Barenaked Ladies are coming to Sylvan Cellars Event Center in Rome City.

The Canadian rockers will be the second band performing in venue’s Summer Concert Series, which began June 15 with Drake White. 

On Saturday, July 13, it will be Barenaked Ladies who will be taking the outdoor stage and playing in a place that feels like a concert in your own backyard.

Ahead of the international act taking the stage, local yacht rockers Yacht Party will perform.

You know them

As a veteran of six Barenaked Ladies shows, I think one of my favorite parts is the crowd of all ages. They have such an eclectic and fun style, it’s hard to not fall in love with their charisma. 

If you find yourself wondering who Barenaked Ladies are, odds are you already know. The rock band formed in 1988 and have been churning out hits ever since. 

They had quite the interesting start to their career. While they were finding their grounding and figuring out their style, they released their demo cassette, The Yellow Tape. This cassette went on to become the first independent tape to go platinum in Canada, selling more than 100,000 copies. 

While their style has grown and changed over the years, ranging from acoustic to rock, they have made songs that continue to leave a mark in the music world. 

“One Week,” “If I Had $1,000,000,” “Pinch Me,” “Brian Wilson,” and “It’s All Been Done” are some of their biggest hits. However, what a lot of casual listeners don’t know is that they also sing the theme song to The Big Bang Theory. 

With more than 200 songs in their catalog, they are definitely not just around because of their hits. 

They truly have a special style that does not compare to others.

Long-term relationship

I got the chance to speak to Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart about his passion for performing and what music means to him.

“Performing is liberation,” he said. “I feel so free when I perform. If you think about some of the great performers over the years, sometimes it can be at the expense of your personal life. For me, I look forward to — maybe because I’m 35 years in — but I look forward to being up there and just not caring about anything else except being the best I can be with my band and in front of thousands of people.” 

That is something we don’t always see in musicians. A lot of them look at it as a job, but Stewart loves his job and being able to continue his journey of being a drummer. 

Along with performing the same songs over and over, a lot of musicians can tire of being on the road with the same people. Luckily for Stewart, he and his bandmates — frontman Ed Robertson, bassist Jim Creeggan, and keyboardist/guitarist Kevin Hearn — have it all  worked out.

“I think the key to like any relationship is communication,” Stewart said. “You have to stay on top of each other by talking. You’re really close on a tour bus especially. We used to call it the 40-foot fart funnel, you know it’s like there’s a lot of men on a bus together who may or may not be eating properly. But obviously communication is key. Making sure you’re in touch with your bandmates, noticing if they’re having an off day, noticing if they’re having a great day. Compliments go a long way and support goes a long way. 

“I think we have been very lucky over the years. The roller coaster of success goes up and down, but the relationship has stayed pretty solid.”

When in Rome City

When speaking with Stewart, it’s difficult not to talk about the band’s style and the direction their music is going in, with their latest album being last year’s In Flight. 

“On all of our albums over the years, one of the things that sometimes people miss about us is that we do have a deep introspective or more melancholy observational songs,” Stewart said. “Sometimes they get lost along the ‘One Weeks’ or ‘Million Dollars.’ We’re not afraid of that anymore. We had a great time making this new album.” 

And just for fun, I asked if there was a soundtrack to a movie that Barenaked Ladies could make, what would it be? 

“I think we’d be more of like a romantic comedy or a slice of life kind of film,” Stewart said. “I love those Judd Apatow films, with ups and downs in it.” 

When it comes to playing at a unique venue like Sylvan Cellars in a town the size of Rome City, Stewart has a unique perspective.

“We’re looking forward to dispelling the age-old cliché of ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day,’ ” he said. “Well, if the town is really that small then apparently it was built in a day. We’re here to shatter all the clichés! We will take to the stage as well and bring a varied and eclectic show. 

“As I said earlier, the new songs that we recorded, and we’re all very proud of, we try to incorporate that into the hits,” Stewart said. “We like to pepper the show with new material. We try to give a varied show, that keeps us interested. We’re not really a jukebox, but if you need a jukebox …”