Halifax, Nova Scotia | THE COAST: Music

Mesrine Wants Your Metalface

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:28:26 -0300

Oh metal folks, I feel you: With Hatebreed, GWAR and the Children of Bodom/Clutch/Black Label Society shows looming ever closer, I imagine your black, charred hearts are getting a little antsy. This weekend has offerings that may briefly sate you—-Montreal grind godfathers Mesrine play two shows this Saturday to support their new album Obsessive Compulsive with an all-ages gig at CD Heaven in the afternoon with Thy Flesh Consumed, Burnt Church and Panic and War.…

5 Questions With Ann Denny

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:05:49 -0300

Delightful local musician/comedienne Ann Denny/Anna Danova makes the leap to the Plutonium Playhouse starting tomorrow with her band, the Rescuers, in the Fringe show Emotional Condom. The show features Danova's original music (including the title song.)…

Year of the Carnivore

editor@thecoast.ca (Dave Hayden) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Various artists (Last Gang) by Dave Hayden Forget that this record is a soundtrack because it isn�t�at least not in the traditional sense (ie glorified mixes of classic rock or otherwise well-trodden material). The lone pre-released track is Buck 65�s �Girls with Boyfriends,� which can only be found on an obscure tour compilation that sold out a few years ago.…

The Modern Men keep it real

editor@thecoast.ca (Holly Gordon) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

While ironing their own clothes and birthing babies, this synth-pop group pops out a danceable CD. by Holly Gordon "It's been a time of birthing, so we've been birthing CDs and we've been birthing babies," says Seth Bernstein, one of the three men that make up synth-pop group The Modern Men, when asked what he and his bandmates have been focusing on the past few years. Fionn Chin-Yee and Seth's brother, Jonah, make up the rest of the partnership, spanning Halifax and Toronto.…

Meat Curtains/Pompoir

editor@thecoast.ca (Laura Kenins) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Meat Curtains/Pompoir (Isolated Now Waves) by Laura Kenins A split between two bands taking their names from semi-gross sexual references, Halifax�s Meat Curtains and Vancouver�s Pompoir, this tape keeps the lyrics and sound dirty with sludgy punk rock. The Meat Curtains side features grungy guitars with a post-punk ethos.…

Harder, better, faster, stronger

editor@thecoast.ca (Holly Gordon) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Toronto's Daft Punk Tribute shakes the forum with its dance moves, and laser noises. by Holly Gordon It's time to face it: We're never going to see the day when French DJ duo Daft Punk flies around the world to land in Halifax. Luckily, Humber musicians Michael Carrillo (drums), Liam Morin (bass), Michael Eckert (guitar/funktronics), Matthew Giffin (keyboards), Nevin Dunn (tenor sax/EWI), La-Nai Gabriel (alto sax/vocals), James Ervin (robot/trumpet/tambourine/EWI), Joanna Mohammed (vocals) and Ryan Spratt (vocoder, laser noises) make up the nine-member Daft Punk Tribute band from Toronto, bringing their always sold-out show to the Forum this Friday.…

Watching You Think

editor@thecoast.ca (Doug Taylor) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Neema (Sony) by Doug Taylor The Mideastern beauty who is Leonard Cohen�s companion steps forward. Cohen helps out with production and illustration.…

Blood Like Lemonade

editor@thecoast.ca (Sean Flinn) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Morcheeba (PIAS) by Sean Flinn Original vocalist Skye Edwards rejoins the Godfrey brothers (Paul providing beats and turntablism, Ross playing trippy, soulful riffs) for Morcheeba�s seventh proper studio album. Edwards is still a sleepyheaded singer and the Godfreys don�t want to disturb her.…

Aucoin�s thrill ride

editor@thecoast.ca (Ryan McNutt) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Rich Aucoin�s musical rollercoaster gathers speed this weekend with the release of his *Public Publication* EP. by Ryan McNutt "Oh man, can you hear them screaming in the background?" It seems fitting that when I reach Rich Aucoin by phone, the day before a show in Toronto, he's waiting in line for the Behemoth rollercoaster at Canada's Wonderland.…

Public Publication EP

editor@thecoast.ca (Ryan McNutt) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Rich Aucoin (Sonic) by Ryan McNutt Rich Aucoin aims to destroy dance music�s greatest irony: that its communal audience experience is built on songs often recorded in isolation by studio auteurs. In contrast, over 500 musicians from across Canada contributed to this EP�a companion piece to his forthcoming full-length�and you can hear their weight behind every electro beat and singalong.…

Hip-hop games

editor@thecoast.ca (Michael Kimber) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0300

The city-sponsored Hopscotch Festival promotes �hip-hop in its truest form,� starting with the resurrection of the DJ Olympics. by Michael Kimber This year has featured the slow revival of Halifax's historic hip-hop tradition, in a city that has known the likes of Skratch Bastid, Classified, Ghettosocks, Josh Martinez, Sixtoo and Buck 65. The problem is getting big often means leaving, leaving the scene to pick up the pieces.…

