Last year I realized I have the same interests as most teenage boys. Looking at the films I need to see in 2015 (including a Dennis Rodman doc and the new Star Wars, not listed), I might actually be a teenage boy. But I don’t care and you can’t make me. And rest in peace […]
Adria Young
Posted inArts + Music
Rich Aucoin wants to believe
“In times like this, I want to be a believer,” sings Rich Aucoin on the second track of Ephemeral, his second LP and one of the best records of 2014. Over 50 people and three choirs contributed to the album, which was recorded in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax and which also merges the energy of […]
Posted inArts + Music
TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2014
picks by David Dahms Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 (Sony) Big K.R.I.T. Cadillactica (Universal) Cadillactica is a planet in a solar system near Earth’s. It was created by the 808. Big K.R.I.T is both supreme god and an everyman. He created this world and gave the people free will. Bass is the universal […]
Posted inLifestyle
Christmas albums that don’t suck
Sleigh-fulls of Christmas albums have been released since the capitalization of the holiday in the 1950s, which has resulted in some truly terrible records. Like in 2012, Scientologist John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John put out a creepy X-mas cringe-fest, and this year, Hootie (Darius Rucker) came Home for The Holidays with pure country Christmas crap. […]
Posted inArts + Music
Jenn Grant’s star power
Jenn Grant December 2-4, 8pm The Carleton Music Bar & Grill, 1685 Argyle Street $20/$15 “I wanted to make an album that had some subtleties and groove, and I also wanted it to be a really enjoyable listening experience for people, so it’s been really enjoyable to play it,” says Jenn Grant, one of Halifax’s […]
Posted inArts + Music
Kung Fu filming
Kung Fu Elliot November 29, 6:30pm The Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottingen Street outlierfilmfestival.com A 30-something man in a karate gi stands outside of CD Heaven in the Dartmouth plaza. He’s selling DVDs of his indie action film, They Killed My Cat, and he calls himself Canada’s only martial arts hero. Later, his girlfriend Linda […]
Posted inArts + Music
Class of ’84 deemed bitchin’
Despite the rain last night, I walked three kilometres to the opening of the cinema-inspired art show, Class of ’84, at The Dart Gallery (127A Portland Street), running now until December 7. It rules. 1984 was a huge year for film, owning blockbusters like Terminator, Gremlins, The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, This is Spinal Tap, Indiana […]
Posted inArts + Music
Conversationalist
Conversationalist (Night Danger) For all its tailored complexity, symphonic nuances and thoughtful studio production, there are primitive elements on In-Flight Safety’s 10-track album Conversationalist, released in September on Night Danger Records and mixed by Gus Van Go in New York (The Stills, Hollerado). The band’s third record appears five years after We Are an Empire, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Constantines’ young hearts
“It feels good, playing those tunes again,” says Steve “Baby Eagle” Lambke of Constantines, one of Canada’s most-loved indie rock bands. The London-Toronto group has reunited after cooling down in 2010. In June, the Cons reissued their 2003 hit record for Sub Pop, Shine a Light, with vinyl bonuses. “It’s been out of print for […]
Posted inArts + Music
Playing dress up at Hal-Con
With its origins in Japanese fashion, cosplay has become a comic-con phenomenon and a form of art and design that reaches competitive levels. Hal-Con’s own Costume Contest has strict criteria and various categories of awards depending on the intensity of fabrication. For local cosplayers, it’s game time. “I started going to Hal-Con in the ‘80s […]
Posted inArts + Music
HPX: Day three, in words
Halifax is making a very typical Halifax impression for all these out-of-towners by insisting on raining constantly for the entire duration of the Halifax Pop Explosion. That said, it hasn’t “dampened” enthusiasm (HAHA GOOD ONE) at all and last night’s shows were a pretty good time. I got to the Olympic Centre early to see […]
Posted inArts + Music
HPX: Day two, in words
I love watching Andy Bush yell. And he yells a lot as the host of Good Morning Tonight, a live talk-show produced by HPX comedy whiz Stephan MacLeod, which features Andy’s “dad” Rollie Bush (Mark Little) desperately trying to derail all of Andy’s attempts at even marginal success. Joined onstage by “Positive” Geordie Miller and […]
