Prayer beat
William Robinson’s Young Prayer takes the best part of rock and roll—the smashing—and replays them over and over for your visual and auditory amusement during Nocturne (#ex12, St. Matthew’s United Church, 1479 Barrington). We ask Robinson why he hates guitars so much. Q: What led to you developing this idea? A: As a teenager, discovering…
Q&A with Adam Gopnik
Famed Canadian writer and New Yorker contributer Adam Gopnik will be doing his second Massey Lecture in Halifax on Friday, October 14 (Rebecca Cohn, 8pm) on winter. Gopnik is presenting five lectures in all, each one will be a chapter from his book, Winter: Five Windows on the Season. Celebrate 50 years of the CBC…
These Kids Wear Crowns
These Kids Wear Crowns are impossibly young and upbeat and they’re coming to town tonight (Thursday, October 13, 6:45pm, $20, The Pavilion, 5816 Cogswell) to sling their emotional pop. But first, they stop by the Coast’s Rat Room to answer the most pressing questions of the day. Q: Who are you? A: We are These…
Home Away From Home
Not long returned from a two week vacation out in Halifax/Dartmouth and wish I hadn’t had to leave. Fell in love with not only the place but a guy too. It is a beautiful and relaxed place and I cannot wait to come back… and the ice cream is incredible too! —Completely Insane, and All…
Awesome Black Beard
I was at the Mumford Road bus terminal yesterday at one thirty and I saw the access a bus. On that one thirty access bus was a bus driver with the awesomeness full black beard that I ever had seen. He had the eyes and the handsome face to go with his full black beard.…
Be Grateful
A simple message so well placed. When I pass by, I always make a point to halt the conversation and say something nice to the person next to me. —Observant Passenger
Beautiful Weather for You Earthlings
Us animals up here are enjoying the weather too, we’ll try to keep it as blue as we can for you. It was tough for the last week up until October 8th, we fought off the cold and clouds to bring you lovely beings a few beautiful days, so keep smiling, respect your surroundings and…
Cheers to Happiness!
Thank you for making me so happy, I never really felt true love until I looked into your eyes. You’re my everything and thank you so much for keeping me happy, after everything I’ve done you’re always going to be there. We will be forever, I promise. — Happiness Girlfriend Ever
I Want Your Car
To the owner of the white Cadillac that is always parked on Agricola St. I always eye hump your car to no end when I walk past it on my way home, that is all. —Car Swooner
Halifax Sucks?
What is with the recent bitches about Halifax being so boring? How much excitement do you expect from a small city? I think Halifax is a pretty vibrant city for its size. Anyone who says that their city/hometown is boring is just trying to make up excuses for their own lame, boring, unexciting personality. If…
Hey Babe
It’s been awhile since I’ve sent you any love on here, and I know you check it everyday. So here it is – I love you sweet boy! —Just Me
So Glad You Came Along
After living away from my family on the opposite side of the country, I met you and we bonded over music and hatred for the people who had recently dumped us. We’ve been going strong ever since and you shed some light into my dark world after being in such an unfamiliar place. We moved…
Cop Bitches
I’m not a cop, and I never will be. But what’s with all the police related bitches? If I had a quarter for everytime I heard “he took him to the ground for no reason!”… Cops have a job to do. A job that most of you don’t understand because you work at a coffee…
Unfair Treatment
This goes out to a member of a certain sports store who claims to be the assistant manager. You my good man are a fucking douchebag. You couldn’t run a store to save your life. The way you treat customers and talk to customers is fucking pathetic. You are a sad pathetic man who can’t…
Dear Asshole Drugstore Clerk
I get that some youth like to steal things, and some of these youth are male. But just because me and my friends are male teenagers doesn’t mean that you can follow us around your store. We’re not stupid, we can see you peering down the aisles. I don’t know why you think you can…
Spoiled Millionaire Athletes
Listen guys, just go back to work already. Stop shitting on your fans who support you. My cable bill is breaking my bank and I only have it so I can watch you guys in HD. I’ve bought your merchandise and proudly displayed your colours. I’ve been a fan of your sport since I can…
You Just Abandoned Him!
