Concert promoter David Carver has announced that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be playing in Halifax next summer.
In yesterday's Metro article, Carver confirmed that Petty and crew would be playing one show at the Metro Centre and another in St. John's at the Mile One Stadium.
Carver is the man who successfully brought Aerosmith to PEI in 2007 and it was party central. I love the shit out of Tom Petty and I suspect the Halifax show will be no different. Also, the last time I saw Tom Petty, in 2006, he brought Stevie Nicks with him onstage to duet "Stop Dragging My Heart Around." If we all think positive thoughts, maybe this magical moment can repeat itself in Halifax.

UPDATE! From tompetty.com:

"Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will also perform in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia for the first time. The band will play in St. John's, NL on June 3 and in Halifax, NS on May 31.

Tickets for the general public on sale now through Ticket Atlantic and they ain't cheap: $206.50/$183.50/$103

Here's Tom Petty on a skateboard!

• one more time to kill the pain

• Shawn Colvin

In the Dead of Winter, the yearly festival celebrating acoustic musicians, has announced its first performer: the Grammy-award winning Shawn Colvin. If you came of age in the '90s, chances are you probably know her song "Sunny Came Home." During a recent Larry Sanders binge, I realized that Colvin is also pretty funny. Tickets for her show on Rebecca Cohn Auditorium are on sale on November 15. For more info go to inthedeadofwinter.com. The festival runs from January 25 - 28.

• Movember this.

Wednesday November 30 will henceforth be known as Prince Day. His Symbolic Freakness is coming to Halifax to play the Metro Centre, solve all your worldly problems and make it rain. Purple rain, that is! I'm exhausted! Get here already you short little lightning bolt of sexgrease! Welcome 2 Canada you fucking sexy ol' panther!

Buy tickets starting November 5th at 9am. Prices range from $59 to $163. BUY THEM HERE. .

I'm gonna post a bunch of videos later. For now, here's his Superbowl Halftime performance from 2007 - as if you had forgotten.

• Sonic Avenues

Montreal punkers Sonic Avenues make bright, effervescent, irresistible power pop. Like The Undertones or Jay Reatard, their songs balance sweet melodies with a plaintive streak that will send shivers down your spine. Their split 7” with the Steve Adamyk Band is current available on P-Trash Records and they have a full-length on Portland’s Dirtnap Records (Exploding Hearts, Mean Jeans) due out in January. They made their first foray into Europe earlier this year and will return for a bunch of dates next summer. And they’ll be playing a spooky punk show at Gus’ Pub on Saturday Oct 29 on a stacked bill that includes Moncton’s Beaten Hearts, the Fat Stupids and Outtacontroller. Plus, they are babes. You really should go.

I sent bassist Jamie Desjardins an email containing some extremely important questions. He was a ripping good sport and answered back in a hilarious manner. See below.

1. Where are you right now?

Casa Sonic Avenues. We keep a secret country home for the band on the outskirts of Montreal, venturing into the city only at night. Think Wayne Manor.

2. What are you wearing?

A smile.

3. You’ve played all over Europe and the Screeching Weasel anniversary in Chicago this year — what was the best show for you guys out of that lot?

Yeah, Europe was pretty wild. The Screeching Weasel thing didn’t happen actually—-.the whole weekend got cancelled at the last minute after Ben Weasel took a swing at a (reportedly obnoxious, but also female) fan at a show, and the whole punk community basically decided to ostracize him, his band resigned en masse, etc, so the whole thing fell apart in record time.
Anyway, back to Europe. Berlin was probably the best show, though Munich was a close second. Others shows were memorable for...other reasons. For example, at one point we played, ate and slept in what can only be described as a derelict industrial building in the former East Germany...we’re talking burning-scrap-building-materials-for-heat-in-a-wood-stove kind of place. But that being said, even there, the venue itself was super cool, the sound was good, turnouts healthy, and the walls were literally covered with tags from all the bands that had come through over the years. It was pretty cool.

