Halloween lasts an extra (witching) hour
FYI, costumed partiers: We all “Fall Back” on Sunday morning at 2am, so don’t forget to turn back your clocks. The good news is it means you get to spend an an extra hour as a demon, starfish, avenger or privateer. And speaking of late night hijinks, Shoptalk has learned stylin’ alternative liquor and wine…
Think temporary: Installations by Architects exhibition at Dalhousie
There’s a great exhibition in the Dalhousie Architecture and Planning building (main-floor exhibition room, 5410 Spring Garden) that captures the intersection between art and architecture, minus the jargon and usual art-speak. Installations by Architects is a companion show to a book of the same name, published by Princeton Architectural Press. Curated by Dal prof Sarah…
Product of the week: Bloody Mary fangs
Oh Sookie…Looking for more realistic set of vampire teeth, you fang-banger? Fashionably Dead (5239 Blowers Street, 406-7050) carries the year-round favourite fangs by Bloody Mary. Instead of those old-school plastic ones that would rip up your gums and make you drool, these babies affix themselves directly onto your teeth with putty. And they come in…
Halloween: Everyone in costume!
Alice wondered what good was a book without pictures or conversations, and we wonder what good is Halloween without a costume. As it happens, Alice and a few of her Wonderland denizens will be out galavanting on October 31, if our highly unscientific poll results pan out. Andrea Bogle, supervisor at Glow Parties Costume &…
Spew’s heavy metal Halloween album release sprinkles you with punk dust
Spew Gird your loins in a cool costume for a heavy metal Halloween party at Gus’ Pub with Spew, Abyssed, Black Moor and Terratomb (October 31, 10pm, $8/$5 with a costume). The Halloween show is an album release party for locals Spew, who describe themselves as “fast, drunk, headbanging thrash. With a sprinkle of punk…
Evictions, closings and demolitions sweep through downtown
Businesses are closing and buildings are coming down in the heart of downtown. Perks Coffee next to the Halifax ferry terminal was closed abruptly Tuesday afternoon when a bailiff from the sheriff’s department showed up with an eviction order, says Perks owner Marshia Inkpen, who Wednesday was seeking a court order to quash the eviction.…
Cars are smokers too…
You know I don’t smoke anymore but I think we are pretty hard on our poor stinky orange fingered friends. Europe cut out smoking but allowed it outdoors, even at restauraunts, even where they eat! How other worldly is that? But if the nut balls who make up all these rules (could it be the…
CG Animation
Has anyone seen the new Christmas Carol movie trailer with Jim Carey? If you ask me, it’s a waste of Jim Carey– that guy can do so much with his face/body, why would they think they could ever truly replicate it? And on that note, if you’re making this a CG movie, why are you…
To the person who was on the bus today
that gave up his seat for the woman with three children, you give me hope that there is still kind people in the world. Thank you.–Just watching
Your Cell Phone is Wasting My Time
Honestly, if you wanted to go to dinner with me, a friend, why the hell did you spend the ENTIRE time on your cell. Every single time the waiter came to our table it was me sitting there starring at you texting on your phone. Instead of having a conversation with 10 people in texting-world,…
OH NO, NOT TATTOOS!!!
Seriously? I didn’t ever think I’d be writing this about people in this city, but come on. I was on the receiving end of four rude comments today about my tattoos. Yes, I have ink in my skin, but it’s not like it’s pictures of dicks or vulgar phrases. I get tattoos when something of…
the ‘whisperers’
as a university student I’m spending upwards of $6000 a year to be there, and I would really like to hear the professors. To the people who think whispering is OK you are assholes IT’S A FUCKING AUDITORIUM SOUND FUCKING TRAVELS. I can hear every word our of your mouth even when you’re in the…
Biking
Even though you try to hit me with your car sometimes I still love biking in Halifax. Thank you to everyone who was patient enough to wait behind me the day my shoe fell off.—The Ross
It’s Retro Like That
So here it goes. I’m 19, I understand the appeal of going back to your playground at night and kicking it oldskool. Some people get high, some people have sex, some people actually just play. I understand doing that…. at night. What I don’t understand is seeing kids who are fourteen to seventeen years of…
Twit Shit.
ever since following @twitcoast on twitter, you havent helped me at all with, really anything. who is behind @twitcoast!? you blew up my twitter homepage with crap about the transit meeting you were in today, with bullshit. i should be ashamed to say i have twitter ANYWAYS, but it puts a bigger damper on things…
Plan your day better to make my day less disgusting
Standing in a bus shelter waiting for the bus, less than ideal weather conditions, person next to me lights up a smoke. Inconsiderate? yes. Resolution? Shoot them a dirty look and stand outside the shelter, where 70% of the time they apologize and we trade places. What’s way worse that this? People who pocket their…
Perks coffee evicted from ferry terminal digs
Perks Coffee (1781 Upper Water Street) next to the Halifax ferry terminal was closed abruptly Tuesday afternoon when a bailiff from the sheriff’s department showed up unexpectedly with an eviction order, says Perks owner Marshia Inkpen. Inkpen says she has never been late with the rent, and mailed off October’s rent cheque as usual. She…
Mike O’Neill has a brand new Gemini
Dreaming of brulée Hometown hero Mike O’Neill (The Inbreds, The Beginners, The Lodge) won a Gemini at the October 19 industry awards show gala (the rest of the awards will be handed out in a ceremony next month held in Calgary, which will air on Global) for his composition work on French Food at Home…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
So there are “holiday” wreaths up on the street lights in downtown Dartmouth. I thought that it was in bad form to put up Christmas crap before Halloween. This must be a mistake.The grinch
they won
yay the leafs won one…ahem and the habs aint to shabby paingirl
Fuel for thought
The other night I freaked out when I noticed I lost $30. It’s not a whole lot but it does keep my car’s gas tank full. I looked all over the campus for places it may have jumped out of my pocket but with no luck I posted a note asking for a some kind…
Blow On This, Lady
You blow on that recorder flute thing all day, everyday, in the SAME SPOT! Im happy that its getting cold out, because your ass wont be drilling the same 4 tunes into my skull by sound of wooden recorder. And then you whip out the trumpet and play the same 4 tunes!? Go play somewhere…
Glove Finder!