This horse used to be your “baby”, you took care of him all the time, but now that he’s not a race horse anymore you just fucking abandoned him. You don’t do his stall, exercise him, or nothing. That’s why he tries to attack everyone he sees! All he needs is someone to love him…
A poet’s life at the Live In
It’s a brave theatre company that stages a play reading on Thanksgiving when, by all rights, people should be basking on the couch in a turkey-induced coma, but the gamble paid off for DaPoPo. The Monday night reading of Dance with Desire by Montreal actor/playwright David Sklar played to a packed house at the Living…
Jeff Beck’s Haligonian Bassist
Jeff Reitzel Rhonda Smith Tonight, when you’re sitting in the Metro Centre with your mom and dad, watching them rhapsodize over Jeff Beck, you might want to sneak a glance over at the stately woman accompanying him on bass. Rhonda Smith was born in Halifax and moved to Montreal as a child. There she became…
Chris Velden moves on
Ryan Duffy’s chef Chris Velden has left the steakhouse and is starting his own operation. With his wife Melissa, Velden is running The Flying Apron Cookery (flyingaproncookery.ca) from the kitchen at Shining Waters Marina in Tantallon. The Flying Apron Cookery is a multi service food company providing sustainable food, food education and catering services with…
Truth and Reconciliation Commission to come to Halifax
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is coming to Halifax, October 26-29. The four-day meeting at the World Trade and Convention Centre is the third of seven “national events” planned by the commission, bringing together survivors of residential schools and their families, academics and representatives of churches and government, with the goal of engaging…
Patagonia opens in the Brewery Market
There is some kind of irony to all these outdoor gear outlets opening in Halifax’s downtown. We’ll let you muse on that while we tell you that Patagonia, the international activewear apparel company, has opened a shop in the Historic Farmer’s Market Building, also known as the Brewery Market, 1496 Lower Water Street. The phone…
Banana Republic opening factory store in Dartmouth Crossing
The Gap-owned fashion superchain Banana Republic is opening a factory outlet in Dartmouth crossing this Friday, October 14. Shoptalk gave you heads up back in May that this was happening and we’re happy to confirm the big day is finally here.
Penises Do Not Work Well for Brains
Just wanna let you know that cheating on you was the worst mistake I ever made, and I will always love you and care for you. You did the right thing to dump me afterwords. I will forever miss waking up to the crazed turkeys, and your loving smile. —Regrettable Man
Designer Craftshop to open Friday
Friday, October 14 features the grand opening of the Designer Craftshop, where collections of the work of members of the Nova Scotia Designer Craft Council will be exhibited, all inside the Mary E. Black gallery (1061 Marginal Road, suite 140, 492-2525). The opening will be from 4-7pm on Friday, with artists attending, refreshments, all that…
To My Sweet Weenie
Today is my little wiener dog’s 1st birthday and I am so blessed to have him. He’s my best friend and the sound of his little stub feet melt my heart. Jake you have been such a great addition to our family. I never knew I could love something as much as I love you.…
Best Friends
To my best friends, I know we’ve all separated now that university has started for us, but thank you for being there for me when I needed you. I love you girls more than anything and it makes me proud to say that I we have been friends for the last 9 or so years.…
Thank You for Caring
To the gentleman who has a class in the Dunn building on Thursdays around 4:30. Thank you for stopping to make sure I was okay and asking if I needed you to call someone for me last Thursday when I was sick in the hall. It’s people like you that give me hope for humanity’s…
You Climbed Over the Fence
To the young woman who, when you heard me calling desperately for help, climbed over the fence. Thank you. You didn’t panic, you went out to wait for the paramedics. The woman is out of hospital and is fine. You did great. —Person in Swimming Pool
The New Style Tops Suck
Ever since I had my child I have noticed most tops are almost see through. What the hell is up with that? When did showing off your bra become popular in fashion? Its so annoying most my tops don’t cover up the color bra I’m wearing or style of bra even. Grrr so annoyed with…
Stargazers
Almost every night for the past few months, I’ve noticed a low hanging bright object in the dark night sky over Halifax… always the same trajectory path. Is it Venus or Jupiter or what? —Halifax Stargazer
Catnappers
So you asked for straight facts, here they are: Your dear cat with NO ID had been wandering at least three city blocks for three months, and spotted many times by several concerned neighbours watching him dodge the cars on busy Queen Street. There actually were three of us feeding & watering him, worried since…
Hi!! So finally glad to meet you!
