Ice Cream Heals BNL Wounds

05/12/09 5:48pm

by Bianca Marcus (CHARTattack)

Barenaked Ladies have their own flavour of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, aptly named "If I Had 1,000,000 Flavours."

BNL are the first Canadian band to receive such an honour, as they follow in the footsteps of Jerry Garcia (Cherry Garcia), Dave Matthews Band (Half Baked) and Phish (Phish Food).

The Ladies' flavour mixes chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate-covered toffee, white chocolate, peanut butter cups and chocolate-covered almonds.

"It's an amalgamation of flavours," drummer Tyler Stewart said at the ice cream's launch at the top of Toronto's CN Tower on Tuesday morning. "So it's kind of like the band in a lot of ways — a lot of different personalities, different ethnic groups, all represented and rolled into one."

Stewart said it was a "no-brainer" for the band to team up with Ben & Jerry's — but not because they need the money. The Ladies have come a long way from eating Kraft Dinner (without fancy Dijon ketchup) and having to walk to the store.

Now that they've made a million dollars a few times over, the Toronto musicians will donate the equivalent of their royalties from the ice cream's sales to the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation, a Toronto-based organization that promotes reading to children at home.

ABC Canada president Margaret Eaton said she's "thrilled" to have BNL on board.

"It's the first time we've ever done anything with a band, and they're so wonderful. They're very articulate about literacy, they're all great dads, they all read with their kids, they're all tremendous book-buyers and book readers. So it's really quite a perfect match."

The enthusiasm about the partnership is by no means one-sided.

"You're having a delicious product, but also helping out ABC Canada and their efforts to make sure that everyone can read, and read well," said Stewart. "In general, Ben & Jerry's have been associated with great music, and they've also sponsored a number of festivals... and been really involved in great causes and environmental causes and social causes."

"We've done lots of work for cancer charities, and Tyler's done a lot of work for the Olympic women's hockey team," added keyboardist Kevin Hearn. "Certainly doing this type of event plays into us keeping up with the tradition of what this band is about."

It's been a trying year for the Barenaked Ladies, who are now a quartet for the first time since forming in 1988. Former vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Steven Page left in February to pursue a solo career and write music for the theatre.

Page was arrested last July after he was found with cocaine in a friend's Fayetteville, N.Y. home. He was charged with fourth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and, although the charges were dropped, this slip-up was a great disappointment to many BNL fans and the rest of the band.

"A lot of shit has gone down in the last year, including obviously all the business with Steve, but also Ed," said Stewart. "Ed's had a very challenging year with his plane crash, and he lost his mother.

"I think in general all of us have had a real tumultuous time. And it really feels like we're coming out of the other side of something. Winning the Juno for Snack Time! was a really invigorating, exciting thing for us.

"We felt really great. It was like a payoff."

Another payoff was that each Lady, and Page, received four cartons of ice cream samples.

Barenaked Ladies are working on their 11th studio album and Hearn said they've incorporated much of their experience from the past year into their songwriting.

"We always survived because we communicated and because we were having fun. During the last couple of years, it started to feel like it was not natural fun, like it was being forced... just impossible to do it."

"It's a very emotional record," added Stewart. "This new record is really going to reflect what we've gone through.

"There's a real depth to the songwriting and a real commitment amongst each other, for each other, and to the music."

This new energy and focus have Barenaked Ladies looking forward to touring again later this year, according to Stewart.

"You feel really invigorated, like we have a new sense of purpose. We really couldn't be more enthusiastic about what we're doing now. We went through a tough time in the last year, but we're absolutely on our feet and making a new record and ready to rock, and ready to do good things.

"Helping people learn how to read and helping people get fat — we're ready."