To the person who found my brown leather glove: I spent my entire class worrying about the missing sibling to my favouite pair of gloves I’ve ever had. I spent 15 minutes re-tracing all of my steps after class and when I thought all hope was lost I looked up and saw my glove, neatly…
Not all old people are kind
EFF YOU, to the hag SITTING on the number one bus to Spring Garden Road. It’s 8am in the morning, everyone’s cranky, everyone’s tired, and nobody wants to take a fricking bus to work or school. Be considerate to the cold Mari timers who have to get up every morning, and have to put up…
Unsolved Kitchen Mysteries…
How is it that humans have yet to come up with a drawer at the bottom of kitchen ovens that actually works? Seriously though, I’ve never operated one that didn’t require a minute or more of struggle – down on the ground hauling like a pack mule on this flimsly drawer while it squeaks and…
angry
Mkay, you know what I’M sick of?? You know what I’m REALLY SICK OF?? Not rogue bicyclists, or fat people, or kay’s rock star husband, or carrots, or the loud-ass motorcycles and fog horns that wake people up in the morning, or drunk people sucker punching other drunk people, or the one guy that accidentally…
To The Coast : Thank you for the Girl Talk ticket!
So it is time to get out of line and into the Girl Talk concert and my friends ask me if I have my ticket ready. To my surprise, I reach into my pocket to find that my ticket is gone. The only explanation for this is that when I handed out the tickets to…
Smell the way you look
To the girl on the Bus 9 on Oct 26 with the Cotton Candy hair. First off, Im all for freedom of expresion to a degree, however the Cotton candy perfume you had on to match your choice in hair colour was over the top. Weather you noticed or cared that everyone on the bus…
Smash your own *&#*@* window
Several downtown businesses have had their windows smashed lately. Newsflash morons: You aren’t cool and you aren’t hurting Big Bad Business when you do this. You are hurting people who own small businesses who are trying to make a go of it when times are tight and sales may be down. I doubt you actually…
Extra economy at the Shoe Shop
Shoptalk has learned that the Economy Shoe Shop (1663 Argyle Street, 423-7463) has given up its back half. “The Atrium”—containing two party rooms and some of the storied restaurant’s coolest nooks—was not owned by Shoe Shop big cheese Victor Syperek, but in fact by the King of Barrington, Lou Reznick. “He doesn’t seem to know…
Picnicface in the Huffington Post
Picnicface’s spoof of the Cameron Diaz moral-headscratcher The Box was picked up by the Huffington Post, only the most linked-to blog on the internet. That’s gotta be worth something… This should save you a few bucks at the theatre: The Button – watch more funny videos
Art Garfunkel + April 10 + Metro Centre = you, Feelin’ Groovy
Garfunkel looks like he’s up to something The one and only Art Garfunkel is scheduled to perform at the Halifax Metro Centre on April 10. Tickets are $67 and $77 and go on sale November 2 at 9am at the Ticket Atlantic box office, 451-1221, the 17 participating Atlantic Superstore outlets and online at www.ticketatlantic.com.…
“hoodie boy…”
To the little fuck with the camouflage-type hoodie who gave me a “bad look” on the playground behind Westmount Elementary school. Don’t walk around like you’re so fucking tough, you little piece of shit. You don’t know me and I wouldn’t think twice about putting my hand up your asshole and then pulling your dick…
Rotary Patrol
Ok, so I get that there are a lot of traffic violations that happen at the rotary and I understand the need for a routine police presence to make sure everyone is behaving themselves. But here is a bitch towards to one of our dim lights in blue. Do not become a road hazard yourself!!!…
Late night annoyance
Okay, I get it. I like to drink, too. Sometimes, even late at night. The only difference between you and I is that my mom taught me about common FUCKIN courtesy. Are you kidding me? Blasting your music beyond airplane decibal level at 1am last Saturday morning? Really? Gimme a break. Or move. Preferably both.…
Halifax Mooseheads
“Slapshot! Shoot! Score! You just can’t stop the Moose!” Time for a slogan change Mooseheads. You’re at the bottom of the division and your season is down the tubes. Guess it should be “Slapshot! Shoot! Doh!.”—ExMooseheadsFan
Bus Stop Waltz
Thanks to the anonymous sidewalk chalk artist who sketched the nifty little diagram of the Raw Day Bus Stop Waltz at the stop near the intersection of Oxford & North! Since my # 52 didn’t show up this morning at 7… or at 7:15… it gave me something to smile at! I hope it’s still…
coffee nazi
To the waitress who served my wife and I in the Dartmouth chinese restaurant. Great food, but your service was deplorable. The third time I asked for a refill for coffee, you actually said, “Last coffee for you. Come back tomorrow!” As if that weren’t bad enough, you spilled that last top up on my…
Hot Dog Eating Olympics
What’s with all the Olympians doing burger commercials? Aren’t we sending the wrong message to kids by portraying star athletes as people who eat nothing but fast food? This is probably the worst kind of selling out you can do as an athlete. I don’t see any of them doing milk ads, or cereal anymore.…
MSTRKRFT at HPX
