BARENAKED, BUT NOT ALONE

Band Members And Fans Rally Around Steven Page Following Drug Bust

He is a noted environmentalist, a political activist, a self-made
musician who uses his music as a force for change.

So when news leaked out of a village in upstate New York that
Barenaked Ladies front-man Steven Page has been charged with cocaine
possession, the story was not just about another musician facing
another drug charge.

The public image of Mr. Page, 38, has always been of a slightly
goofy, slightly awkward, clean-cut Canadian, not a bad-boy musician.
The Barenaked Ladies are most often associated with aid trips to
Africa, benefit concerts and, as of May, children's songs. The band
just released its first kids' album, Snack Time, featuring songs
about raisins, a loon named Louis and a reggae number about a
pollywog turning into a frog.

"Everyone's initial reaction was that it was so out of character, for
that band and for Steven," said one music manager and music label
owner in Toronto, who asked not to be named. "Obviously, with a
children's record coming out, it's horrendous timing."

At about 2 a. m. last Friday, officers in Manlius, N. Y., noticed a
vehicle parked across a sidewalk with its driver's side door hanging
ajar, according to a police statement. As they investigated, they
noticed a woman and man sitting inside a nearby apartment with an
"unknown white capsule" that subsequently tested positive for cocaine.

Mr. Page and a woman who lived at the apartment, 25-year-old
Stephanie Ford, were later charged with criminal possession of a
controlled substance. The investigating officers also found cocaine
inside Mr. Page's Toyota Prius, Manlius police Captain Bill Bleyle
said in an interview. No charges have yet been laid in connection
with the cocaine found in Mr. Page's car.

"The matter is not completely closed at this time. There could
potentially be charges coming out of that," Capt. Bleyle said yesterday.

Police say Mr. Page was visiting Ms. Ford's roommate, Christine
Benedicto, 27. "Apparently there was some kind of argument between
Page and Benedicto," Capt. Bleyle said. "Benedicto got in Page's car and left."

The Barenaked Ladies are scheduled to perform at a concert to benefit
four children's charities on Long Island, N. Y., in late August, a
few days before Mr. Page is scheduled to make his next court
appearance in the village of Fayetteville, a suburb of Syracuse, N.
Y. In the meantime, he is free on US$10,000 bail.

The band is vigorously defending their singer.

"Steven has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and the
validity of the charges against Steven will be strongly contested,"
says a note to fans on the Barenaked Ladies' Web site. "While this is
happening, it's business as usual for Barenaked Ladies."

While early reports suggested Mr. Page faces up to 15 years in state
prison if convicted, the maximum sentence would be 51/2 years, said
Mark Mahoney, Mr. Page's lawyer.

"We're going to do what anybody would do in this situation -- look at
the charges, look at the police investigative procedures," Mr.
Mahoney said from Buffalo yesterday, adding that it is too early to
say what Mr. Page's defence will be.

Mr. Page is said to be going through a difficult time. He recently
separated from his wife, Carolyn Ricketts, with whom he has three
sons. He struggled with depression during the band's rise to fame in the 1990s.

Fans rallied around the singer on various Web sites devoted to the
band yesterday, with many expressing disappointment and concern for
his well-being, not outrage.

"Imagine that. A celebrity who happens to be human," one fan wrote on
MySpace. "Steve, I feel sad, but only because I hope that you are
well, or will be soon."

Mr. Page formed Barenaked Ladies back in 1988 with bandmate Ed
Robertson. Activism has always been a central theme: Their fist gig
under the name was a benefit for Second Harvest, an agency that
delivers extra food from restaurants and grocery stores to community
centres and shelters around Toronto. They went from singing their
whimsical songs on Speakers Corner and producing their own five-song
cassette to a household name, thanks in part to controversy over the
band's name. After a city worker expressed concerns that the band's
name objectified women, resulting in them being prohibited from
playing outside Toronto's City Hall, the band's homemade cassette
went gold in Canada.

As Mr. Page's fame grew, so did his devotion to various causes. He
reportedly bought the first 2004 Toyota Prius and now sits on the
board of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. He is also a long-standing
supporter of the federal NDP. The band publicly endorsed Jack Layton
and performed in support of the NDP during the party's leadership race.

Promoters on the children's circuit may be reluctant to book the band
while the allegations against Mr. Page are unresolved, said Rob
Bowman, a professor of music at York University.

But he stressed the whole matter is being blown out of proportion;
Mr. Page has not yet been convicted. "What people do in their private
life, as long as it's not working its way into their public art, is
not affecting children badly," he said. "On some level, everybody,
including Steven Page, are just regular human beings, carrying on
their lives and sometimes hitting little bumps like this."

The music promoter agreed, saying whatever the outcome, Mr. Page can
use the experience to his advantage.

"We live in a world of second chances.... This is probably the sign
that, if it is true, that this is going to be the catalyst for him
changing his life," he said. "Sometimes you need a little slap in the
face to get you righted again."