MUSIC NEWS - Steven Page of pop/rock band, Barenaked Ladies was able to make a deal yesterday with the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, US to get the charges from his July 11, 2008 drug arrest (cocaine), reduced to misdemeanors. The deal covers Page, his girlfriend Christine Benedicto and her roommate Stephanie Ford, and has resulted in an agreement that will have Page acquitted, provided he stays out of trouble for the next six months . If Mr. Page adheres to conditions made by the court and the District Attorney, including a program of drug screening, the charges will be dropped. He and BNL would then be allowed to once again freely tour the United States (in the meantime, BNL has Canadian holiday concerts scheduled).

Court documents show that roommates Stephanie Ford, 25, and Christine Benedicto, 27, met Mr. Page in a bar. Ms Ford told the court that Mr. Page and Ms. Benedicto began dating and in July "got into a huge fight because Christine was flirting with another guy." Page, Benedicto and Ford were arrested later after Fayetteville, NY police officers found a suspiciously parked car with the driver's door open. Upon further Investigation, the police knocked on the door of the nearby apartment, were invited inside by Page and Ford, and found them in possession of cocaine. Page's lawyer Buffalo, NY's Mark Mahoney said about the deal regarding the subsequent charges: "We are very appreciative of the fact the district attorney's office... was sensitive to the fact that this was simply a charge of possession, everyone has a clean record and the exemplary performance of all the accused since the time of the arrest".

Mr Page read out a statement expressing his gratitude and apologizing for his actions. "The respect and responsibility I have earned over the course of my life and my career thus far are important to me and I am moving forward from this with gratitude and with hope. I also apologize to all of those I have hurt or embarrassed during this episode. It has meant a great deal to me to be shown the impact I have on others' lives, from people on the street who've stopped me to share their support and encouragement, to those friends and loved ones closest to me who've opened their homes and their hearts, I am deeply moved and thankful. The greatest gift a person can know is to not go through their life alone and I am fortunate enough to have been afforded that gift".

Let's hope this is the end to his legal and drug problems and that BNL can return to making good music again ! A few months before his arrest, the Barenaked Ladies released Snack Time , an album of original children's songs. Because of the court drug issues the band was forced to reduce their promotional activity, cancelling a number of concerts, including a Disney-sponsored "block party" on Long Island, NY. He can probably now release Sitrick and Company , a Los Angeles crisis-management firm that specializes in scandals.