40$ spent to watch two seemingly indifferent guys play a set consisting of old remixes, boring safe-bet crowd-pleaser garbage and too much Daft Punk, while too-drunk aging clubbers lived out their rock-star fantasies on stage with strung out bewildered looking girls.—DSSPNTD
I want my coat back
To the jerk to took my navy pea coat off the coat hook at an Irish bar on Sat night…I want my coat back. I know navy pea coats are pretty common but when you put it on didn’t you notice the vintage digital camera in the left chest pocket. It’s about the size of…
Making the most of compost
Hi neighbors who share the same compost bin as me. First of all, good on you for actually composting. Now, why not just take one more step and do it right? That means no plastic bags in with the decomposing veggies. Thanks—Carrot top
Ruining QUSOTA for me
Please for the love of god start going to the Rock Garden instead of jamming in your house. You’re ruining one of my favourite bands for me and are being a general annoyance to everyone on the street. You live 3 buildings away from the jam space – stop being assholes and start using it…
Bitchy Bus Drivers
There is a bus stop on the 51 route going towards the bridge that is a 2 minute walk from my house. I have the GoTime # saved in my phone, so I can call and make sure I am on time for the bus. The other day I called, it said 7 minutes until…
Much love to my ring finder
I just wanted to say thank you to the girl who found my butterfly ring in the washroom of the Jenn Grant concert at St.Matthew’s church Saturday night and turned it in to the ticket desk. It has very little monetary value but is priceless to me,so thank you so very much, you are truly…
It’s about the kid, not you…
WTF is the problem??? You have someone who, although has no desire for you, wishes dearly and tries immensly to be part of their kids life. Pays your rent pays for the kid, drives you and your girlfriend all over town. Do you SEE SUCKER written across their forehead??? Although with all they do for…
Double Cutoff in One Day!
This goes out to the teenaged driver of the silver Toyota Corolla (circa 04-05) who has the cover for her gas tank taped shut with black electrical tape. PLEASE learn how to drive. Go back to driver training, listen to what they have to say. You successfully cut me off 3 times yesterday, at 3…
Bouncers should be trained in first aid
Last weekend I watched a bouncer carry a drunk 90pd girl out of the bar, and then he proceeded to push her to the ground. She smashed her head on the pavement and busted her head open. BLOOD EVERYWHERE. The best part was everyone standing around staring while the girl bled. If they’re going to…
The whims of bylaw enforcement
There’s no doubt that bylaw enforcement in Halifax is arbitrary, causes unneeded hassle and embarrassment for homeowners and is very possibly corrupt, in that the anonymous complaint process can lead to painting companies trolling for business by reporting properties. But more than that, the process evidently doesn’t work. Here’s a picture of Mitchell’s Environmental Treasures…
Fuck you HPX! Specifically Girl Talk!
Alright, so…you pay $23 to see Girl Talk, right? And you think, “okay, this should be totally worth it because…it’s effin’ Girl Talk” But Then…he plays for and hour and a half and that’s that. Home by 11:30, sober enough to write this Bitch? That’s no good. That’s about all I can say I guess.…
Community NOT Corporations
The banks and corporations of the world have grown so large and powerful that they have more influence on your politician than YOUR ACTUAL VOTE. there is so much bickering in local government because of special interest that nothing is getting done on a local level. What about federal government? its being bombarded by lobbyist……
Metro Transit Sucks
I always try to support public transport in any city, whether I live there or am just visiting, but I really, really hate Halifax’s Metro Transit. I am so tired of waiting at bus stops without shelters in the freezing cold and dark for 30-40 minutes on a main street with several other equally miserable…
Gay events need gay friendly staff
Two Friday’s ago there was a beautiful event at a certain campus bar to celebrate National Coming Out day. It was one night where gays and lesbians felt safe to come out and dance together and have a great time. It was refreshing to have a different venue to party in, and there were great…
You make cities fun
dear strangers who we see everywhere, We do not know you, but we have nicknames for you and you are awesome—We make our own magic
Didn’t your mother ever tell you spitting is gross?
Does anyone else think that the new fad of bars giving out sunflower seeds to their drunk patrons is disgusting? In the season of the swine flu epidemic, do we really want to be encouraging people to spit all over the sidewalk? All over bars? Ew.—Advocate for a phlegm-free city
Halifax Market
Thank you to the woman (and also her friend) who stopped in the tumbling hail outside the Farmer’s Market to listen to us busking. And thank you especially for your compliments. We will be back at some point.—The Homemade Slides
Cockroaches
I find it unlikely that the leasing office had no knowledge of the cockroaches in our building when we moved in. APPARENTLY LAYING DOWN POWDER DOES NOT SOLVE THIS ISSUE! I’ve been nagging and nagging the office to know what they are going to do about this problem and they have not returned any of…
Not a mosh pit!
