The music world is contemplating a return to the stage, a year and a half after the pandemic pushed pause on live performance.

As legendary Canadian rock artist Bif Naked relates, performing live is the economic mainstay of a musician香蕉视频直播檚 livelihood and artistic expression. Digitally streamed concerts have filled the gap somewhat, but it香蕉视频直播檚 just not the same.

香蕉视频直播淚 think everybody is [excited at the prospect of returning to a world of regular concerts],香蕉视频直播� Bif said, taking time out during a Cranbrook sojourn for an interview.

香蕉视频直播淟ong gone are the days of doing all the things bands did in the 香蕉视频直播�90s. People receive their music differently. It wasn香蕉视频直播檛 a revenue source for a long time anyway. But touring was.

香蕉视频直播淪o now, to re-emerge, for a lot of bands, we are elated to return to the stage. We want to see our familiar faces in every town, our friends and family. And more than anything else, as artists and performers, we香蕉视频直播檙e desperate to perform, for the sake of performing. Most of us who香蕉视频直播檝e been in bands since the 香蕉视频直播�90s, we香蕉视频直播檙e accustomed to living hand to mouth. I don香蕉视频直播檛 think it香蕉视频直播檚 necessarily new for musicians to be poor. The pandemic pressed the pause button for a lot of people. But that香蕉视频直播檚 true of every industry.

香蕉视频直播淏ut us in rock, we香蕉视频直播檙e all used to being poor.香蕉视频直播�

Bif Naked 香蕉视频直播� aka Beth Torbert 香蕉视频直播� is one of the top-selling Canadian artists and songwriters, and a popular pop-punk artist with an almost 30-year career in recording and global performance. She launched a career in Punk Rock in Vancouver in the early 香蕉视频直播�90s, went solo in 1996, and her career has since seen her tour Canada, the U.S., and Europe as a headliner, and appearing on the bill with some of the world香蕉视频直播檚 top rock acts.

She is a prolific writer and graphic artist, and has also developed a parallel career as an activist and humanitarian, as a long-time champion for women香蕉视频直播檚 rights and the LGBTQ+ community, and other causes.

A breast-cancer survivor herself, Torbert has lent her voice to raise awareness and treatment issues. She recalls the experience of returning to the stage after her bout with cancer.

香蕉视频直播淎fter I went through cancer treatment, I felt like I had to re-emerge. I was very self-conscious. I gingerly approached the stage again. Nothing for me was scarier than that. But now I香蕉视频直播檓 10 years older. And the world is 10 years older.香蕉视频直播�

Even though 18 months isn香蕉视频直播檛 a very long time in the scheme of things, the world that performing musicians are re-emerging into feels like a different place. There is a lot of cultural divisiveness, social upheaval, and tumultuous news. It seems these are febrile times.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not revolutionary, but it can be evolutionary,香蕉视频直播� Bif said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I think bands have had to really shift their thinking. It香蕉视频直播檚 not even a pivot, because there香蕉视频直播檚 nothing to pivot our thinking to.香蕉视频直播�

Can Rock music provide a voice to address this new post-pandemic world, like it has in the past?

香蕉视频直播淎ny music, any art, is a vehicle for any artist to express their take on whatever is going on in their world,香蕉视频直播� Bif responded. 香蕉视频直播淔or most of us, it香蕉视频直播檚 our running commentary on society. Any art that we make is going to be that. Rock is always been a protest music.香蕉视频直播�

People coming of age in the 香蕉视频直播�80s and 香蕉视频直播�90s, Bif says, were lucky to experience Punk Rock music, and the birth of bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden.

香蕉视频直播淭hey were creating new sounds 香蕉视频直播� but new ways to say the same things, that generations before them said. Love is cool, loud is good 香蕉视频直播� those kind of things. But as far as protest music 香蕉视频直播� Punk Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop, were the anthemic protest music of our lives.

香蕉视频直播淎nd now, as we are now in a world that is enmeshed in this pandemic apocalypse 香蕉视频直播� people have been suddenly forced online. If they香蕉视频直播檙e not bookworms, then online is where they香蕉视频直播檙e getting a lot of their new discoveries, things that have broadened their lives, broadened their worlds. The internet is so vast that with freedom of speech comes freedom of ideas that we don香蕉视频直播檛 agree with. That has brought a lot of people into the world and discovering they have a voice, where before they didn香蕉视频直播檛 know, or didn香蕉视频直播檛 participate. There are a lot of opinions.

香蕉视频直播淭here are a lot of us 香蕉视频直播榖ookworms香蕉视频直播� that become disheartened by what we see people sharing on the internet. It can seem very callous.香蕉视频直播�

What香蕉视频直播檚 also happening at the same time as the pandemic, Bif says, has been the enormous repercussions of climate change becoming apparent 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播渨e香蕉视频直播檙e starting to see an acceleration of horrific results.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚n a post-pandemic world, which we have not yet reached, we香蕉视频直播檙e going to talk about the people who are vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. People who like science versus people who do not agree with the science. This has always existed. Separation of church and state. People have always argued about vaccinating their children, have always argued about climate change.香蕉视频直播�

Bif Naked is pictured in acoustic performance with Stephen Allen. (Photo submitted)

As for her own performing future, and recent past, Bif Naked and her band have been hanging fire for almost two years.

They had a tour booked with rock bands Buckcherry and Age of Days. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e had that booked for two years, and they postponed it twice. Rumour has it that it香蕉视频直播檚 happening this October, thankfully.香蕉视频直播�

Even the release of Bif香蕉视频直播檚 latest studio album 香蕉视频直播� which would be her sixth 香蕉视频直播� has been delayed, not for just pandemic reasons, but also because of her perspective on the larger issues that were shaking up things in 2020.

香蕉视频直播淲e made a record 香蕉视频直播� called 香蕉视频直播楥hampion.香蕉视频直播� We香蕉视频直播檙e very proud of the songs, the mixes, and everything was in place. We put our first single out in 2020. That was a big undertaking, did a video, and were quite prepared to release another single that May, then another one in August, and then release the record.

香蕉视频直播淏ut with everything that was happening, and especially last summer, I felt nobody needed a Bif Naked record at that moment. What we needed was to talk about race, and about equity and about the world we live in and how we needed to fix it, and change it. My parents were civil rights activists with Dr. Martin Luther King, and I thought, 香蕉视频直播榳here we are, after so many years, we cannot let the work that they started be in vain. I thought, my record means nothing this year. Let香蕉视频直播檚 wait.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淎nd so we waited, and we were going to do a streaming show for October, but it香蕉视频直播檚 just not the same. It just didn香蕉视频直播檛 seem right. We released another single (I Broke Into Your Car) 香蕉视频直播� and so here we are, a year later. I still haven香蕉视频直播檛 released Champion, because I don香蕉视频直播檛 believe it香蕉视频直播檚 important enough. I think there are other things, in the news feeds, that are much more important.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 not going to perish emotionally waiting to release a record. I haven香蕉视频直播檛 done a studio record in over a decade. I haven香蕉视频直播檛 wanted to. Hopefully the timing will be right this fall, and we香蕉视频直播檒l be able to release it. But it depends on the rest of the world.香蕉视频直播�

Left to right: Ferdy Belland, bass player for Bif Naked香蕉视频直播檚 band; Bif Naked, holding Ace; Stephen Allen, guitarist with the band (and Bif Naked香蕉视频直播檚 husband). In Huckleberry Books, Cranbrook. (Barry Coulter photo)