The Barenaked Ladies will debut songs from their new album Everything to Everyone with a tour that begins October 21st -- the day of the record's release -- at the Orpheum Theater in Boston.

"We're going a little bit smaller, a little more intimate," says Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart. "We wanted to play songs from the new album and wanted to have a kind of informal information session about the record for our fans. We're going to talk about the songs and inspiration behind them. It's easier to do that in a smaller setting rather than arena where people come to hear your hits."

The cover of Everything to Everyone features a white flag of surrender, representing the Barenaked Ladies' somewhat tongue-in-cheek exasperation with their chosen career.

"Every time we put out a record we have to jump through hoops to get radio to play it," says Stewart. "It seems like we're a baby band starting all over again sometimes. Last time I checked we've been together almost fifteen years and sold around ten million albums. You wonder why we have to convince everybody every time. But it serves as a reminder that you've got to keep working hard."

Known for a playful approach, the Barenaked Ladies show sharp political claws on their latest. The song "Shopping" mocks certain political leaders' tendency to encourage that activity as a way of navigating national times of difficulty, and "Second Best" exhibits a similar awareness of current events.

"It celebrates the idea of being second best this time, like Canada, which didn't join the war effort in Iraq," Stewart says. "I'm proud of our Prime Minister for not joining what looks more and more like George W. Bush's personal effort."

Everything to Everyone will also be available in a deluxe CD/DVD format that will include the album, as well as eleven acoustic tracks available as a DVD or audio. "One of the great things about this band is that when we get bogged down in months and months of recording, it's really refreshing to be able to sit in a living room and play songs acoustically," Stewart says. "We started out as an acoustic band in living rooms playing folk songs, and it's a pleasure to get back to that. It's like, 'Ah jeez. We actually sound pretty good like this.'"

Barenaked Ladies Tour Dates:

10/21: Boston, Orpheum Theater
10/22: New York, Hammerstein Ballroom
10/25: Chicago, Riviera Theater
10/26: Detroit, State Theater
10/28: Minneapolis, Orpheum Theater
10/29: Milwaukee, Riverside Theater
10/30: St. Louis, American Theater
11/1: Sandusky, OH, State Theater
11/2: Indianapolis, Murat Theater
11/4: Grand Rapids, MI, DeVos Hall
11/5: Columbus, OH, Mershon Auditorium
11/6: Cincinnati, Taft Theater
11/8: Philadelphia, Tower Theater
11/10: Washington, DC, Constitution Hall
11/13: Hartford, CT, Bushnell Theater

COLIN DEVENISH
(October 8, 2003)