To the girl thrashing around in the front row of the Two Hours Traffic show on Friday night: you bashed me in the head, pushed me around, repeatedly stepped on my toes and ruined my night. It was not a fucking moshpit and you caused other concertgoers to become seriously disgruntled. Thanks.—Jezebel
HPX: Saturday night is for hometown heros, ghosts and rocking out
Running between folk and rock and rainstorms on the last night of the 2009 Pop Explosion.
Hpx Night Five: Part cinq
Diemonds at the Toothy Moose through beer goggles You can read the fiasco that occurred at The Toothy Moose last night (one friend said she stood in line for 45 minutes and didn’t see a single person allowed entry into the club, even though they appeared nowhere near capacity inside) in a blog post below.…
Hpx Night Five: Part quatre
Ken Farrell conducts the crowd during Gravity Wave’s set Just listening to Toronto group Gravity Wave’s myspace page does nothing to prepare you for the genius of ringleader Ken Farrell. Although backed by turn tables, funk bass and drums, I hesitate to call Gravity Wave a band. It’s more of a concept (a la Japanther).…
Hpx Night Five: Part Trois
Anna Conner of Thrushes I’m sorry but the Toothy Moose is absolutely the worst bar in Halifax. I’m fine with the club scene doing it’s thing, but it is unacceptable that they would book unknowing bands into that environment. Walking in to see Baltimore’s Thrushes, I was appalled to see a large group in the…
Hpx Night Five: Part deux
Little Girls My excessive drinking came in handy last night. Standing outside the Paragon I ran into two of my old bartenders from Toronto. As luck would have it she knew leading man Josh McIntyre from Little Girls. I didn’t know much about the band except the unbelievable hype the group has fostered, but we…
Hpx Night Five: Part one
Each of these bands sounded amazing, but the shows were a little lackluster. Maybe it was the rain or the fact I’d been up until past 3am for the past four nights. I was pretty stoked to see Boys Who Say No, who I missed the night before. Trouble was it was an all-ages show…
Priestess in Halifax!
Priestess: So unbelievably adorable Promoting their new album Prior to the Fire, Montreal’s Priestess return to Halifax a mere two days before the Slayer/Megadeth show, to fully ensure that your eardrums are going to take out a life insurance policy. Priestess play at the Paragon Theatre on November 7 with Trigger Effect and The Motorleague.…
Wind down from HPX with some more exciting new music
Hostas! They say the best cure for a hangover is a drink mixed with a mellow evening of quality bands. Fulfill both those requirements tonight (Sunday, October 25) at Reflections (10pm, $3). Since Sunday is all about concision, so here are my three word (basically) reviews: Unnerving, powerful, made-in-garage: Dead DogAtmospheric, friendly, poppy: The HostasMellow,…
Toothy moose fiasco
Diamonds rock Sunday at The SeahorseSo i thought I’d check in on Japanroids before heading to see the highly anticipated Diemonds, when I run into a little birdie who informs me Diemonds were being forced on stage early. Why? Well at this point it remains to be confirmed but judging by the restless line of…
Pop Explosion: more packed venues on Friday night!
Japanther, Entire Cities and Pterodactyl played to full houses around the city on Friday night, plus some tour stories from Entire Cities.
Diemonds Tonight!
Diemonds set to destroy HalifaxJust to give you an idea of what to expect tonight when Diemonds hit the stage tonight at The Toothy Moose, here’s a little anecdote that I left out of my write-up about the Toronto rockers in this week’s Coast. Apparently, the last time guitarist CC Diemond was in Halifax he…
Lake of Stew turns into a David Lynch film
I went to Lake of Stew partly because I wanted to congratulate them. This summer when we were in Montreal on vacation, the six-piece acoustic string act was the centre of a giant controversy: the band was asked to play as part of a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebration, L’Autre St-Jean, which was supposed to be a…
Boys Who Say No get Halifax hospitality sprayed in the eyes
Boys Who Say No came recommended from one of the Carter Flinn household’s favourite bands, Spiral Beach, so that wasn’t a recommendation we take lightly. The band’s sound is a little over the place (in a good way—means they won’t be subjected to rock-writing comparisons), mixing power pop with an alt-country twang. Singer Luke Correia-Damude…
Hpx Night Four: Devil Eyes and Japanther
I bet you can just smell the sweat by just looking at this pic of Japanther at The Seahorse. Can you believe there are ladies in the crowd there? Don’t tell The Seahorse bouncers! I tried to go see The Danks at Coconut Grove, but the place was at capacity and the bouncer was a…
Hpx Night Four: Eddie Orso and Dan Mangan
Teddy bear Dan Mangan enthralls a packed Company House. I never thought I would see the Company House turn away patrons, and yet at capacity, with people packed shoulder to shoulder, they did so last night. It was by far the most surprising show of this year’s pop explosion. By the time Eddie Orso took…
HPX: Final Fantasy review
Owen Pallett walks onto the stage, and takes off his leather boots. He sits down to a grand piano and nods to the conductor. Strong, staccato bows stroke on violins, heralding the opening notes of “The Arctic Circle,” the first track off of Pallett’s 2006 album, He Poos Clouds. It’s odd to be at a…
HPX Friday: The loudest show in the smallest venue and chaos around town
Dead Wife, ECT, Grand Trine and more take on a basement.
