2015 has been busy for Toronto’s Jaye Adams, best known by his alias Jazz Cartier. His debut album, Marauding in Paradise, came out in April. It later made the Polaris Prize longlist. Adams’ Pop Explosion performance—opening for Travi$ $cott at the Forum Multi-purpose Centre—will be his first show in town. He says he’s excited to […]
Brennan McCracken
Posted inArts + Music
New Music issue 2015
Twenty-seven new bands to sink your teeth into this summer. From metal, rap, blues, jazz, rock, pop, punk, folk and some new genres that haven’t been invented yet, there’s something for you. Do yourself a favour—support live music and new, local bands. So much better than a Netflix binge. Anteater (Improv jazz) Arsoniste (Dance pop) […]
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Gift From God are on a journey
Tasseomancy, Gift From God Sunday, May 24, 2pm Halifax Music Co-op 2107 Brunswick Street $10 Born from an intuitive sense of harmony between its members, Gift from God is a collaboration rooted in improvisation. At their OBEY show, Lindsay Dobbin (drums), Kira Daube (vocals) and Elizabeth Johnson (keyboards) will feed off of both a shared musical […]
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Moss Lime gathers no stones
Moss Lime, Bonnie Doon, Vulva Culture Saturday, May 23, 12pm The Bus Stop Theatre 2203 Gottingen Street $10 It’s been a whirlwind year for Montreal band Moss Lime. It recorded its first handful of songs last July and swiftly caught the attention of Fixture Records, who released the sharp, post-punk EP July First in November. “In […]
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Old and Weird go their own way
Allison Higgins, one-third of the band Old and Weird, has trailed off, unsure about whether or not to call her group’s latest release its first full-length. “It’s a full-length, which is our…well, we wouldn’t call Judy Cool a full length…” she continues, her eyes scanning the space for affirmation from her bandmates, Danika Vandersteen and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
All-ages stages
You’re 18, you’re new in town and there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of (and perhaps would like to participate in) Halifax’s bustling music scene. However, you have to be 19 to legally buy and consume alcohol in Nova Scotia, and strict provincial liquor laws cut off most of Halifax’s boozin’ live music venues […]
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Various Artists
Young but mighty, Montreal label Plastic Factory Records has staked its claim in the east coast weirdo-pop scene with this double LP collection of goodness. Featuring new songs from some of your favourite local bands—Monomyth, Each Other, Museum Pieces and Nap Eyes, whose Whine of the Mystic was Plastic Factory’s inaugural release earlier this year—as […]
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Bon voyage, Daniel Joyce
Since moving to Halifax nine years ago, Daniel Joyce has made a deep and lasting impact on this city’s cultural landscape. He’s been a student—in 2007, he graduated from NSCAD with a BFA after transferring from Fanshawe College in his native Ontario—and an arts administrator, having lead the venerable Khyber Centre for the Arts as […]
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Alvvays
“Adult Diversion” opens the debut self-titled album from Toronto’s Alvvays like a statement of intent: it’s a tale of subway crushes and stolen glances told through Molly Rankin’s vowel-heavy drawl (yep, that Rankin) and her bandmates’ rose-coloured jangle. Similar scenes transpire across the rest of this record’s nine tracks: “Archie, Marry Me” walks a romantic […]
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Tonstartssbandht
Tonstartssbandht’s new live LP Overseas is a mammoth achievement: a transfixing showcase of synchronicity between drums and guitar, old songs and new, rehearsed and improvised. The duo—brothers Edwin and Andy White—has been churning out these tunes for ages, releasing tape after tape and touring on the DIY and small fest circuit—their modest set at last […]
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Rock Show plugs in
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has never sounded so good: Rock Show: At the intersection of music + art has arrived on the gallery’s fourth floor, described as an exploration of “the influence of music as subject and subculture on contemporary visual artists and their art.” Included in the show are works by Carl […]
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Willie Stratton & The Boarding Party
Willie Stratton and his first-rate band come rollicking out of the quiet hills of Bedford for another smack of folk-rock bliss. Peppered among some sturdy ballads and a few old favourites is a smattering of tracks that points towards a new direction for the group: “Trinkets” and “Forest Tea Part III” are (relatively) subtler in […]