Believe it or not, the Halifax Pop Explosion is more than just boozing, show-crawling and rocking out to some of your favourite underexposed bands. Saint David’s Church on Brunswick Street will house a number of educational workshops and panels, all free of charge.
Saturday kicks off in classroom A at 12:30pm, with a DIY seminar covering basics on how to publish and distribute music. If you’re looking for how to draw attention to yourself and get some marketing ideas, this one’s for you. This will be followed at 1:30pm with an hour-long lecture on what gets played on the radio (or how to write a song that will get play). Matt Wells of MuchMusic — and local punk/metal group Bucket Truck — will take over at 2:30pm to speak about how to draw money from VideoFact and PromoFact, organizations that provide financial aid to cash strapped artists. He will also share his experiences as the videographer for Going Coastal and give tips on what will get a video airtime. Local media reps will take the floor at 3:30pm to discuss how bands can start and build on their media exposure. Finally, a panel with important information on how to get shows will preside over the final seminar. The bases are covered in terms of different perspectives with Ben Pearlman (HPX), Greg Clark (Stage Nine) and Dwight Ireland (Paquin Entertainment) among those sitting around the table.
Mock up
As if there was not enough to keep you busy this weekend, those organizing the Halifax Mock Explosion are making the choice of where to be even more difficult. Beginning Thursday at Gus’ Pub, HMX will feature The Stolen Minks along with the perpetually touring Wax Mannequin. Friday will be The Tragedies and The Sunlit Torches. Finally, laying Saturday’s conclusion will be Tom Fun and the Holy Microphone Machine, Jeff Coll 5 and Die Brucke. Those on hand for last year’s event will remember a visit from another of Arcade Fire member Jeremy Gara’s bands, so who knows what could happen. All shows start at 8pm.
Up and coming
There have been a number of exciting concert announcements over the past week, covering a wide cross-section of musical genres.
Action gets underway October 19, when chamber music guru Chris Paul Harman performs as part of the KumQuat music series at the Music Room. Tickets are $10 in advance and doors are at 7pm.
Tickets are also already on sale for Polish death metal group Behemoth. The band’s monster 29-date coast-to-coast-and-back-to-the-other-coast journey will begin November 2 in Vancouver. The Halifax date is slated for November 19 at The Marquee Club, and tickets are available now at the Metro Centre box office for $27.
Radio-friendly Boy will return for their second Halifax show on October 16, providing support for Collective Soul at the McInnes Room. Tickets are only available to contest winners listening to Q104 — not CKDU.
Alt-country group Cuff the Duke will return for two dates, November 18 and 19, at Stage Nine. Last time, their one show was jammed, so be sure to snap up your tickets early; $8 in advance or $15 to attend both shows.
The following weekend, Matt Mays & El Torpedo will finally play their hometown for their first headlining gig since last February when the Marquee closed for regular business. The Dartmouth-based quintet will include Halifax for a couple of gigs on their Wicked Come Winter Tour. The Novaks will accompany them on November 25 and 26. Tickets are $20.
Last — and definitely least — Simple Plan tickets go on sale October 15 for a December 17 date at the Metro Centre for $43.50. Remember to remind your parents it is Christmas the following week.
Pop Explosion stories to: [email protected]