Hpx Night Four: Ohbijou
Ohbijou’s Casey Mecija belts out to the rafters of St. Matt’s. Lit by scattered lamps and mini-lights draped about the stage, Ohbijou at St. Matthew’s Church were a perfect remedy for chilly night. Leading lady Casey Mecija’s voice absolutely filled the church. The downside to this was the silence of an enrapt crowd, which made…
What a fucking dick!
To the bouncer last night that decided it was a great idea to put me in a headlock…FUCK YOU! All you had to do was ask me to drink my beer behind the red fucking line again…I was drinking you fucking fool, I forgot about the line!! But no instead you had to pretend you…
Eat a Carrot
Holy SHIT, Halifax! I have never seen so many OVERWEIGHT people! Just because these big box stores sell 3 times the amount you get at Needs, doesn’t mean it has to be eaten in the same amount of time!—Sick of the Lard-bottom City
Thank You!
Thank you SO much to the girl who realized I left my wallet on the bus, and then somehow got the bus to wait while you ran after me to return it! Not many people would have done that, you are a sweetheart. Thanks again.—Forgetful Girl
Short guys + big muscles = ???
Not sure what you short guys at the gym are doing, but building up those huge muscles in your arms only makes you look more out of proportion and then your head just sits on your shoulders (no necks). Take note, the women in the gym aren’t interested or even paying attention to you and…
Learn how to drive.
To the old fuck in the burgandy lumina,today at the windsor street exchange,learn how to drive.Use Turn your head you fuckin moron.How can i see your blinker if i’m right next to you? Your just to old to be driving granddad.It’s because of old farts like you that it should be manditory retesting every 6…
Linda Mosher and the council dynamic
Last month, Halifax councillor Jennifer Watts raised the issue of bottled water being provided at City Hall, but I was apparently too busy to do more than a couple of Twitter posts about it. In typical Watts fashion, she approached the issue from a human rights perspective– clean water should be available to everyone, so…
Hpx Night Three: By Divine Right
His birth certificate may say Jose Contreras is 40-years-old, but it doesn’t know rock gods never age. Tell me about your new album. What are the plans for that? It’s coming out in a couple weeks on Hand Drawn Dracula, which is such a cool label. It’s just so wonderful how it worked out because…
Saint Metro of the Transit? Weird public art on Barrington
Apparently those wooden doors, located on the stone wall on Barrington outside of Grand Parade, open up to reveal a tri-panel painting of a saint. Lord knows that street can sometimes use a little divine intervention.
HPX Saturday preview: The Pack A.D. takes over the world
Interview with Vancouver’s The Pack A.D. on cornfields, The Phantom of the Opera, and Magic: The Gathering
HPX Thursday: Weather, plaid, and a lotta noise
The Weather Station, Slow Down Molasses and The Paint Movement provided the quiet; Dead Wife, Grand Trine and Nadja provided the loud. A well-rounded night.
Hpx Night Three: Part Trois
Julie Fader and her album “Outside In”, which I strongly recommend you check out. Back at The Seahorse, I had an awkward run in with Julie Fader. If you didn’t read it in this week’s Coast, I reviewed her debut album Outside In. Putting her hand on my shoulder, Fader sadly asked me, “Did you…
Hpx Night Three: Part deux
Hot Panda prefer Halifax donairs to Edmonton, because there’s more meat and less pita. I tried to see Brian Borcherdt at the Paragon. WRONG. I didn’t realize Mr. Borcherdt wasn’t playing their until Jenocide came on stage. So, sorry bloglings, I’m afraid I can’t report on his set, but I imagine it was like that…
HPX Night Three: Part One
The Magnificent Sevens After a quick three hour power nap yesterday afternoon I made my way on Old Blue to the Company House to see Winnipeg rollicking roots band, The Magnificent Sevens. It was a nice change from the more aggressive acts, and a great chance to relax before the other venues opened up. I…
Video: Think About Life
To speak in a morning-after, too-tired cliche: the only bad thing about Think About Life was that the set was too short. The Montreal band, and our cover stars, didn’t disappoint, as the uninhibited masses grooved, hand-clapped and crowd-surfed, showing off their most tight-sweatered, moustached, charmingly awkward moves. Dynamic singer Martin Cesar, a swoon-worthy, undiscovered…
I LOVE PUMPKIN SEEDS
just want to thank the farmers and glorious halloween for their pumpkins and the seeds that i oven bake with butter and salt. oh how i wish i could get pumpkins year round… can i???—lC
New topic: get off my bitch section!
Every now and again I get stuff in my bitch box that I will never pubish. I will show you some egregious examples when I have the time. They will be heavily censored. For instance: Title: Canada Post and other government cash grabs Bitcher: real name, withheld for obvious reasons Bitch: see my blog at…
WHY FUCKING BOTHER WITH THIS ROUTE.
I dont understand why a certain bus never shows up on time no matter what time of the day it is. It says it leaves Mumford at 345,405,425. I waited from 240 until 440 when it finally showed up. Unfortunately this is the only bus that goes by our home. One other time I tried…
Swine Who?
