Sept. 4, 2018
Headlining the Beat Goes On Gala comes from the heart for Canadian rock legend Steven Page
Fame hasn鈥檛 protected Canadian Music Hall of famer Steven Page from being touched by heart disease and stroke.
In fact, the singer and guitarist made famous as a member of the multi-Juno Award winning Barenaked Ladies has been personally affected, as have many of us.
鈥淪everal close family members have had heart disease and heart attacks 鈥 it has run pretty deep in my family,鈥 says Page. 鈥淓verybody ends up getting touched by cardiovascular illness.鈥
Page will appear onstage alongside the Vancouver-based Odds at the fifth annual The Beat Goes On Gala, to be held on Sept. 8 in the Palomino Room at Stampede Park. He is pleased to be involved in an event that will raise funds for local cardiovascular research.
鈥淒espite the great progress in [cardiovascular care], there is still such a long way to go,鈥 says Page. 鈥淎nything I can do to lend a hand is great.鈥
Singer's next album out on Sept. 14
Gala attendees can expect to hear Page鈥檚 signature voice belt out some Barenaked Ladies hits along with tunes from his solo career, which began after he left the band in 2009. Page hinted that guests may also hear a few selections from the singer鈥檚 next album, Discipline: Heal Thyself, Pt. II, to be released Sept. 14.
Page鈥檚 career began with an early love of music fostered by his parents. 鈥淢usic was always around,鈥 says Page of his childhood in Scarborough, Ont. 鈥淭here were always records playing or the radio was on in the car. My parents took me to concerts and my dad was a drummer in a band.鈥
Page befriended and began making music with Ed Robertson 鈥 who later became his bandmate 鈥 while the two were teenagers. The duo formed the band in the late 1980s, and Page, a university English major at the time, said they approached making music 鈥渓ightly.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 long before the Barenaked Ladies acquired a following, and members realized a music career was possible. Page said although he received many rejections, he wasn鈥檛 dissuaded from promoting the band. 鈥淪inging together was a joy, and the audience response was so amazing that we thought 鈥榳e have something here.鈥欌
Canadian rocker Randy Bachman was the headliner at the fourth annual The Beat Goes On Gala in 2017.
Audience support an encouragement
His love of music and belief in the band was strong enough to carry him through. The Ladies went on to produce numerous hits, sold over 15 million records, earned multiple Juno Awards and two Grammy nominations, and was recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Page said the induction became real when he visited 不良研究所 alongside his former bandmates and saw the Barenaked Ladies plaque displayed amongst other great Canadian acts, such as Glen Gould and Rush. 鈥淲e are in such rarified company 鈥 that is pretty humbling.鈥
Page is excited to return to 不良研究所 to perform alongside the Vancouver-based Odds on Sept. 8, explaining he has fallen in love with the city.
Dr. Todd Anderson, MD, the director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, is looking forward to welcoming Page as this year鈥檚 gala headliner.
鈥淲e are thrilled to be hosting Canadian musician Steven Page to our fifth annual the Beat Goes on gala, and thank the 不良研究所 community for its inspiring support of our efforts,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have raised more than $3.6 million over the past four years, which has been used to recruit and support the very best cardiovascular scientists, clinicians and educators.鈥
A cardiologist and researcher, Anderson shares Page鈥檚 affinity for hard work and tackling problems head on. These skills, coupled with a commitment to collaboration, are common amongst the Institute鈥檚 175 members.
鈥淥ur researchers and clinicians are working tirelessly to improve cardiovascular health care in 不良研究所,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have created a world-class institute with expertise in many areas.鈥
To find out more about The Beat Goes On Gala, visit Libinbeat.ca.
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta co-ordinates cardiovascular science research, education and patient care as an entity of both Alberta Health Services (不良研究所) and the University of 不良研究所. It provides education and training of health-care professionals, offers world-class treatment using new technologies and access to clinical care. Our more than 175 scientists and clinicians serve two million people in Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Eastern B.C. For more information, visit libininstitute.org or follow @LibinInstitute on Twitter or on Facebook at @LibinInstituteAB.