I got butterflies when you looked into my eye on your way to the back this evening. I enjoy seeing you almost everyday. You seem very interesting and sweet. Even though we may never talk to each other, hi! —Hiding the Give Away Smile
Sometimes, They DO Fuck You Through the Drive-Thru
Ok, I know, I know your job sucks sometimes… and I feel for [some] of you fast-food and/or coffee service workers at various sorts of outlets, sincerely – I’ve been there, I did it and I wasn’t perfect either, but when I worked, I was there to work and to that end I GAVE A…
Beloved and Most Beautiful Tomboy-Venus
Having only just read your post (dated Sept. 27th), I now beg your forgiveness for not answering earlier. I could never have imagined that such a gorgeous and wonderful woman as you could feel that way about me, and no man alive could have read your flattering words and not be overwhelmed with emotion and…
Get Stuffed
It was supposed to be a Happy Thanksgiving. You came home from university with your new girlfriend, and we were keen to meet her. All that changed when we all sat down at the table to enjoy the turkey dinner and she began questioning and lecturing Mom: “Do you have any tofu turkey or a…
Black Over White
Who are you to dictate who I can and cannot date? I’m a SWF and I want to date black men, no more white guys. I don’t give a fuck what you think, that’s your own problem, and if I end up marrying him, I hope it annoys you to no end, so take your…
Your Little Precious
Enough already! It was cute at first when your wife and you had your 1st child, but having to listen to you everyday at work talk about your child, what your child did, what your child ate, what your child wears, when your child sleeps, what you child smiles at… fuck, it’s enough. We all…
Size Does Matter
So now that I’m in my thirties, I’m supposed to be lucky to have you because you – in your thirties too – can hook up with a twenty year old? Well, now you can have all the twenty year olds you can find roaming the streets of Halifax, wearing those short skirts and tight…
The New Idiot
To the guy who was talking loudly about somebody who lives in his residence and referring to him as “that faggot” in the coffee shop that I work: shut the fuck up, there’s no place for your ignorance in my coffeeshop and I don’t want to hear you bashing someone loudly while I’m serving customers.…
Dear Roommatefucker
How dare you hurt the best person either of us have ever met. How dare you act like you and your dick are the only things in the world that matter. You are pathetic, you are worthless, and you do not deserve to ever be with her, around her, or in the same vicinity as…
False Advertising
I hate when 24 hour grocery stores boast they’re open 24 hours a day, yet are closed early Sunday mornings and early Sunday evenings. Clearly you are not a 24 hour grocery store if you don’t open until 10 or 11 am Sunday and close again at 7pm. — Just a Wee Irritated
Great Salesman
To all you fucktards who keep comparing Steve Jobs to Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and other great innovators, shut the fuck up! The only thing he was good at was selling crap to the masses. —Someone Had to Say It
Thanks for the Horrible Haircut!
To the ugly haired bitch who cut my hair. You’re fresh out of hairstyling school and have no sweet clue what you’re doing. When I asked for ONE INCH to be trimmed off, you hacked off an undesirable amount and it looks horrible. Hats will be my new best friend until I find a proper,…
Not Another Bus Bitch
A few years ago, a certain bus company refused to run atheist adds on their buses. The ads were too controversial for them and they wanted to stay out of the religion debate. Today while traveling on the #1 to Mumford I look up and what do I see… an ad from Halifax Adventist church…
Love the Way We Bitch
I doubt these blogs would be this much fun without their trusty pack of loyal followers, commenting diligently on every post like a demented pack of late-night tv critics. What is a bitch if no one bitches about it? And it’s not even worth bitching about it if someone doesn’t come in and bitch about…
Bouncers
I went out to a bar for Mr. Keith’s birthday. It was me and my friend. We drank before going out and upon arriving we were ID’d as usual. Now I don’t look very old and I’m only 19 and so is my friend. The bouncer looked at my driver’s license and said it was…
Occupy this Country!