Finally, A Joan Jett Tribute Night

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:22:05 -0300

The Coast's favorite rock heroine with a bad reputation will get her due at Reflections this Saturday. Craig Hamlin, Matt Grace, Ben Manuel and Myles Deck form The Blackhearts while the sultry-voiced Chantal Caissie (of Audrey and the Agents) will don Joan's leather pants.…

Part of the Weekend Never Dies

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:02:21 -0300

How great was this past weekend? You probably still have salt in your skin from the beach, or maybe your shirt still stinks like coal and hot dogs from camping, or maybe you're still cross-eyed and sloshy in the guts from all the beer you drank.…

Mary Stewart's Daily Song

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:50:45 -0300

For Mary Stewart, blogging was the ideal way to call her own bluff. The Halifax singer-songwriter was wrapped up in interviews for her self-titled EP last year when she found herself telling people she practiced up to five hours a day.…

Gamma Gamma Rays� goodbye

editor@thecoast.ca (Ryan McNutt) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

The band�s goes out on a high note, with their debut album, Beep. by Ryan McNutt It's odd to see a record release show also promoted as a band's last gig before "a pretty indefinite hiatus." But for Halifax's Gamma Gamma Rays, the mixed messages aren't just a marketing ploy.…

Halifax Urban Folk Festival huffs to life

editor@thecoast.ca (Holly Gordon) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Mike Campbell takes the first steps to starting a new, in-town festival. by Holly Gordon It was Halifax's JunoFest that planted the seed. When The Carleton owner Mike Campbell helped program the live music events attached to the Junos in 2006, he thought the mini festival would be great to host annually.…

Land of Talk

editor@thecoast.ca (Sean Flinn) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Cloak and Cipher (saddle creek) by Sean Flinn Throughout much of its fifth release, Montreal trio Land of Talk trades its sharpened edge for a feathery one. Tempos are slowed.…

The Stanfields rip it up

editor@thecoast.ca (Holly Gordon) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

The Celtic rock group releases its debut album and goes for messy show gold. by Holly Gordon They won Best Local Band, Most Likely to Make it Big and Best Band to Get Trashed To in this year's Best of Music, and Saturday sees Celtic rock band The Stanfields playing Halifax for the first time since January. "It's gonna be bonkers, I guarantee that," says vocalist and guitarist Jon Landry over the phone.…

Play Guitar

editor@thecoast.ca (Laura Kenins) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Play Guitar (Youth Club/Noyes) by Laura Kenins Originally begun as an art-rock collaboration, the ex-Halifax band finally puts out their first full-length release, with the current lineup including the powerhouse team of brothers Christian (Burdocks) and Jef (Special Noise) Simmons. Though the members have moved to Montreal, you can still hear the east coast experimental-pop sound in their music.…

Jenny and Johnny

editor@thecoast.ca (Tara Thorne) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

I�m Having Fun Now (Warner) by Tara Thorne Jenny Lewis bought a house in LA�s Laurel Canyon and with her boyfriend, Johnathan Rice, helped resurrect the storied singer-songwriter scene Joni Mitchell smoked her way through in the �60s. I�m Having Fun Now is reminiscent of that sound, with its warm, laidback acoustic vibe and dreamy girl-boy harmonies.…

Watershed Music Festival marries music and food

editor@thecoast.ca (Holly Gordon) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

The inaugural south shore fest wants its audience to take part in the land as well as the shows. by Holly Gordon Did someone say hay fields? "This is probably the only festival in the province where you're going to see Windom Earle and The Hupman Brothers on the same stage," says musician Jonathan Biro, organizer of the first Watershed Music Festival on the south shore.…

Semi-Precious Weapons

editor@thecoast.ca (Trevor Savory) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

You Love You (Geffen/Streamline) by Trevor Savory You Love You is the kinetic sophomore release that manages to harness the raw ferocity of NYC band Semi-Precious Weapons. This is pop-infused glam rock that provides a good incentive to check out the band live.…

Fall music preview

editor@thecoast.ca (Sue Carter Flinn) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

A round-up of the season�s local music releases, starting this weekend with the Gamma Gamma Rays, that will make your ears bleed and your head explode. by Sue Carter Flinn SEPTEMBER The Baketones, Unite (Baketones Music) Sixteen garage rock tracks recorded mostly live off the floor.…

Aphasia

editor@thecoast.ca (Sean Flinn) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0300

Crocodile Society of Aphasia (White Wabbit) by Sean Flinn An independent music community has coalesced over the last couple decades in Taiwan, which has both borne the burden and resisted the weight of Chinese rule for more than 60 years. This is a collection of noise rock instrumentals from Taipei quartet Aphasia (a term for loss of speech, usually following head trauma or injury.)…

Sarah Harmer Comes for a Visit

editor@thecoast.ca (Alison Lang) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:16:32 -0300

Sarah Harmer will be here on October 29 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium as part of her fall Maritime tour. She is supporting the first album she's released in five years!…