Lively Times has 4 free tickets to Canadian band's show, June 6 in Missoula
The drawing’s over folks: tickets go to Ron from Missoula and Anthony in Ronan. But summer has just begun so stay tuned for more ticket giveaways!
Barenaked Ladies bring their celebrated “Last Summer on Earth 2018” Tour to Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheater in Missoula June 6. Special guests are Better Than Ezra and KT Tunstall.
“The Last Summer on Earth tour is something we all really look forward to,” says guitarist and vocalist Ed Robertson. “From its inception, it’s been about putting together great live acts to give the audience a great night out.
“2018 is going to be a blast,” he predicts, “because we’re touring with friends! Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra has been a songwriting collaborator for almost a decade and KT and I rocked together in Yukon Kornelius.”
The band, which was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame March 25, alongside original band member Steven Page, is also celebrating their 15th studio album, Fake Nudes. The 2017 release builds off the band’s harmony-rich hybrid of folk and pop/rock and pushes into more eclectic sonic terrain.
As Robertson explains, the close collaboration that fueled the making of the album has everything to do with the band’s deep connection on an artistic and individual level. Band members (who all sing) also include Jim Creeggan, bass; Kevin Hearn, keyboards and guitar; and Tyler Stewart, drums.
“It’s all about trust, and knowing that you can rely on the strengths of your bandmates,” says Robertson. “Whenever I go into the studio with new demos, I can always trust Jim and Ty and Kev’s instincts, and know that adding each of their personalities to the mix will make the songs that much better.”
In bringing their latest album to life, Barenaked Ladies found their chemistry and camaraderie stronger than ever before. With 2018 marking the 30th anniversary of the Toronto-based band – which has now sold over 14 million albums worldwide and earned multiple JUNO Awards and Grammy nominations – Fake Nudes emerges as their most dynamic album to date.
Reuniting with award-winning producer Gavin Brown (who also helmed 2017’s Ladies And Gentlemen: Barenaked Ladies And The Persuasions, 2015’s Silverball, and 2013’s Grinning Streak), Barenaked Ladies recorded Fake Nudes at their long-beloved Noble Street Studios in Toronto.
Whether they’re weaving in elements of electronic music or classic country, Barenaked Ladies’ anything-goes approach instills Fake Nudes with a powerful vitality that makes each track all the more infectious.
“The diversity that’s always been a hallmark of this band is really liberating when we’re making records, because we never feel restricted to a certain sound,” Robertson notes. “It’s way more malleable than that: whatever sound we all create together, that’s Barenaked Ladies.”
Through the years, the band has endlessly proven its power as a live act, with each set propelled by their palpable chemistry. “The way you get to 30 years together is by really working at it, by listening to each other and respecting each other,” says Robertson in reflecting on the longevity of the band.
“When there’s a struggle, you’ve got to take a step back and say, ‘Whatever’s squeaking in the cogs of this machine, let’s work it out,’ because at the end of the day we get to play music every night and have all these people come out to sing along with us.”
Tickets are $45-$67.50 advance or $50-$70 day of show and available at Big Sky Brewing Company, Rockin’ Rudy’s, by calling 866-468-7624 and online at TicketWeb.com or KnittingFactory.com.