Tyler Stewart | |
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![]() Stewart on stage, 2005. | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Tyler Joseph Stewart |
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | September 21, 1967
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1990–present |
Tyler Joseph Stewart (born September 21, 1967) is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies.
Stewart met Steven Page, Ed Robertson, and Jim Creeggan at the Waterloo Busker Carnival in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in the summer of 1990, and soon fulfilled the trio's desire for a real kit drummer. When Andy Creeggan (who played congas) returned from a trip to South America to find Stewart on drums, he felt somewhat displaced. Creeggan eventually switched to playing mostly keyboards. Stewart has been with the band ever since. He also adds numerous percussive and melodic elements, including piano on Born on a Pirate Ship.
Stewart utilizes an electronic sampler pad for live performances. During acoustic or smaller shows (or sets within shows), he sometimes plays other percussive elements live, including shakers, bongo drums, and drumming on unusual objects, such as an instrument case.
Stewart is the only band member who has not actively written songs for the group's albums nor does he write for a side project. He has received a writing credit on only three songs in the band's catalogue: "Grade 9" from Gordon , "Why Say Anything Nice?" from Barenaked Ladies Are Men (co-written with Page and Robertson), and "Allergies" from Snacktime! (lyrics co-written with Kevin Hearn, music written by all five then-members). Up until the 2009 acrimonious departure of lead singer Steven Page, Stewart had sung lead on only two recorded songs. Stewart sings lead on "Allergies" and a cover of "Holly Jolly Christmas" which was cut from Barenaked for the Holidays . Stewart also sings lead on a version of "Feliz Navidad" which the band has performed live for holiday shows since 2004. The song has also been played on other occasions with the word "navidad" replaced by lyrics relevant to the event (such as "Feliz Ships and Dip", and "Feliz Halloween", among others). Stewart assumed some of Page's vocal responsibilities for live performances, including "Alcohol" from Stunt. Stewart also sings the chorus on the song "Four Seconds" from All in Good Time .
Stewart was born in Toronto, but was raised in Newmarket, Ontario. He is the son of Sandra Stewart and stepson of Robert Stewart. Stewart's biological father, Leonard Hawkins, is black, a fact which Stewart learned when he was about 12 years old. [1] His stepfather sang in a Scarborough rock band named "The Wizards of Id", formed at Woburn Collegiate Institute where both Steven Page and Ed Robertson would later attend. [2] He credits his parents' relative youth (they were only 19 when he was born) with exposing him to interesting music which was frequently played around the house when he was young. [2] He has claimed that his unique eyebrows are the result of his shaving them off when he was eight years old.
Stewart is a graduate of Huron Heights Secondary School. He received a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in 1989, making him the only member of Barenaked Ladies to have earned a degree.
Stewart was a member of The Ambassadors Drum and Bugle Corps, playing bongos and pit percussion from 1979–1980, and tri-drums from 1980 to 1982. He was the drummer for cowpunk/rockabilly band Pogo Rodeo and later 3 Day Bender in the late 1980s. When he met the Barenaked Ladies, at a buskers' festival, he was drumming for the Would Be Goods, a Guelph acoustic duo featuring stage actor Christine Brubaker, and singer Chris Reynolds.
Stewart's wife, Jill (née Spratt), is a former high school French teacher, and the two were married on September 19, 1998; they have three daughters, Mili, born April 2, 1999, Hazel, born April 16, 2001, and Carmen, born January 28, 2011. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking. He is a huge hockey fan and actively promotes Women's Hockey in Canada, serving on the board of The Ladies First Hockey Foundation and coaching his daughters' teams, one being The George Bell Titans. Stewart also went to high school with former Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph where the two became friends. He also enjoys playing hockey, and is a member of the Jokers Hockey Club in the Canadian Exclaim! Hockey Summit of the Arts. Stewart is also an occasional panelist/contributor on the post-game show for Hockey Night in Canada, and an on-air contributor to the morning show on The Fan 590. He took part in Super Skate, a celebrity hockey game fundraiser at Madison Square Garden for the Christopher Reeve Foundation in 1999, 2001 and 2002. Participants included Denis Leary, Kim Alexis, Rick Moranis, Chris Jericho, Gary Dell'Abate, Chad Smith, Darren Pang and Jason Priestley, among others. Stewart is a member of the Canadian Charity Artists Against Racism and has worked with them on campaigns like radio PSAs. [3]
Stewart is the first cousin of Kevin Yarde, a former television presenter for The Weather Network and the current Member of Provincial Parliament for Brampton North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. [4]
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(June 2019) |
Stewart currently plays Sonor drums and Sabian cymbals. He uses Vic Firth drumsticks (mainly 55A and RUTE606). Previously, He had his own signature sticks made by Regal Tip from 2004–2015 which he designed with his drum tech, Rob "Tiny" Menegoni. The sticks were called Ty-phoons (a second, "dipped" version of which was released in the mid-2000s). He also uses a Roland SPD-S sampling multi-trigger pad and Roland Electronic Drums and pads. Stewart uses Aquarian Drumheads.
