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害羞草研究所檚 livelihood and artistic expression. Digitally streamed concerts have filled the gap somewhat, but it害羞草研究所檚 just not the same.

害羞草研究所淚 think everybody is [excited at the prospect of returning to a world of regular concerts],害羞草研究所� Bif said, taking time out during a Cranbrook sojourn for an interview.

害羞草研究所淟ong gone are the days of doing all the things bands did in the 害羞草研究所�90s. People receive their music differently. It wasn害羞草研究所檛 a revenue source for a long time anyway. But touring was.

害羞草研究所淪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害羞草研究所檙e desperate to perform, for the sake of performing. Most of us who害羞草研究所檝e been in bands since the 害羞草研究所�90s, we害羞草研究所檙e accustomed to living hand to mouth. I don害羞草研究所檛 think it害羞草研究所檚 necessarily new for musicians to be poor. The pandemic pressed the pause button for a lot of people. But that害羞草研究所檚 true of every industry.

害羞草研究所淏ut us in rock, we害羞草研究所檙e all used to being poor.害羞草研究所�

Bif Naked 害羞草研究所� aka Beth Torbert 害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所�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害羞草研究所檚 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害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淎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害羞草研究所檓 10 years older. And the world is 10 years older.害羞草研究所�

Even though 18 months isn害羞草研究所檛 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.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not revolutionary, but it can be evolutionary,害羞草研究所� Bif said. 害羞草研究所淎nd I think bands have had to really shift their thinking. It害羞草研究所檚 not even a pivot, because there害羞草研究所檚 nothing to pivot our thinking to.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淎ny music, any art, is a vehicle for any artist to express their take on whatever is going on in their world,害羞草研究所� Bif responded. 害羞草研究所淔or most of us, it害羞草研究所檚 our running commentary on society. Any art that we make is going to be that. Rock is always been a protest music.害羞草研究所�

People coming of age in the 害羞草研究所�80s and 害羞草研究所�90s, Bif says, were lucky to experience Punk Rock music, and the birth of bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden.

害羞草研究所淭hey were creating new sounds 害羞草研究所� but new ways to say the same things, that generations before them said. Love is cool, loud is good 害羞草研究所� those kind of things. But as far as protest music 害羞草研究所� Punk Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop, were the anthemic protest music of our lives.

害羞草研究所淎nd now, as we are now in a world that is enmeshed in this pandemic apocalypse 害羞草研究所� people have been suddenly forced online. If they害羞草研究所檙e not bookworms, then online is where they害羞草研究所檙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害羞草研究所檛 agree with. That has brought a lot of people into the world and discovering they have a voice, where before they didn害羞草研究所檛 know, or didn害羞草研究所檛 participate. There are a lot of opinions.

害羞草研究所淭here are a lot of us 害羞草研究所榖ookworms害羞草研究所� that become disheartened by what we see people sharing on the internet. It can seem very callous.害羞草研究所�

What害羞草研究所檚 also happening at the same time as the pandemic, Bif says, has been the enormous repercussions of climate change becoming apparent 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渨e害羞草研究所檙e starting to see an acceleration of horrific results.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚n a post-pandemic world, which we have not yet reached, we害羞草研究所檙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.害羞草研究所�

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. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e had that booked for two years, and they postponed it twice. Rumour has it that it害羞草研究所檚 happening this October, thankfully.害羞草研究所�

Even the release of Bif害羞草研究所檚 latest studio album 害羞草研究所� which would be her sixth 害羞草研究所� 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.

害羞草研究所淲e made a record 害羞草研究所� called 害羞草研究所楥hampion.害羞草研究所� We害羞草研究所檙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.

害羞草研究所淏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, 害羞草研究所榳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害羞草研究所檚 wait.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淎nd so we waited, and we were going to do a streaming show for October, but it害羞草研究所檚 just not the same. It just didn害羞草研究所檛 seem right. We released another single (I Broke Into Your Car) 害羞草研究所� and so here we are, a year later. I still haven害羞草研究所檛 released Champion, because I don害羞草研究所檛 believe it害羞草研究所檚 important enough. I think there are other things, in the news feeds, that are much more important.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 not going to perish emotionally waiting to release a record. I haven害羞草研究所檛 done a studio record in over a decade. I haven害羞草研究所檛 wanted to. Hopefully the timing will be right this fall, and we害羞草研究所檒l be able to release it. But it depends on the rest of the world.害羞草研究所�

Left to right: Ferdy Belland, bass player for Bif Naked害羞草研究所檚 band; Bif Naked, holding Ace; Stephen Allen, guitarist with the band (and Bif Naked害羞草研究所檚 husband). In Huckleberry Books, Cranbrook. (Barry Coulter photo)