4. Do you prefer pizza pops or pizza pockets (I’m eating a pizza pocket right now) and why?

I’m very glad you asked, as this is an important topic that I really don’t think gets enough attention these days. The short, and very clear answer, is Pizza Pockets. There are several reasons why this indisputably true:

Firstly: The seams. Pizza Pops have them, Pizza Pockets don’t. Seams suck. Big time. You put those suckers in the microwave even slightly too long, and the seams give out, spilling the sweet, sweet topping-stuff all over the place. BRUTAL.

Secondly: The dough. In a word, lose the grease, Pizza Pops! If I wanted oily crap all over my hands after eating a questionably-nutritional after-school snack, I’d eat a pogo.

Thirdly: the stuffing. Ever notice that regardless of what flavour of Pizza Pop you buy, the insides always look, and largely taste, the same? Pizza Pockets, however, can actually be distinguished one from the next on the inside, both by sight and taste.

5. What are you going as for Halloween in Halifax?

This is of course a closely guarded band secret until Saturday. However, I have been authorized to reveal that one of us may or may not attend as The Wonder(ful) Flying Taco, a Mexican superhero on a mission to convert straightedge kids into Nick Ball.

• oh hai rich

Rich Aucoin will be finishing off a cross-Canada tour here in Halifax on Saturday November 26 at 10pm. Since his show-stopping release party at St. Matt's last week for HPX, Rich has been on the road in support of his album We're All Dying To Live, which features over 500 musicians from across Canada. You can get tickets to the Reflections show here starting Friday Oct 28 at 10am. They're $10. And you can stream We're All Dying To Live here.

• the low anthem

City and Colour are coming to play a show at the Rebecca Cohn on February 20, 2012. The Tara Thorne-endorsed indie folkers the Low Anthem are opening. They apparently put on a very good live show. Although our tastes sometimes diverge, I usually will give something a chance if Tara likes it. This is where I post a Cranberries song for no reason.

I GOT YOU WRAPPED AROUND MY FINGERRRRR.

And here' s a Low Anthem song. Do you like it?

Ticket info is forthcoming.

Today, two big concert announcements popped into my email inbox: James Blunt will be coming here on Sunday November 27, playing a show to the moms of Halifax at the Metro Centre. Also, did you know that A Simple Plan are still a band? They are, and they are playing here Sunday February 26, 2012. Tickets go on sale at 9am this Friday. Go here to buy them.

You can get your hot little hands on those James Blunt tickets starting Saturday September 24 at 9am. They're $63 dollars, which is ridiculous, but if you're a millionaire you can get them at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office at Halifax Metro Centre and at all participating Atlantic Superstore outlets (902-451-1221.) And you can use your fancy millionaire computer to buy tickets online at Evenko or Ticket Atlantic.

The direwolves of rock in Elliot Brood are coming across the narrow sea to the Seahorse to play a show for you and the realm on Friday November 25 at the Seahorse. Support TBA. The cost is but a paltry 15 of your gold coins. Winter is coming, so don't tarry. Saddle your horse and direwolf and various man-guards and make to the internet bawdy house for purchases, post-haste. Bring your ID or the Night Watch will bounce you. Don't send the ravens - they are not reliable. Let's go ham on summerwine and fight the greatest battle of our lives - I mean, go to the concert of our lives. Their music will slice through you like Valyrian steel. Boobs.

Elliot Brood, Seahorse, Friday November 25, $15. Buy your tickets here.

• Stars

The Halifax Pop Explosion has announced a free all-ages show with Stars, Plants & Animals, Carmen Townsend and Papermaps on Saturday October 22 beginning at 3pm in Grand Parade Square. Now you can save some of that concert money and spend it on tattoos, tequila and cheeseburgers. Thanks, HPX.