Stick it to the man and the evil corporations who run this country! Don’t forget about our terrible conservative government! We’ve been pushed around and lied to for long enough! Isn’t this movement totally relatable to the Arab Spring? I mean we are soooo oppressed aren’t we? Who do the corporate bastards and the government…
Video: Cold Warps Get Stupid Tattoos
YER NOT DEAD, LIARS! Be thankful for this video from your favorite insouciant long-distance punkers Cold Warps. The video for “Stupid Tattoos” was filmed about a year ago and features the band – Paul Hammond, Ryan Allen, Dominique Taylor and Lance Purcell – getting, well, stupid tattoos. (My favorite is the one that reads “Tatoo.”)…
Morgan
Morgan was absolutely one of the best dressed women at the conference. Aside from her fabulous outfits, Morgan’s personality won me over INSTANTLY. I loved her pin-up but all class get up. A navy blue pleated skirt from Club Monaco that goes days and days without wrinkling is paired perfectly with a sheer polka dot…
Nicole
I used to pour Nicole coffee and she used to sell me magazines. A match made in heaven. Several months go by and I bump into Nicole on the street today! First of all, I’m a sucker for a trench. Always have been, always will be. Second of all, I was HUNTING for the horse…
Gold Island Bakery starts fall bread subsciption service
Jessica Ross is providing the city fresh bread once again. She runs an organic bakery in the city called Gold Island Bakery (halifaxsourdough@gmail.com). She has a table at the Historic Farmers’ Market (also known as The Brewery Market) and runs a bicycle-powered home delivery service through the fall and winter. This week (October 12) she…
Mahone Bay Trading Company opens in Park Lane
For the past couple of years you may have known the store fronting Spring Garden Road in the Park Lane Mall as Geox, the fancy Italian footwear company. But did you know that the Geox franchise was run by The Mahone Bay Trading Company (which also has stores in the Historic Properties and in Bayers…
Five Questions About Napalm Death
Napalm Death Can I be real with you guys for a second here?The truth is that while I am a fan of certain metal bands, I actually know sweet fuck all about grindcore. Thanks to the film Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey , I am aware that grindcore is, like, a thing in metal. But I…
Oddjects open in Halifax Shopping Centre
Last week Oddjects (1717 Barrington Street, 405-7007) opened a location in the Halifax Shopping Centre (7001 Mumford Road, 407-4666). When co-owner Eric Claus opened Oddjects on Barrington last year he said he had plans for expansion to Toronto and elsewhere. The business currently has five stores in Toronto and two in Singapore, so things must…
Dwayne
Head to toe corduroy. Enough to kill a girl. I kinda, sorta followed Dwayne the whole way down Spring Garden Road. Sometimes it takes me more time to muster up the guts than others. Anyway, I got over my nervousness and started talking with Dwayne he mentioned how he thought I’d been following him. Whoops!…
All the Pretty Things have a birthday
This Saturday October 8 is birthday number four for Pretty Things Boutique (5240 Blowers Street, 492-8329). It takes place from 11am to 7pm. All day is a tax free sale, free food, cupcakes contests, product demos, and more! For more information click here.
Rock Island Bistro is closed
But the question is, for how long? An “Opening Soon” sign is prominent in the Rock Island Bistro (6293 Quinpool Road) window, but no word yet on when it’ll reopen, or what else might open in the space. The restaurant ownership changed hands last year when it went from Rock Island Cafe to Bistro.
Umbrella Bus Girl
Dear girl who shared her umbrella with me while we waited at the bus stop the other day – you are a gem. Thanks for being so sweet. —Other Bus Girl
American newspaper police blotter reports
In today’s feature story, I make reference to American newspapers and their reporting on the police blotters. Here are three examples. Some papers do a simple straight-forward listing, no bells or whistles. These are from the Ashland, Oregon Daily Tidings: Wednesday, 2:04 a.m. — Possible suicidal person reported, 2900 block of Grizzly Drive. Tuesday, 10:06…
My Brown Eyed Girl
You’re a beautiful young blonde with soft sexy brown eyes. You often come to the eateries at Scotia Square (though not nearly enough for me) and sit alone, eating your bag of vegetables. You wear no rings, but are always impeccably dressed, often in a cute little black dress I would love to see on…
The Dangers of Exercise
To the driver of the dark car with the personalized license plate on St. Margaret’s Bay Road around noon on the 6th: Thanks. You saw my dog trip me while we were jogging and stopped to see if I was hurt. I was fine, but I might not have been. I’m glad someone out there…
I Love That You Smell Like Fish
Man do I love that new fish place in the mall. It’s so super tasty and fresh for a change… and the amazing smile and attitude from the lovely order attendant is quite refreshing. For someone who deals with the public every day, you always look happy and definitely know how to sell the fish.…
Karmic Kiss!