Aah, what with the weather changing from semi-warm to semi-cold, oil so expensive I can’t afford to put on the heat, living in heavy sweaters, wool socks, and 6 blankets on the bed… Thank you fall, for bringing on the sneezing fits, scratchy throat, body aches, and runny nose two whole days before my big…
5 dudes 1 girl, no one stops to help
you know what…first of all, fck you 5 big dudes for targetting a small young girl on her way to work. for sucker punching me and then proceeding to kick the shit out of me and steal my money. then fck all the drivers on windsor and north who drove by and didn’t stop to…
Must have a reliable vehicle
I know the economy is tight, and businesses cannot afford to purchase vehicles for the few times they may need an employee to use one. But where in the HECK do they get off stating in job postings that applicants do not qualify for a job if you do not have a reliable vehicle? Isn’t…
Palace Bouncers on Oct 14
For years I’ve avoided ever going into the Palace because it’s not my scene. It reeks of desperation and I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about useless, angry bouncers. When Flogging Molly was booked to play here at the Palace, I was dismayed, however I can’t choose the venue, especially when punk rock venues have…
Jeff Rubin: $100/barrel oil will return by Memorial Day
Oil prices will reach $100/barrel by the end of this winter, and we’ll see a return to $1.40/litre ($4/gallon in the US) gasoline prices by Memorial Day, says Jeff Rubin, formerly chief economist with CIBC World Markets and author of Why Your World is About to get a Whole Lot Smaller. Rubin, who will be…
Spacing comes east and wants to buttonhole us
Imagine WINO, MAYNWALLLIS, THE PARKS or an old-school OXFORD… One of the coolest magazines to come out of Canada in the last decade, Spacing—-the Toronto urban spaces journal—-will now have an Atlantic presence, thanks to a new blog, spacingatlantic.ca. The official launch for the website is Wednesday, October 28, from 7-11pm, at Eye Level Gallery.…
Eating up Berkeley Brown’s jewellery
More Ring, 2008. Copper, enamel, nickel silver, silver.Berkeley Brown’s jewellery makes me want to bake a cake. Her NSCAD graduation exhibition, Whisked Away, which opened October 26 at Anna Leonowens Gallery, combines the warmth of grandma’s kitchen with the technical expertise of a master baker. Decorative Comfort. Tea infuser locket, 2008. Copper, enamel, nickel silver,…
Rock it out: St. John’s Women’s International Film Festival
“I wish I could go out to every person,” says St. John’s Womens International Film Festival board member and programmer Gay Decker, “and say ‘You should go to this film festival because there is a better likelihood that you are going to hear your story.’” The annual festival featuring films written, produced and directed exclusively…
Hitchcock and pianos and lectures and sexy ladies
The Dalhousie University Department of Music kicks off their inaugural Music and Culture lecture series (coinciding with the launch of the Music Department’s MA program in musicology) with a healthy dose of seduction and suspense. Dr. David Schroeder presents his lecture, “Pianos in Hitchcock’s Films: Instruments of Seduction” on Friday, October 23 at 5pm in…
HPX Night Two: Part one
Said the Whale I left Old Blue locked up last night, as I was sticking to the Argyle area. So, while there were no broken bones on night two there were some broken hearts. First on tap was the lovely Hannah Georgas and darling Said the Whale at The Toothy Moose. There was a great…
Hpx Night Two: Part deux
D-Sisive readies to give you a great big bear hug. He’s such a sweetie. A great moment during Valleys mesmerizing show at The Seahorse (The worst moment? The extreme heat of that dungeon. Coast photog Riley Smith looked like he was going to pass out) was my friend Shane asking, “Mike! Tell me who you…
Akshay Tyagi debuts his first solo fashion collection
Shaun Simpson Akshay Tyagi is in the middle of putting on snaps and sewing zippers, the tedious but crucial tasks he enjoys least about fashion design. He has 16 outfits to prepare in time for THAW, his first solo collection, which debuts Saturday, 7pm at Bus Stop Theatre. But this isn’t your typical runway show:…
HPX Degrassi alert
Drake isn’t the only Degrassi cast member who turned in their diploma for an instrument. Mike Lobel (wise-ass Jay Hogart) plays melodica/keyboard/ukulele/percussion/vocals for Toronto indie band Boys Who Say No. Catch them tomorrow night, 10pm, at the Seahorse ($10adv/$12 door), along with Ancestors, Devil Eyes and Japanther.
HPX Wednesday: missed connections and Icelandic cultural history
Sprengjuhollin bring exploding castles and Brennivin to the Pop Explosion, York Redoubt plays too short and sweet.