The Girl Talk frosh concert scheduled for this Thursday was originally supposed to be held at Alderney Landing, but it's been moved to the Halifax Forum Multipurpose Room (2901 Windsor). So all you froshies can get nice and shweaty now. Doors are at 9pm and the show begins at 10pm. Facebook tells me Girl Talk will be on at 11:45pm.

Non-frosh can also buy tickets for this ($25/$30 plus surcharges), and tickets sold for the Alderney Landing show will be honoured at the Forum. You can still buy tickets here.

• Leigh Righton
• Japandroids light my fire.

Oh hai. In the afterglow of the Halifax Pop Explosion lineup announcement, we damn near forgot to mention that a band from the festival's past is coming back to the city next week for a fun, hip pootie party.

Japandroids return to Halifax for the first time since their show at HPX '09. As you might recall, that set was unfortunately cut short after about half an hour, and either one or both Japandroids had the flu, as I dimly recall (I was having my own pootie party that night with my friend Mr. Vodka.) This is your chance to see them in a flush of good health, and hopefully they can play their entire set this time.

They're on Saturday September 17 at the Seahorse with the mighty Mississippi garage duo Bass Drum of Death. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. Buy them here.

Hey, Classified is headlining a pretty okay-sounding hip-hop show at the Forum on November 10. Namely, he'll be joined by Royce da 5'9, who I have this weird unexplainable soft spot for, and Shad, who IS the best. Plus there's TBAs.
Also, it is all-ages, and willl be done before Beyond Scared Straight comes on. So that's a clear win from anyone's end.
Tickets are $25 in advance and the show begins at 7pm. Get them here, you chump. Here's the Facebook link too.

• Cock Sparrer

I know what you’re thinking, jaded reader. “So whaat’s the deal with this Saturday’s punk show at the Seahorse?” you might ask in your best Seinfeldian warble.
Well, for one thing, this show features a Wire cover band (comprised of No Flyers Please.) When’s the last time you heard songs from Pink Flag played in public? Oh yeah — NEVER.
The show also boasts a notable lineup in the Cock Sparrer cover band, which features Envision’s Ian Hart, Dave Brown (Career Suicide), Jonny Stevens (of The New Breed - and also, he’s that guy who does that Halifax Pop Explosion thing) and notable locals Craig Hamlin (Tongan Death Grip) and Matt Grace (The Graboids, Hemingways). I am not cool enough to know who the real Cock Sparrer is, but I do know that that’s a fine-looking lineup of Halifax punk thoroughbreds, right there.
The show is rounded out by the always-solid Dead Boys cover band (featuring men from Quivers and the Fat Stupids, probably Matt Grace) and the Ramones tribute Too Tough To Die. It’s a very special covers show — a show that aims to make you collapse, in a pile of stinking drunk. You like this. The show begins at 10pm for a measly $7.

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but mashup artist extraordinaire Girl Talk will be playing a gigantic show as part of Frosh Week at Alderney Landing on Thursday September 15. So far it's looking like you don't have to be a student to buy tickets - so go forth, purchase, and get ready to loseyourfuckingmind.

Tickets are $29.00 and can be purchased here

What is a Girl Talk, you may ask? See video below, from Halifax Pop Explosion 2009. Girl Talk (aka Greg Gillis) is the man in the toga-esque apparel, jumping in the crowd.

COLLEGE.

The hard-working roughnecks in The City Streets are starting to reap the rewards of endless touring and songwriting. Their fourth album Peacemaker was recorded with famed Montreal producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Godspeed You Black Emperor!) and they play a release party tonight at Jacob’s with the Scoop Outs, Hind Legs, Noise Hounds and the Bad Bad Bad. They’re already looking ahead to the follow-up, which is based on the life of vocalist Rick Reid’s grandfather. The album will be recorded in a cabin along the Northumberland Strait, where his grandfather grew up. Finally, you can keep an ear open for a City Streets song on an upcoming episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a fan of the series, Reid is pumped. “I'm a sucker for Canadian melodrama,” he says. “Our music has a good dose of that too.”