Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart interviewed April 20, 2010, while at a tour stop in Ontario.

Tyler.

Hi, Patrick.

What’s going on?

Walking around in the sunshine here.

Nice. You guys in Ontario?

Yeah we are.

I’m in the not-so-northern-but-kinda-close state of Montana.

Well you know, it is definitely closer to the Canadian border than most cities we play in.

Speaking of that you guys have a gig here next month in Missoula. Do you recall the last time you played a show in Montana?

We played Bozeman last time. Probably, I’m gonna say, wow, about three or four years ago. We played in Bozeman. That’s the only Montana gig we’ve ever played. We’ve never been in Missoula so we’re looking forward to it.

Nice. That’s the other college town so it’s very similar to Bozeman. Beautiful views and the place you guys are gonna play is called the Wilma and is a sweet venue. It’s like an old opera house.

Cool. Looking forward to it.

Congrats on the new record.

Thank you.

Do you guys have a sense of rejuvenation behind this album?

Definitely. It’s definitely a rebirth, man. We went through a tough couple of years there and we really feel like that’s all behind us now. We’ve got together and made a great record and we’re now on tour and things are going well. Things are exciting. Things are very exciting. You say a rebirth and that’s really what it feels like. Like a new sense of purpose and a rejuvenation.

What was the most comfortable part for you when you guys went in to record this? Like you said, things felt different. When did you know this was a special album?

I think just the space. We worked together for 20 years as a five-piece and to have more space there, the physical space of one less guy both intellectual and emotional space with not having to accommodate another fairly large voice and ego. It gave us all a chance to stretch out a little bit. We all had to come to the table and we all had to push our boundaries and our limits and we had to contribute more. What a great opportunity for a band to come to the table and test themselves and contribute more. That’s when I knew it was special. I was singing a lot more on the record and we were spending a lot more time together during the recording. Guys weren’t leaving the studio to go and do other things. We all had a sense of community. I did a lot of cooking. We ate a lot of dinner together and had delicious food. It was a very celebratory and experimental and real open process. That, for me, was a real indicator that things were headed in a great direction.

The originality of this band comes from being laid back and your comedic nature onstage. How do you guys manage to stay in a good mood for every show despite what might be going on in your daily lives or behind the scenes touring? Some days you guys have to be in a bad mood but you still manage to provide a light-hearted show to people.

I guess that’s the 20 years speaking. We’re professionals. We leave all that behind. Actually, being on stage is one of the more joyful moments of anyone’s life if you embrace. If it’s not racked with nerves and vomiting and shaking. I think being on stage is a very liberating place. It’s a safe place for us because we’re expressing ourselves and we’re in our element. I think, if anything, that’s the place to let all that shit go. Sometimes, if you have a really good show, you can transcend all the other problems you have in life. When you come off the stage, they seem lessened somehow because you had a communion with your audience. You had a catharsis getting out emotion and performing and laughing and dancing, crying or whatever and you’ve had that communion with the audience. So, afterwards things don’t seem that bad.

How bizarre has it been for you touring and playing without Steve in the mix?

It’s not that bizarre. It’s actually really fun. We’ve been a band for over 20 years and what we realized, at first we thought it was a bit daunting without him around, but then we really realized ‘We’re good at this. We can do this. We’ve been playing together for so long.’ You never really replace a voice like Steven’s because it’s a beautiful, powerful voice, but there’s all kinds of other elements of the band. Everyone else sings. Everyone else plays different instruments. We all write songs. It’s still very much a thriving, creative unit. Really, we don’t miss him that much. I think that’s come across in shows. We’re just trying to be brave and let our talents cover all the bases. So far it’s been pretty successful.

When he left the band last year, was it something that rocked the group as a whole or did you guys see it coming for awhile?

I think it’s really been a gradual process. It wasn’t just the one event or whatever. We’d been growing apart for years and the change needed to happen. Finally, I think we wrapped our heads around the fact that we could do it without him. He realized too that he’d be happier on his own. It was a mutual decision and it took a long time to realize that. You get into patterns just like in any relationship, you get into patters and you sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, but it’s tough to break out of them. Both parties made a bold choice and decided to strike ahead on our own. Like I said, absolutely it’s been a positive thing. It’s the best thing that could’ve happened.

Has the change affected the way you guys approach live shows or is it business as usual?

It’s definitely changed the approach. There’s more opportunity for other people to shine within the group. We’re reimagining some of our songs. Obviously they’re reassigning some vocals and exploring new territory. There’s still that trademark Barenaked Ladies wit, humor, all that stuff. We’re happy with that. We’re sticking with that. That stuff hasn’t gone away.

Over the years you’ve lost Andy and Steven and now you’re a four-piece. Most of the time, when a band has a guy leave, they replace him. What prompted you guys to stick with the four that you have now and not find replacements?

I mentioned before that we have four singers, four songwriters, four instrumentalists remaining in the band. Right there, that’s the answer. We don’t need anybody else.

Obviously, looking at the overall picture of the band, there’s a huge explosion behind the song ‘One Week,’ and the album ‘Stunt’ and that era in particular. There’s more to the band than that song but people wanna hear it. Do you guys get tired of playing that song as the years go by or do you embrace it?

We definitely embrace it. It’s a hit song and people wanna hear it. We have no problem playing it. Ultimately a hit song is a good song. No problem with that. We mix it up. Right now, we’re playing like 10 different songs a night out of a setlist of 22 different songs, we have a 140 songs to choose from. I’m pretty happy with the way we’re rolling right now. There’s enough variety and enough to choose. Things are good.

How is the economy for you guys? Obviously it affects everyone from a record sales standpoint, but has it affected you guys from a touring standpoint?

Just like everybody else, you’re trying to tighten up and pair it down to the basics. We’re trying to tour as economically as possible. We had to strike the Lear Jet and there won’t be as many explosives and the room full of expensive call girls is also gone (laughs). Imagine if it was actually like that. It was never like that to begin with. We had to cut back but unfortunately that too was done. I’m sorry, I was taking a page from Aerosmith’s cutbacks (laughs). Anyway. Honestly what I’m hoping is people will still come out, especially in this economy. Have a really great time for a decent price and you leave feeling refreshed and energized. That’s sort of the motto of Barenaked Ladies is a common make yourself feel better.

Does it help you guys or hinder you guys having a stop on a tour in a place like Missoula. Obviously most tours just drive through the state.

Hey, man. We wanna come anywhere we haven’t played before. One of the beauties of being in a rock band is getting to see the world, even if it’s only an old opera house dressing room (laughs). At least it’s not another run to Buffalo or Detroit. It’s somewhere exciting. We look forward to any chance we get to play. We’re just grateful we’re still doing what we do, doing what we love and the people wanna come and see us.

If you could share the stage with any bands that have played, past or present, which ones would you pick?

(laughs) Past or present. Wow. I think it would be really cool to play with ELO, circa 1977 when they had their giant spaceship coming down from the ceiling. It would be pretty cool. We’ve always loved the Beastie Boys so we’d be honored to play with them.

Dude, that’s funny you said that. Two days ago, I was sitting in the basement with my kids and I was playing records because I want them to know what records are and I actually popped in an ELO record.

(sings “Evil Woman”)

It reminded me of ‘Xanadu,’ remember that movie?

Yeah, ‘Xanadu,’ I sure do. Who could forget it?

Alright Tyler. Thanks for visiting with me. Looking forward to seeing you out here in Montana.

Thanks, bro.

Talk to you later.

Bye.