Today, I’m very excited to have Ainsley Naylor of Toronto’s very own Come Back Barbara joining me on The Sonic City.  With their eclectic sound fusing genres such as punk and dance, Come Back Barbara have been gaining attention across the music scene, and will be performing as part of the Girls Rock Camp showcase at Pride Toronto‘s  Alterna-Queer Stage on June 28th.11036080_1558262267776212_224781204566751890_oPhoto by Daniel Vella

Casey: Welcome Ainsley!  It’s great to have you joining us today.  To begin, tell us a little bit about the band, your influences, and sound.

Ainsley: Come Back Barbara is an all-female band formed at Girls Rock Camp Toronto where we were all volunteers. We’re a fun/angry dance-punk band, mostly sounding like riot grrrl which is a subculture that influenced all of us.
We have an electric ukulele for a lead guitar and we do a lot of switching instruments which keeps things interesting.
We list bands like Gossip, Sleater Kinney, Cub, and Taco Cat among our musical influences, as well as Patti Smith who is an idol to a few band members. We all have really different musical backgrounds, but female influences are the strongest.

Casey: What does Pride Toronto mean to you?

Ainsley: Pride is about creating a safe space to visibly show support for the LGBTQ spectrum, whether you identify as an ally or a member of the community. While I hesitate to call us a “queer” band (some of us identify as queer or gay), we sing about some of the issues that ally us with the LGBTQ community – not fulfilling the status quo, not wanting kids or traditional relationships, fighting patriarchy, etc. Starting this band was about making a safe space to express those things with each other.

Casey: What are you looking forward to most about performing in the festival this year?

Ainsley: Playing outside during the festival will be a blast especially with some of our friends’ bands playing the same event! We are playing a 15-minute set which we are approaching as a fun challenge. How many songs can we squeeze in?

Casey: Any other artists performing that you’re excited to see play at Pride Toronto?

Ainsley: PUSSY RIOT!!

Casey: Lastly, any final words, or advice  for emerging artists out there?

Ainsley: Just do it. Either alone in your bedroom, in the street, or on a stage. Find people you feel safe with and inspired by, and make noise. You won’t regret it.

Casey: Thank you for joining us, Ainsley!  For our readers, be sure to check out Come Back Barbara online in the links below, and definitely catch their upcoming set at Pride Toronto’s Alterna-Queer Stage on June 28th at 2pm.

Follow Come Back Barbara on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud.

Facebook Event for Pride Toronto’s Alterna-Queer

About the Author

Casey Robertson is a genderqueer human rights activist, musician ,composer, and graduate student researching musicology and cultural theory. In recent years he has been involved with the committees of LGBTQA projects such as the Durham Pride Prom, Allies for Equality, and Queerstock Canada. He also served as a member of the board of directors for PFLAG Durham Region from 2012-2014, where he was a member of the peer2peer support team and a facilitator for monthly sharing evenings. Casey currently resides in the Church-Wellesley Village of Toronto and enjoys spending his free time scoring independent film projects and playing with his band Liberty Street, while on the constant search to discover new artists of all expressive forms. Follow Casey on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at CaseyRobertson.net