only put out 2 albums of original songs to their 4. They're constantly touring and putting out new music and making expensive music videos while he just bullshits around and does what he wants, releases albums when he's actually got songs worth putting out there. The band is all about the money these days, and that's about the only conclusion you can come to when you listen to the new albums. They haven't had anything to prove since they released All In Good Time. There's been a couple very good- even great songs since then, but it's all stuck in the middle of mountains of rushed and fleshed-out-in-the-studio-with-that-weird-fucker-gavin-brown filler that lacks the soul and creativity most people came to love them for, which btw is the thing they're "sorely lacking". They don't even need Steve necessarily but what they do need is to take it easy and slow down. Ed's voice is going, the songs are crap and they all look like they want to die on stage, but then again, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[@eVreckd]

Funny that with this JUNO awards reunion I was psyched but just got annoyed quickly as some of these same thoughts ran through my mind. It just reminded me that it's still painful that BNL is split, and no matter how anyone fools themselves about what the band has done post Page, it's not really BNL but some other, lesser thing (no matter how you spin or frame it). Yep, Ed's voice cannot sustain the band and letting Kevin (and Jim) take on more songs is like an anvil tied to its neck. Some folks will read some of these comments as criticism of the band but it's just passion for what once was and the pain of what it's become.

[@appleblossom528]

Ed is not going to put himself down. So don't expect him to say that they are nothing without Page.

[@llamaoffspring]

I fully agree with all of you. BNL is one of my favorite bands of all time, with Maroon being my favorite album... I never get tired of their music. But ever since Stephen left the band, it's been a never-ending struggle for me. They do still put out a few good songs here and there, but for the most part I still hang on to what amounts to a ghost of BNL... I'm hanging on to Ed's voice and the creative input from him and Jim... but it's just. Not. The same. They are not really BNL anymore, and it Break(s) My Heart (favorite song of all) to admit that Stephen was the heart and soul of the band... I always wanted to believe it was more collaborative, and that Steve and Ed were equal parts in it. All in Good Time was somewhat decent, but the other three each have 2 or 3 songs I like in total... and yet I still can't let go... :-/ Both of Steve's albums are wayyyy better... but they also lack something... I just so badly want this band back together...

[@appleblossom528]

I can respect your opinion. I think Ed should take a break but it's hard for him to just stop I guess.

[@kevinfalkenberg8996]

Would rather see Steven solo on the show. Just not even close to hear the old songs without him.

[@rawhite78]

porque no los dos? They're both great acts.

[@frickass]

Sounds like a cover band without Page.

[@cptrichall]

He's been gone for a decade. THIS is The Barenaked Ladies now. If this iteration of the band isn't enough for you, then I suggest just listening to the back catalog.

[@eVreckd]

I'd say that's a bit harsh but Page is a huge missing piece. Without him they sound like an incomplete band. Having said that, I've seen a ton of live shows post Page, and Robertson does pull off singing the "classics", to a point. Page's voice and style are irreplaceable and while they're all still around this world, there's a chance and hope for re-unification (unlike Beatles fans had when the world lost Lennon)... Yes, BNL reuniting would be as big as the Beatles reuniting (for me and many), for me, bigger!

[@cptrichall]

Suggesting that if you don't like the current line up that there's plenty of pre-breakup content is harsher than saying that without one member they're now no better than a cover band? I love the first 20 years output, and I dig the current iteration of the band. But to say that they're an "incomplete band" without Page is kind of insulting. They are a complete band, and a damn good one. Different doesn't mean worse.

[@andydixon4424]

Sounded like bona fide, whole earth, BNL to me. You got cloth ears, dude?

[@eVreckd]

To each his own and my interpretation is that the band is not complete without Page's involvement when they perform the stuff he was involved in. When they sing the songs he sang or co-sang, there's a missing element and it's not quite the same. Different is fine and I dig some of it (the new stuff) but is it really as good as when they made music together? So yes, they are a complete band ONLY with the work they've done after Steve. They own it, he had nothing to do with it.

[@kurtdahle]

So he just imitates Steve's voice

[@andrewhamilton1009]

Ed - you can't play or sing old apartment without Page. I like the comment that they're just a BNL cover band now, I think they're worse than some I've heard. Its really a great study in the human ego. I wouldn't pay to see a fraction of BNL play, they should've changed their name if they really thought they were great the last ten years. Not many albums would be sold if they were Saskatoon Hats

[@Met182]

Andrew Hamilton I can understand why Ed sings those songs - he wrote them with Steven so feels like they're just as much his... The only problem is they don't sound as good as Steven's versions so I would rather they just leave them out and sing Ed songs. There's enough good Ed songs that they don't need to do Brian Wilson...

[@beersgood1993]

I saw Steven a couple of years ago and it is so much closer to an authentic BNL show sound-wise it's not even funny. Just missing that entertaining banter between songs...

[@esh31]

Please stop playing Old Apartment without Steven - honest to god it just sounds awful.

[@jesse3105]

Damn, how much coke is George on? Take care of yourself man!

[@TFoneFiddy]

Not the same without Steve.... They shoulda hung it up after him.

[@moehio]

Who are they trying to fool without Page for all these years? Sounds like shit.