This goes out to all my friends family and acquaintances… The past few years has truly been an awe-inspiring experience. Thank you to the ones who helped me but more so to the people who didn’t… I have had my heart broken on more than one occasion because I believed you had my best interests…
Glasses vs Contacts
So I really really really have been wanting to tell you that I love the way you wear your hair. But we work together and I can’t do it. You say hi to me and I say hi to you and then, well, what else is there to say? I can’t say you look adorable…
Greetings from a Different Time
I’m really sorry that I couldn’t make it to meet you on the 2nd of October of 2011, I was very far away on time. So now, years after, I finally found a way to tell you, that you are too cool to be truth but in my way to define it not like in…
Just Plain Gross
Walking around one of our beautiful malls yesterday I saw not one but two fast food workers at different restaurants standing at their counters looking bored and… PICKING THEIR TEETH. Seriously. Full fingers in the mouth. Just fucking disgusting. Think of this next time you order from a fast food joint. —Never Know Whose Fingers…
Crushed
To one very cute redhead with an amazing smile. I saw you at the end of last term and you caught my attention right away. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I heard you were leaving and it saddened me. You can not believe how happy I was to find you still here! Now…
Honking Doesn’t Make Traffic Magically Disappear
I was stopped at the bottom of Young Street, wanting to turn right onto Barrington at about 8:30 this morning, traffic was very heavy, there wasn’t enough time or space to turn right safely. You decided it would be funny to honk your horn at me every thirty seconds. It really wasn’t amusing. I am…
The Rebirth of Pervert
Pervert “Pervert was the only band I knew that didn’t have a Myspace,” says Kyle MacDonald. He’s the newest addition to the Moncton powergrunge ensemble, currently emerging from a yearlong hiatus. As a stalwart member of the Moncton music scene, MacDonald can lovingly trace the band’s history back to 2008 when it formed from the…
Canada’s Talent
You can’t be serious! Does your little toked-up brain honestly think you’ll make it on the show? The only talent you have is knowing how to roll out of bed and onto the sofa without forgetting to breathe. You don’t work, your cooking (and I use the term loosely) is mostly unfit even for the…
Stupids
To all you lovey-dovey couples that say things like “you’re my snuggle bear”. I hope you slip on a banana peal and humorously tumble down a flight of stairs to the sounds of pots and pans crashing and clanking, at which point an anvil falls on your head from somewhere off-screen. —Sad and Lonely with…
Dear Halifax, You are Boring
People always say that you’re a friendly city. You’re not. You are dismissive of new residents and generally disinterested in anything anyone says. You are an entire city of adult emos chit-chatting about the weather. Try leaving the house or smiling once in a while. —Temporary Resident
Greedy Computer Company
I recently bought a laptop from a company whose headquarters are located in a town that rhymes with ‘Poopertino.’ I could have bought a nice laptop for $500. I spent the extra few hundred or so on this brand because it makes it easy to sync my other devices and download apps. I also have…
Occupy Nova Scotia gears up
“Enough is enough,” says Ryan McKenna. “You can only get pushed around and lied to for so long before you have stand up and say ‘enough.’” McKenna is participating in Occupy Nova Scotia, a local offshoot of what is now the global Occupy Wall Street movement. Inspired by the Arab Spring as exemplified in Egypt’s…
Adrenalized Senna
A documentary look at the unearthly talent of Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian Formula One driver who sustained one of the great motor sport rivalries with Alain Prost in the 1980s and early ‘90s. Assembled using period footage and media interviews (voices are often heard but no talking heads) Senna himself winds up narrating much of…
Rain men
Rain Over St. Ambrose was initially conceived during a period of loss. A year-and-a-half ago, longtime Yarmouth musician Curtis LeBlanc passed away onstage—shortly after urging his son Cory to try fronting a band. Cory had spent a long time as a drummer playing with musicians like Jon McKiel and Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees.…
The Jerry Granelli Trio gets going
Let Go wasn’t the kind of album that could just happen, even with Halifax jazz legend Jerry Granelli and multi-instrumentalists Danny Oore and Simon Fisk behind the reins it needed time to steep. “It became obvious to me we weren’t going to get together for three days and just record. We needed to find a…