Pssts
Why aren’t the anonymous any more, I can look at all the info of the people who post them. Now I need to make a second account just to post things. —annoyed at not being anonymous
Loud Constant Noise Pollution is getting hard to live with
I live in the North End Halifax, past Duffus and for the last couple weeks there has been a very loud sound coming from harbour. Its REALLY loud and constant. I have to turn on music pretty loud in effects to drown it out but it really doesn’t work. I had to cut a walk…
Mars and Venus in the Interview Room
You interview me for an hour and a half. When I ask you questions pertinent to the job and my ability to fit into it, you tell me I have an excellent manner, and have asked thoughtful questions. You also tell me that the position is not carved in stone, and that I will have…
Daily HPX picks: SATURDAY…must-see HPX shows
Attack in Black The Seahorse Tavern, 1665 Argyle Street, 11:40pm, $8 Attack in Black comes to Halifax in support of its 2009 album Years (By One Thousand Fingertips). The four-piece released it in March on Dine Alone Records (home to Arkells, Bedouin Soundclash, City and Colour and others). Hailing from Welland, Ontario, Attack in Black’s…
The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
Sully, the comic-book pseudonym of Montreal-based writer and artist Sherwin Tjia, brings us a collection of short comics about a hipless boy living in a hipster neighbourhood—although, honestly, he doesn’t seem all that unhip. Nonetheless, Sully’s stories are charming reminders of a time of youth that’s both hopeful and nostalgic, with three archetypal characters: the…
Singled out: Top Ten Halifax Singles
Sloan & Eric’s Trip (Murderecords, Sappy, Cinnamon Toast, Cargo), CT 010, 1994. Two of the region’s best bands, before they reached legendary status, team up to cover each other’s songs to benefit CKDU. Tracks: Sloan, “Stove+Smother”/Eric’s Trip, “Laying Blame” Super Friendz, By Request (Murderecords), Mur 012, 1994. Try as they might, the band could not…
The Marram Grass, Anne Simpson (Gaspereau)
Poet and novelist Anne Simpson, who lives in Antigonish, uses her home turf, and other points across the province, to trod and to think through otherness in writing generally, poetry in particular. Added up, the six essays seem to suggest place is the other for this writer and, as such, helps us understand ourselves, our…
The sample life: Q&A with Girl Talk
Ryan Hemsworth: Where are you? Girl Talk: I’m at my home in Pittsburgh for a couple of days…can you hold on a second, someone’s knocking on my front door. A few moments later… GT: Hey. A delivery guy had a little treat for my dog—blew my mind. When I describe your music to people I…
John Thackara: idea man
John Thackara doesn’t carry a rulebook. When the British-born sustainable design expert visits a city, he looks for people already working on innovative projects, or who have ideas worth exploring. The “guest provocateur” is here for 4 Days, an “unconference” organized by local design firm Breakhouse Inc., intended to open up community conversations about sustainable…
Bullfrog Power is coming
It’s been a good week for renewable energy in Nova Scotia. Minister of natural resources John MacDonnell announced that uranium mining will be permanently banned, pushing us further away from the nuclear debate. If we want to significantly cut carbon emissions, it’s renewables (wind, solar, hydro, tidal and biomass) or sink. And now Bullfrog Power…
John Brennan’s private obsession
John Brennan has a solution for saving Nova Scotia’s wilderness: privatize it. Brennan is the mind behind what he’s calling the Avalon Private Wilderness Reserve, a 550-acre development on the backlands above Portuguese Cove. The development is a rectangular chunk of land that stretches about five kilometres westward, roughly halfway towards Williamswood on the Old…
Karen O and the Kids
Maurice Sendak’s kiddie classic Where the Wild Things Are was written in 1963, but Spike Jonze’s film adaptation and its accompanying soundtrack from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O is a product of an indie-music generation wary of adulthood. Rather than going down the painfully chipper Randy Newman route, or (lord help us, Leonard) another…
Pete Luckett makes wine
September saw the first release of wine from Pete’s Frootique founder Pete Luckett’s Gaspereau Valley Vineyard. The 2008 Millot was made by Jürg Stutz at Domaine de Grand Pre, outside of Wolfville, but that is just a temporary arrangement—until Luckett’s own winery is built. Luckett’s is a good example of what Nova Scotia has to…
Girls
Usually when a band is relentlessly described as “lo-fi,” I run. But when I say Girls are lo-fi sweetie pies, learn from my mistakes and stick around. Up there with Women as one of the most un-Googleable bands, Girls is well worth the search. The contrast stands out most: a group of feminine men making…
Trick ‘r Treat
Trick ‘r Treat lingered in limbo for two years before finally being released on DVD this October. The long wait helped build anticipation amongst horror fans, though many may be disappointed now that they finally have a chance to see the film. Trick ‘r Treat isn’t that gory and even less scary, but it’s fun…
You Say Party, We Say Die!
YSPWSD’s third album has been noted as dark and full of warm fuzzy feelings. Coming out of the band’s healing process from a breakdown in 2007, it’s both, bringing in dance-punk sounds and Siouxsie and the Banshees-like vocals, sounding new and gothic and catchy all at once. Becky Ninkovic’s voice runs you through a full…
Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Second Season
Season One of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords was framed around songs the show’s titular New Zealand comedy/folk duo spent years perfecting. The music was the strongest part of a great show…and often got shoehorned into episodes. (Hey, you fit a song about a racist dragon into a show about New York musicians.) FotC had…
Julie Fader
Blame it on relentless touring with bands like Great Lake Swimmers, but Julie Fader’s debut album, Outside In, is beyond bleak—Fader has channelled the feeling of watching your favourite sad movie scene. Unlike Emily Haines’ lush and wrought theatrics, Fader is closer to Cat Power at her most depressed. Boyfriend (and Holy Fucker) Graham Walsh’s…
Taking film into another dimension
The history of 3D movies parallels the general history of films and cinematic technology. From its early inceptions in the late 19th and early 20th century, to its so-called golden era in the 1950s, to its deployment in the early part of the 21st century, the gimmick has been vying for a place in mainstream…
Heavenly views at Galilean Nights
“We just set up our telescopes somewhere and grab people off the street,” says David Chapman, an amateur astronomer and organizer of this weekend’s “Galilean Nights,” a celebration of all things astronomy with an emphasis on spreading the word. “Quite a few people who come to us have never looked through a telescope before in…
Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man mundane
The common Coen brothers scenario of good peoples’ lives ruined by bad choices is flipped in A Serious Man. Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a good person whose trauma is that he makes no new choices. The metaphor is made plain: As a math professor, Larry insists that equations must provide certainty. A Simple Man…
ID crackdown at local bars?
