It has been a rocky few years for The Barenaked Ladies. Initially things seemed great, with the release of their children’s album Snacktime in May 2008, but in July, singer Steven Page was arrested in New York for cocaine posession. A month later, co-singer Ed Robertson survived a plane crash, and in February 2009 Page announced his departure from the band.

As a foursome, singer Robertson, bassist Jim Creeggan, keyboardist Kevin Hearn, and drummer Tyler Stewart went forward. The band snagged a Juno for Snacktime and began recording their new album. On March 7th, 2009 the band played its first show without Page in Orlando for 14,000 fans, an important step in moving forward.

“It was a big public concert so there were a lot of people there who were aware of the change, and perhaps some that weren’t as aware of the inner goings on of the band,” Hearn recalled. “Before we went on, we hadn’t rehearsed. Ed and I were out of town. So we picked what songs we knew we could pull off and went out. The audience was really excited and cheered loud, and it gave us the confidence to do our show. It was fun.”

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine spoke with the keyboardist over the phone from Toronto just prior to the release of All In Good Time, the band’s twelfth studio album. A subsequent tour brings them to Calgary April 8th, and Edmonton April 14th.

One suspects that the band members must start to dread interviews since so many of them seem to focus on Page’s departure. It is however a topic that does need to be brought up in discussing the current version of BNL and how they endured a period that would have destroyed many other bands.

“Honest communication would be a big part of it: a commitment to make the best decision for each of us, whether that was letting us be for awhile, or continuing. We decided to continue because the four of us wanted to keep working together, we enjoy it.”

A frequent question is whether consideration was given to adding another vocalist.

“Neal Diamond said no. We asked him, we pleaded, he wouldn’t do it. So we decided that bringing someone new into the fold at this point - because we had another lead vocalist in Ed, and Jim and I sing as well - we felt we had enough to offer and to work with as it was.”

Hearn sings lead on three of the album’s tracks - Another Heartbreak, Jerome, and Watching The Northern Lights. Lead by the single You Run Away, the album is more glum than some of the band’s more familiar singles like One Week and If I Had A Million Dollars.

“I think just given what the band was going through when we made the record, it balances more towards the somber, raw emotional type of song. There is still some humor on the record and certainly some more adventurous musical tangents. But you will find more serious songs on the records. We recorded it in the summer and we worked with Michael Phillip Wojewoda who produced records in the past for BNL - so we were on familiar ground. We were forced to try new things and reinvent ourselves. It is a bit of a different sound but it is still Barenaked Ladies. We had a lot of fun making it, and you can hear that on the record. We are really pleased with it. “

Fans and the music industry have been very supportive of this new album.

“It has been huge and means an awful lot to us. We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t believe we had something to offer. The fact that people have been rallying for us and showing up for our shows, the new song is doing well on radio, it has been really nice. It is a bit of sunlight after a dark time.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that BNL pulled through. They have had many ups and downs in the 20+ years that the band has been entertaining Canada, as has Hearn personally. In 1998 he was diagnosed with Lukemia. Treatment, and a bone marrow transplant from his brother, resulted in the cancer going into remission, enabling him to return to the band. As a cancer survivor, it means a great deal to Hearn to give hope to others who have faced this disease, as a public figure who fought and won.

“Whereas before I had cancer, perhaps my talent and my good luck were taken for granted. I had a pretty full-on reminder of how quickly your life could be over and how lucky I am to do what I do. I decided to take things more seriously, in that I shouldn’t waste time and I should be very thankful.”

He often gets to mingle with fans as a result of the VIP Meet and Greet packages available at shows.

“You meet different people who act differently in that situation. Sometimes you can have a really intelligent, enlightening conversation in a short amount of time. Sometimes they are excited or nervous and it’s not really possible, so it is just nice to meet them. I meet a lot of people who have been touched by cancer and I commonly end up chatting with people about that. Others chat with Tyler about hockey or drumming. We all connect differently with our fans on a personal level.”

It should be an interesting experience for those getting to see the band live for the first time without Page. The challenge became what songs to pick, and how to change up numbers that previously focused on Page as a vocalist.

“We have the Jonas Brothers filling in, all three of them,” he quipped. “Over the course of the fall after we made our record, we started getting together three times a week and rehearsing. We were listening to the records and made a list, ran through everything and tried songs different ways. We have divided up some of Steven’s parts amongst us. There isn’t just one person replacing him and singing all of his parts. Another aspect of it is that Ed co-wrote most of those songs, they are his as well and he can sing them without feeling like he is covering them.”

There are a handful of Canadian bands that achieved popularity in the 1990’s and are still actively recording and touring. It is a testament to their talent that BNL is still here, and with that in mind it should really be no surprise that these two turbulent years didn’t stop them.

“We enjoy it. We have a great audience. Those are two things that really are key. If you look at the history of this band, it has been through a lot, as a band and individuals. I have struggled with cancer so for me (Page leaving) is just small potatoes.”