Back in January of last year, Canadian alt-rocker Bif Naked released her latest single, “Broke Into Your Car.” Bif says she had planned to put out an album since then, but—like many artists during COVID-19—she’s had to wait.
“We’ve been threatening to put this record out for two years but of course the pandemic keeps thwarting the record,” she says. “I’ve decided that I’m just gonna put all my songs that I’ve been working on over the past few years and it will wind up being a three-part album.”
On one hand, Bif says that the pandemic has been restrictive and put any touring plans on hold, but she says that it has also offered the time to tinker and experiment in the studio.
“I’ve been very lucky,” she says. “All the records I’ve put out have been all over the map and really eclectic and that’s been very deliberate on my part. This time I’ve done thrash metal songs, ‘80s new wave style songs, ambient songs, and just about anything that anyone could ever want.”
Bif—currently based in Ontario—says that she’s been able to play live “from time to time” when things opened up from COVID-19-related shutdowns.
“Out here we had a lockdown for quite a while, and even a stay-home order,” she says. “Really, for a lot of the time, we could only do streaming shows.”
Bif says that after the lockdown she was elated to play in front of people.
“Obviously it’s a real euphoria for both the performers and the audience,” she says. “It’s a little different, of course, when people are restricted as far as being able to sit or stand closely together. But depending on the show, they don’t play by the rules. In Saskatoon we had a mosh pit.”
Bif says that she has three shows planned in BC in February and hopes to add dates as—knock on wood—restrictions ease across the country. On February 19, she’ll take the stage at the Mary Winspear Centre for a night of music and storytelling.
“We are going to be playing an acoustic performance along with stories that I put out in my memoirs in 2016 called I Bificus,” she says. “I also have a book of poetry coming out and some of those will be read and performed. And of course all of the hits that everyone is waiting to hear—we will play them all.”
I Bificus, Bif says, was written after a tumultuous time in her life.
“It was after I had recovered from breast cancer and gone through a divorce and a couple of dogs died, and [the book has] some stories from my career,” she says. “The new book of poetry is a bit more abstract and a bit more whimsical.”
Bif says that writing a book was a different challenge but the process is really quite similar to refining an album.
“We write about 30 to 40 songs and usually the label wants about 10,” says Naked. “You have to be able to let it go and not take it personally. My experience making albums and working with executives and production teams and record weasels [prepared me for it]. I really enjoyed it.”
As for the storytelling portion, Bif says that it just flows naturally.
“It’s all I’ve ever done,” she says. “The first time I was performing on a stage I was 17 and a half years old. I’ve never done anything else. I guess you can say it’s second nature for me. I’m chatty so it’s easy for me to tell stories. I know they are going to be able to relate and laugh or cry right along with me.”
Bif Naked
7:30 pm Saturday, February 19
$55.65, Mary Winspear Centre
marywinspear.ca