Prior to his switch to SONOR in early 2015, Tyler played Pearl Drums from mid-2006. Stewart used custom Ayotte drums from at least 1994, and prior to that, Canwood drums.
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles "If I Had $1000000" and "Brian Wilson", was released in 1992. The band's popularity subsequently spread into the US, beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their fourth studio album Stunt, their breakout success in 1998. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week", as well as "It's All Been Done" and "Call and Answer". Their fifth album, Maroon, featuring the lead single "Pinch Me", also charted highly. In the 2010s the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Barenaked Ladies, is the Barenaked Ladies' third indie tape release, after Buck Naked in 1989 with just Ed Robertson and Steven Page, then Barenaked Lunch in 1990, with bassist Jim Creeggan and percussionist Andy Creeggan. It was recorded in 1991 at Wellesley Sound by Walter Sobczak in Toronto.
Maybe You Should Drive is the second studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 1994 and went double platinum in Canada, reaching No. 3 upon its release. It was also their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 175 on the Billboard 200. Unlike on their previous album Gordon, Steven Page and Ed Robertson did not collaborate as frequently.
Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies (BNL), featuring the songs "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart". "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997.
Barenaked for the Holidays is a holiday-themed studio album released by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies on October 5, 2004. The album includes Christmas and Hanukkah songs as well as "Auld Lang Syne", which is traditionally sung on New Year's Eve. There are also several songs that are simply about the winter season. The album was the first album recorded at Steven Page's studio, Fresh Baked Woods and was the first released independently by Barenaked Ladies' Desperation Records label. It was the band's first studio album for which a "naked track" was not recorded. This album achieved Gold status in Canada.
Kevin Neil Hearn is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics.
James Raymond Creeggan is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies.
Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Barenaked Ladies. He, along with former member Steven Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's departure in 2009, Robertson and bassist Jim Creeggan are the only remaining original members of the band.
"Brian Wilson" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies from their 1992 album Gordon. The song was written by Steven Page as a tribute to the Beach Boys' co-founder Brian Wilson. It was released as a single and peaked at number 18 on the Canadian Singles Chart. In 1998, the song peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Wilson himself covered the song on his live album Live at the Roxy Theatre (2000).
Barenaked in America is a 1999 documentary film about the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies filmed during the 1998-1999 Stunt tour. Directed by actor Jason Priestley, the film was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The band and director introduced the film at the Winter Garden theatre.
Andrew Burnett Creeggan is a Canadian musician, known for being a former member of the alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies. He was also a member of the trio The Brothers Creeggan, and a solo artist having released three albums.
"Pinch Me" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It was released as the first single from their fifth studio album, Maroon (2000), on August 7, 2000. The song became the band's last top-10 hit in Canada, peaking at number four on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. In the United States, the single peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 2000, becoming the band's final top-40 hit there. It also peaked at number two on Billboard's Triple-A and Adult Top 40 charts.
"Call and Answer" is a song by the Canadian group Barenaked Ladies. It was the third single from their highly successful 1998 album Stunt. When released as a single, the song was both remixed and edited into a radio mix which cut from the second verse to the third chorus, skipping a chorus, an instrumental break and the third verse. The remix was a slight adjustment of EQ and levels; not a comprehensive remix involving adding or replacing musical elements. This version was also included on the soundtrack for the film EdTV.
"Be My Yoko Ono" is the debut single by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies.
Barenaked Ladies Are Men is the eighth full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies, and the second release of material from the 29-song session that bore the companion album Barenaked Ladies Are Me. The two albums were released together under the Are Me title in several "deluxe" release methods before Are Men received its own proper official release in February 2007. In this way, Are Me and Are Men together may be considered the band's seventh full-length original-material studio album. The album's artwork was created by Team Macho who also did similar artwork for the Are Me releases. The title is an extension of the Are Me title. During touring for the two albums, a pre-show video showed an unidentified hand adding various other extensions to the Barenaked Ladies Are Me title.
"Another Postcard" is a 2003-released song by the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It was the band's first single from the album Everything to Everyone which was released after the band took a nearly two-year hiatus from performing. The song is notable for its reggae-rap verses. The verses are rapped by Ed Robertson while the chorus and bridge are led by Steven Page. The two co-wrote the track. The song was used and featured in the end credits and on the soundtrack of the 2008 American film Space Chimps.
"Celebrity" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies released from their album Everything to Everyone. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 81.
All In Good Time is the ninth studio album by Barenaked Ladies, released by Raisin' Records 23 March 2010 in Canada, and 30 March 2010 in the United States. It is the first album recorded following the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009, and the band's second album recorded as a four-piece.
As You Like It is a William Shakespeare-themed studio album released by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies on June 3, 2005. The album was recorded for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of 2005. This CD was only made available at the festival.
The Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies released five demo tapes before being signed to Reprise Records.