14 SEPTEMBER 10, 2003 Backyard BBQ IX Preview by Dana Schwehr Yes, boys and girls, it’s that time of year again! No, not time for the Roll Up the Rimjob to Win contest,/you have to wait a little longer for that one. No, it’s time for the ninth annual Backyard Barbecue! Be happy and rejoice, for the lineup this year promises to dazzle and amaze your senses, and keep you coming back for more meaty goodness. Of course, not every- one knows all there is to know about this year’s lineup, so the wonderful folks here at Over the Edge have taken it on themselves to help you be the informed classy people you all want to be. So here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for, the Amazing Backyard BBQ IX Preview Article!!! Yay!! (You should all cheer now. Really. You should.) Bit Naked There is an old story from the days of the second Backyard BBQ held at UNBC. Bif Naked was the headliner at that show, or so the story goes. It also goes on to say that the organizers of the event had not yet learned the wisdom of raising a barrier between the audience and the stage. This led to a random crowd surfer to cause the great Bif’s front tooth to be broken. Por the longest time, the’ students of UNBC believed that Bif had deserted them, and would never come back to Prince George again. Then, Bif Naked returned to the saddened city after eight years, for a show that glad- dened the hearts of many. Then the story changed. It was said that the student society who had organized the concert was responsible for shut- ting it down. People said that Bif had been willing to continue the perfor- mance for her adoring fans. No one really knew what to think anymore, until now. Bif Naked has agreed to a repeat performance. She will again grace the stage of the Backyard BBQ, this time at the Multiplex, a far safer venue for performers and their dental work. At least, we believe it is safer. Bif Naked has been performing since her college days in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since then, she has been a member of such acts as Jungle Milk, Gorilla Gorilla, Chrome Dog, and Dying to be Violent, before embark- ing on what was to be an incredibly successful solo career. Her first solo release, an indie EP known as “Four Songs and a Poem” was later released in 1994, the same year that her debut, “Bif Naked” was released. By 1995, Bif had started her own record label, Her Royal Majesty’s Records, and re- released her debut album under her own banner. The rest, of course is his- tory, and Bif is not a mainstay of many music collections the world over. You kiddies should be expecting a high-energy punk pop show from one of Canada’s leading female artists! Rascalz This hip-hop group has been around since 1993, when they debuted with their album, “Really Livin’”. The title track video won the group a Much Music Video Award for Best Rap Video in the same year. Ever since, the group has been wowing audiences, recording executives, and other hip hop artists with their own brand of Canadian hip-hop talent. The group is perhaps best known for their single “Northern Touch”, which they worked on with other Canadian artists like Choclair, Kardinal, Checkmate, and Thrust. Utilizing the vocal stylings of MCs Red1 and Fit, as well as the turntable mastery that only DJ Kemo can exhibit, the Rascalz are an acto to look forward to. Anyone who remembers Maestro’s performance at Backyard BBQ VII will recall that DJ Kemo pro- vided the turntable know-how for that performance as well. Expect the Rascalz to deliver their energetic live show that has amazed and astounded audiences from coast to coast. Downstroke Downstroke appvars to be the Mystery Act for this year’s show. No one can say much about the band, because no one knows about the band. One can find many bands called Downstroke on the internet, so it is impossible to determine which one is the one we want to know about. The only thing we know for sure is that one of the members of Downstroke used to be the lead singer for Prince George’s own Kings Inc. So, for the select few who even remembers hearing King’s Inc. back whenthey existed, you might have an idea what Downstroke will be like. The rest of you haveto wait till the show to find out. Opus Dei Who remembers the winner’s of this year’s Battle of the Bands, Opus Dei? Everyone who attended the event, of course. So for those of you who had the misfortune to be elsewhere during that amazing performance, here’s a hint of what to expect from the opening act. Opus Dei has a sound reminiscent of Ireland's JJ72, but that does not mean that they can not rock if the occasion calls for it. The band has been together as the six-piece ensemble that they are to day since December 2003. The relative youth of the group does not mean that the members do not work well together. In fact, the group seems to work very well together, which is proven by the fact that they won the Battle of the Bands when they had only been working together for one month. Expect a lot of new material from this band folks!