The Barenaked Ladies, the household-name Canadian group known for such hits as “If I Had $1,000,000” and “One Week,” have left a lasting impression on popular music. Though it would take much more than the confines of this short news post to even summarize their influence, surely one of their greatest contributions was to cast light on the almost-lost-to-history pop stylings of Brian Wilson with their song “Brian Wilson.” Wilson, of course, was a founding member of cult-group The Beach Boys. The Beach Boys only recently released their 29th studio album, That’s Why God Made Radio, an album that was a biting indictment of the radio and record industries, who for some reason never really embraced The Beach Boys, though the band does have a small but devoted fan base.
Looking to jump on the publicity firestorm surrounding BNL’s latest release Grinning Streak, Wilson has announced he’s begun work on his own solo album, his first of all original material since 2008’s That Lucky Old Sun (TMT Review). He says that playing with The Beach Boys on their 50th anniversary tour both filled his head up with new ideas and reminded him that he still probably had some BNL-cred to cash in. The as-yet-untitled release will be his 11th solo project. He’ll be joined by Beach Boys co-founders Al Jardine and David Marks as well as a whole host of friends-cum-BNL superfans such as Jeff Beck, Don Was, and Jim Keltner. The album will be out on Capitol Records, the label that released the first Beach Boys records way back before the dawn of time and who really missed the boat on The Barenaked Ladies. Wilson will also be playing a short tour in late July (with one date in October), joined by Jardine and Marks. The Barenaked Ladies are also touring this summer. Be sure to head out and catch both if you can, and take your dad if he’s around!
Brian Wilson Dates:
07.20.13 - Atlantic City, NJ - The Grand @ The Golden Nugget
07.21.13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - Outdoor Stage
07.23.13 - Interlochen, MI - Kresge Auditorium
07.25.13 - Kettering, OH - Fraze Pavilion
07.26.13 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival
07.27.13 - Apple Valley, MN - Weesner Family Ampitheatre
10.20.13 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
• The Barenaked Ladies: http://barenakedladies.com
• Brian Wilson: http://www.brianwilson.com
• Capitol Records: http://www.capitolrecords.com