Is it just us or is being turned away at your neighbourhood bar for having an expired ID the norm these days? HRM Police say it’s not required that ID be accepted if it is expired, but agree that for all intents and purposes, a piece of ID means simply photo, birth date and address.…
Astro Boy remake charming and thoughtful
Based on a vintage Japanese cartoon and manga series, Astro Boy arrives with more charm and care than one would expect for yet another pop-culture regurgitation. The plot is typical human vs. machine stuff, or, specifically, boy robot vs. fucking huge, power-mad despot robot, but it doesn’t pander, bore or bullshit. There are no hollow…
Halifax Common land loss will be outlined
Piggybacking on the worldwide 350.org actions (see page 8), the Friends of the Halifax Common plan to chalk out the boundaries of the original Halifax Common, an area more than three times the Common’s present-day area. “The degradation and disappearance of the Halifax Common is a metaphor for the degradation of the global Common,” the…
Friends of note
Halifax pianist Dinuk Wijeratne is welcoming an old friend and artistic ally, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, to town. Sri Lankan-born and Dubai-raised Wijeratne and Syrian Azmeh met at Juilliard’s International House. “It was this international residence in the heart of New York. It was a huge mansion-looking building,” says Wijeratne, with “people from about 100 different…
New central library funded
The federal government has approved using $54 million in stimulus funds to build a new Halifax library—the cost to be split three ways between the federal, provincial and city governments. But how will the city come up with its portion of the money? That question was discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting, and while no decision…
Paranormal Activity gets the blood pumping
Remember that fantastic Eddie Murphy bit from Delirious where Murphy demonstrates what any black person (but, really, any sensible person) would do when faced with the demons of The Amityville Horror: “Too bad we can’t stay, baby!” Murphy’s routine rang a bell during Paranormal Activity, because for characters Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat (the actors…
Local greens go Copenhagen or bust
“We’re hoping to send the politicians a message,” sayJannelle Frail, explaining this weekend’s environmental gathering on the Common. Frail is an organizer with the local branch of 350.org, an international group drawing attention to the need for strong results from the UN’s Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December; “350” refers to the maximum…
Think About Life’s family business
Think About Life is the type of band that makes music writers want to quit. It’s hard to write about them in any honest and meaningful way without descending into lifeless party-band descriptors. (“An exuberant live show! Charmingly shambolic!”) And really, it doesn’t really do them justice. The facts, on paper: A few years ago,…
Dangerous toll booth gates.
What’s wrong? Dangerous toll booth gates. Who’s responsible? Craig Paul, Bridge Commission, 463-2481. REMARKS Reader Victoria Bell recently rode through the toll booth on her Vespa scooter, only to have the gate lower on her, knocking her onto the pavement. The sensors beneath the pavement, says Paul, don’t register Vespas and some motorcycles with heavy…
Daily HPX picks: THURSDAY…must-see shows
Julie Fader The Seahorse Tavern, 1665 Argyle Street, 10pm, $10 Julie Fader never set out to be a professional musician. She wanted to go to NSCAD, but “chickened out on the move to Halifax.” Instead, she stuck around Ontario, eventually meeting Sarah Harmer and touring with her. Since then, the requests haven’t stopped for Fader’s…
Homemade isn’t always best
Q I’m a straight teenage male, but I can’t climax unless I am stimulating my anus or rectum. I use various objects, like cucumbers. The reason I don’t buy a toy is that I live in a very religious household and my parents would disown me if they found a sex toy in my room.…
Glad to have public lectures posted
Thanks for posting upcoming public lectures in your Events section. It’s great to live in a university town and have the opportunity to attend lectures given by interesting, knowledgable and sometimes brilliant people.—J. Shotwell, Halifax
Daily HPX picks: FRIDAY…must-see shows
Final Fantasy w/Symphony Nova Scotia Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, 6101 University Avenue, 8pm, $29-$49 Owen Pallett is so excited and he just can’t hide it. The performer, who records under the moniker Final Fantasy, is performing with Symphony Nova Scotia this Friday at the Rebecca Cohn. Pallett is as excited as his fans about the nearly…
Basement Suite, Susan Farrell (Cape Breton University Press)
Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius to refuse basements in his classic designs. We see why in Cape Breton author Susan Farrell’s debut novel, Basement Suite. Liz and Eddy are a pair of 20nothings in a serious relationship living underground in a rainy Vancouver. Their subterranean suite is a metaphor for their emotional purgatory. It’s…
District 9: great premise, loads of explosions
District 9 has a premise that can’t be beat: After aliens descended on Johannesburg (the narration seems almost flattered that the aliens didn’t choose Chicago, Washington or New York), they are cordoned off in a shanty town known as District 9. Vikus (Sharlto Copley), a corporate lackey assigned to the location, gets infected with alien…
Fashion spotlight: Halifax Plaid Explosion
I bet you didn’t know it, but Wednesday night was the unofficial launch of the inaugural Halifax Plaid Explosion. iPhone, dark bars and thick plaid don’t mix too well, but you get the idea. Check out the slideshow below (with the best plaid from the Toothy Moose, Seahorse and Coconut Grove) and stay tuned for…