The Ides of March a powerful political thriller
The Ides of March may be a political thriller co-written by, directed by and starring leading man George Clooney, but hot property Ryan Gosling steals the show in an award-worthy performance. He’s Stephen Myers, an idealistic campaign staffer working on the presidential bid for democratic candidate governor Mike Morris (Clooney). As the campaign trail progresses,…
Laura Merrimen’s next chapter
Last February, Laura Merrimen thought she was saying so long to Halifax, at least for a little while. She planned to set up shop in Montreal following a tour with fellow singer-songwriter Kelly Sloan, but plans changed. After getting word that she’d received a grant to assist with her next record, she was eastward bound.…
Real heart in Real Steel
Emotions run high in this beautifully rendered sci-fi/sports movie. An ailing grifter, boxer and deadbeat dad, Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) keeps afloat by taking any robot he can scrap together to the ring to knock the block off any other metal head for money. Silly premise aside, this underdog robo-boxing movie shows real heart and…
Free trade folly
The ding-dongs ruling this shitshow are pushing for another free trade agreement—the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada. Think the World Trade Organization, its General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the dozen or so free trade operational agreements covering the globe are related to that global economic hiccup that…
You will be able to have a sex life
Q I am an 18-year-old straight male. I have a hodgepodge of birth defects that affect my genitalia: severe hypospadias (my urethra—my piss slit—is at the base of my penis), micropenis (less than two inches) and anorchia (I was born without testes). I have never been naked around anyone else. Lately, my sex drive has…
Dan Mangan
“Let’s start a war for the kids”, the opening line of “Post-War Blues”, is a good example of Dan Mangan’s subversive wit. The link between economics and conflict is a secret topic for boardrooms and here a young singer’s sarcasm blurts it out. Oh Fortune,/em> lets ragged beginnings set up contemplative, nearly acoustic, numbers that…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! LIBRA(September 23-October 22) The Jet Propulsion Laboratory landed two robotic vehicles on Mars in 2004. They were expected to explore the planet and send back information for 90 days. But the rover named Spirit kept working for over six years, and its companion, Opportunity, is still operational. The astrological omens suggest that any…
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I can’t think of a more ridiculous band than the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their bass player is a jazz phenom, their drummer is tight, their guitarist shreds, and their singer was in Point Break. Sounds good, right? Problem is these guys have made super annoying funk-rock for the past three decades. Californication was the…
Haley
This gal couldn’t be sweeter if she tried. A sweet Texan gal ( my dream come true) we bonded over fashion, blogging and being in Toronto. I caught Haley on her way to Niagara Falls and really dug her sweet, business-y get up. Shiny hair, a solid Michael Kors watch and leather bag had me…
The Guard full of Irish charm
A hard-drinking black comedy, The Guard features Brendan Gleeson patrolling the Irish countryside with a loaded gun and a mind full of profane sarcasm. Director John Michael McDonagh sets his debut feature in the western county of Connemara, where police sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) finds his sleepy town invaded by a trio of international drug…
Say what you are
Jordan Thomas is looking to the future. That future includes him and members of the Halifax Slam Team delivering poems and diatribes at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Toronto, running October 11 to 15. The present, however, is preoccupied by one thing: money. The team, consisting of team captain Thomas (AKA JPhat), as…
Quaker Parents
{image-1] This brother/brother/Brad Lahead combo is up to it’s usual tricks, packing ten minutes of tape full of compelling wordplay, chopped up pop hooks and unerring earnestness. Opener “Get In” finds vocalist Mark Grundy self-starting, working his band to a heartfelt frenzy and then, as the song reaches its apex, bolstering, “even if your heart…
Superhero Girl
faitherinhicks.com
J. Cole
If hype’s habits held, J. Cole’s career should’ve been over before it even began. He was the first artist to sign to Jay-Z’s label, and when he declared Nas was a personal hero, hip-hop heads started dreaming of a modern Illmatic—rap’s most explosive debut. Cole World: The Sideline Story isn’t that. Instead, it’s “only” satisfying and supremely…
