Steven Page has a complicated relationship with holiday music—or at least he used to. In his younger years, the former Barenaked Ladies frontman wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea of anyone listening to his songs while exercising, doing chores or otherwise going about their daily routines. These days, he’s a little less precious about it. On Steven’s Greetings (Fresh Baked Goods), Page returns to the seasonal vibe he and his ex-bandmates explored on 2004’s Barenaked For The Holidays. This time, he’s joined by the Steven Page Trio’s Craig Northey and Kevin Fox.
Mostly recorded at Calgary’s National Music Centre studios and Page’s home base in Syracuse, N.Y., the album reflects his familiar balance of melodic sophistication, sharp wit and emotional candor. Special guests include Spirit Of The West flutist Geoffrey Kelly and Page’s three grown sons.
“I’ve since learned what an incredible gift it is to be invited into strangers’ lives with the music we make,” says Page. “The fact that someone wants to use the music we’ve made as the soundtrack to their day—to underscore the most important times in their lives and also the most mundane ones—kind of blows my mind. So the idea of a holiday album now feels oddly like an act of service. Making music that’s useful to people—however they want to use it (within limits, folks)—feels a bit like … purpose.”
Here’s more from Page.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Cheese Log”
“I love holiday music because it can express the wide range of feelings we experience at this time of year: joy, togetherness, celebration, but also loneliness and loss. When things started getting back to normal after the COVID lockdowns, I was eager to see friends and family again, but I also found myself wanting to excuse myself and go back to my cocoon at home right away. ‘Cheese Log’ is a song about what they’re calling ‘self-care’ these days—although it could also be a song about plain old overeating, one of my favorite holiday pastimes.”
2) “Christmas In Toronto”
“I was invited to make a cameo appearance on the popular long-running Canadian period series Murdoch Mysteries, in which I’d play a traveling musician by the name of Steven Page who wants to sing a few numbers at a Christmas party. (It was obviously a real stretch for me as an actor.) When the producers asked if I’d write a song called ‘Christmas In Toronto,’ I knew I had to write something that was both a love song to my hometown and something that acknowledges that most of the rest of Canada does not want to hear a love song to the city they all love to hate. I decided to write the song from the point of view of someone who says they can’t stand Toronto but, after a frantic cross-Canada journey, realizes there’s no better place for the holidays than his hometown. A well-worn trope, perhaps—but isn’t that what holidays are for?”
3) “I Have A Little Dreidel”
“This is one of the first songs I have any memory of learning, so singing it with the Steven Page Trio feels deeply nostalgic and also incredibly natural. This recording was done live off the floor at Calgary’s National Music Centre Studios, save for Craig’s killer overdubbed guitar solo. The NMC is an incredible place, filled with historic instruments and recording equipment, including the legendary Trident A-Range console Paul Forgues recorded us through. Paul and I have been working together since Barenaked Ladies’ 2003 tour, and he was actually one of the engineers on BNL’s Barenaked For The Holidays album, which included an earlier recording of this very song.”
4) “The Power Of Love”
“For me, the summer of 1984 was the Summer Of Frankie—and their debut album, Welcome To The Pleasuredome, became one of my favorites of all time. It was something of a benchmark for me—at least in musical scope, if not flamboyance—when coming up with the stylistically eclectic concept behind Barenaked Ladies’ 1992 debut, Gordon. Although the lyrics make no mention of Christmas, the video featured the Three Wise Men traversing the desert on their way to the Nativity. I’ve always wanted to sing this song—and when Andrew Burashko invited me to sing an arrangement of it by Kevin Fox for an Art Of Time holiday concert, it was a no-brainer. Thanks to Andrew for letting us rework it for the Steven Page Trio.”
5) “Hanukkah Blessings”
“Back in 2004, when Barenaked Ladies recorded Barenaked For The Holidays, I was thrilled by the opportunity to bring some Hanukkah songs into our repertoire. I dove into writing ‘Hanukkah Blessings’ as a way to teach my kids the Hebrew blessings over the Hanukkah candles with a new, original melody. I wanted a song that showed my little ones the specialness of our own celebration—especially at such a busy time of year, when we’re inundated with Christmas sales, programming, decorations and (ahem) music. Now, 20-odd years later, my eldest son, Isaac, is singing backup vocals along with Craig and Kevin, who did yeoman’s work learning the Hebrew. None of us are fluent, but if you have any Hanukkah candles that need lighting, we’re your guys.”
6) “Drinking Round The Christmas Tree”
“I channeled the spirits of Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Nick Lowe to write an up-tempo bop with lyrics about feeling alone during the holidays. It’s a bookend to ‘Cheese Log’ and also a tribute to folks who choose not to drink during this time of year. At office parties and family gatherings everywhere, alcohol often plays a central role in the celebration, but I know a lot of people opting out of that part, whether permanently or just for the holidays—and sometimes that leaves them feeling outside the action. I played everything on this recording … not all at once, mind you.”
7) “Everyone Can Sing At Christmas”
“By Craig Northey and Canadian comedy treasure Brent Butt, ‘Everyone Can Sing At Christmas’ was originally written for a Christmas episode of the Corner Gas Animated TV series, where it was sung by Brent. Here, I get to sing it with Craig on guitar and Kevin doing his best impression of an upright bass on cello, augmented by my son Ben on piano.”
8) “Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind”
“In 2005, I was approached by Antoni Cimolino to write the music for the Stratford Festival’s production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, which he was directing. The show was a huge success, and I loved collaborating with Antoni and his team, which led to a relationship with the festival that resulted in my composing music for six other plays over the following years. In As You Like It, there was also the opportunity to write music for several songs in the text of the play. Having Shakespeare as a co-writer felt like I had a bit of a head start, and I was able to write some music I’m especially proud of. Barenaked Ladies originally recorded these songs as backing tracks for the actors to sing over, and we ended up putting out a limited-edition CD of those songs, which is long out of print.”
9) “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”
“Another mainstay of the Hanukkah canon, this recording reminds me how much this minor-key Yiddish music is in my musical DNA. Listen back to older BNL songs like ‘The King Of Bedside Manor’ and ‘Upside Down,’ and you’ll hear the ghost of music like this lurking in the wings. This recording is another live-off-the-floor number from our session at the National Music Centre.”
10) “Auld Lang Syne”
“Although 23andMe says I have no Scottish blood in me, there’s something about that place that has my heart. I’ve always maintained that my favorite audiences in the world are in Glasgow. My wife, Christine, and I have vacationed in the Outer Hebrides several times, and it always feels to me like one of the most special places on the planet. The highlight of any New Year’s Eve show is always singing ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ the classic Scottish song with words by Robert Burns. Here, I’m able to share the stage with Craig (who sings the second verse), Kevin (who sings the third) and our dear friend Geoffrey on flute. Joining us are all three of my kids. Singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ feels like the best we can all do as we struggle through the darkness of the season—and our time.
See Steven Page live.
