Barenaked Ladies Cheat Apocalypse With ‘2013 Last Summer on Earth’ Tour
With the apocalypse firmly in mind, Barenaked Ladies put together their Last Summer on Earth Tour in 2012 – and now that they’ve lived to see another year, they are repeating the formula. On June 17th, the Canadian pop-rockers will launch the 2013 Last Summer on Earth Tour with support from Ben Folds Five, Guster and the British comedy singer Boothby Graffoe.
“The Mayans may have just been off a little, so we’re hedging our bets,” singer-guitarist Ed Robertson tells Rolling Stone.
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Barenaked Ladies have more than a dodged end-of-days to celebrate; they also mark their 25th anniversary this year. The group has sold over 14 millions albums off the strength of such singles as “One Week” and “Brian Wilson,” as well as written the theme song to The Big Bang Theory. The Toronto-based four-piece (original member and co-vocalist Steven Page left in 2009) have also signed with Vanguard Records and will release their next album in early June.
The wacky Last Summer on Earth sequel reunites the Ladies with longtime friends Guster; Robertson has played shows with the Boston alt-rockers since the Nineties, and the two performed on the Barenaked Ladies’ Ships and Dip boat cruise. “They’re amazing live, so it’s great to have them out,” Robertson says. “Ben [Folds] we’ve only played with a few times, but I’m a big fan of his writing and his performance.” Graffoe has opened all of Barenaked Ladies’ UK tours for the last decade. “He’s a really good friend and a really funny guy, and people will do well to catch his set,” Robertson adds.
The accompanying record, which does not have a title yet, is currently being wrapped. For it, the band worked with three producers in Toronto: Gavin Brown (Metric), Howie Beck (Feist) and Mark Endert (Maroon 5, Train). “We thought that it might be fun to split it up and work with a couple of different people, that it might give us a chance to bite the record into smaller pieces instead of going in and recording 16 or 17 songs all at once,” explains Robertson. The song Endert produced, “Boomerang,” will likely be the first single, though Brown also produced a more rocking version. Robertson demurs on the concept of the album, however. “It’s too early for me to say what the record’s about; I’m still in the middle of it.”
Tickets to the 2013 Last Summer on Earth Tour go on fan club presale on March 19th and general sale on March 22nd on Ticketmaster. A voucher for a download of the new album is included with purchase.