DalTheare’s season starter While We’re Young
“Where there is love, there is hope in Don Hannah’s brilliant play,” says Margot Dionne, the director of DalTheatre’s opening production for the season. While We’re Young, a Canadian written play yet to be performed in Halifax, covers six generations of youth transitioning into adulthood. With war as a backdrop (starting in 1870, the play…
The Shop talk guided tour: Spring Garden Road
Without question, the Spring Garden Road area is the healthiest retail district in Atlantic Canada, forever recreating and transforming itself in interesting and positive ways. And right now, there’s more construction going on than ever before: Framed on the north by the pricey Trillium condo building, which will be a sure incentive for even more…
Revealing Three Faces of Realism
Kristie Sheehy, Al Bergin and David Howells know the meaning of strength in numbers. The three Nova Scotian artists have combined their talents in an effort to not only give more prominence to the range of realist works being created right under our noses, but also to work towards bringing realism away from the fringes…
From Dust (Ubisoft)
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The game centers around a tribe which needs a safe haven in the tempest of a cruel Earth. Tsunamis, volcanoes, shifting land, it’s not easy for these nomads, which is why they call upon you, “the breath.” You follow a group of mysterious wanderers who are searching for “the…
True Story by Robin Spittal
mikeholmesdraws.com
Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew
Known for a myriad of literary pursuits (including founding the Toronto Small Press Book Fair) Ross’ poetry, essays, publishing and editing work have garnered plenty of international attention. Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew is his first novel and bears many of the earmarks of his other works: keen detail, time/space conflation and unlimited vibrancy. The novel sews…
A walk in the Parks
As a kid Dr. Claire Campbell spent a lot of time in the back of a camper van, road-tripping across the continent. Her dad was a history teacher and for his family, the beautifully sublime national parks were the perfect teaching tool. And Campbell’s park life didn’t end there. She went on to be a…
The Antagonist
Gordon Rankin Jr.—“Rank” to his friends—is a hulking goon; a hockey enforcer; a bouncer, held in awe by all due to his impressive size and presumed criminal tendencies. When Rank discovers one of his oldest and most trusted friends has published a novel turning his most tragic moments into an embarrassing cliche, Rank writes his…
Can the bird
As the weather grows colder and the leaves start turning brilliant shades of red, orange and gold, we tend to turn to heartier comfort food. No time does this ring more true than over the Thanksgiving holiday when turkey sales skyrocket, cans of pumpkin puree fly off supermarket shelves and adventurous cooks finally dare to…
Easy to Like
Elliot Jonson can’t catch a break. Edward Riche’s newest protagonist boasts a stagnant screenwriting career, an estranged son and newly-homosexual ex-wife, and a passion (but lack of skill) for wine-making. Bitter with his unaccommodating life, dodging debts and caught up in a burgeoning scandal, Elliot moves to escape to France but finds himself detained in…
12 movies in the 12 weeks left in 2011
12 George Clooney in ruffled everyman mode suits some, though the real star of The Descendants is director Alexander Payne, who has given the world Sideways, About Schmidt and Election. His bang-on American realism is the reason to check this out, the story of a man dealing with his daughters, and his wife’s infidelity, which…
To serve or suppress
Last fall, photographer Kyle Cunjak and his friends were swarmed while they walked in Halifax’s north end, and Cunjak was stabbed. In hopes of coming to terms with the attack, his photos of his injuries— which required hospitalization and subsequent plastic surgery—were featured in an art show last month. He’s making progress with his health,…
Station to station
“I just always had in my mind that if I’m going to be a musician, I’m never going to be that person with an acoustic guitar at an open mic,” says Tamara Lindeman of the recent transformation of her solo project, The Weather Station. But then again, there was a point where she didn’t consider…
Cute overload
The seasons change, you get a tickle in your throat and before you know it, snot is everywhere. No one feels cute when they’re in their house pants toting around a bag of soggy kleenexes, but Maria Bartlett sees something that we don’t. Bartlett’s NSCAD graduation show is an ode to all things gross, in…
