Glen Hougan Design, NSCAD “I’m not just in making stuff, I’m interested in making stuff happen,” says Hougan, over the phone from Michigan, where he’s both on vacation at a cottage and working with furniture design companies. Hougan has done work with design for senior citizens and is probably best known for his “Empathy Suit,” a […]
Laura Kenins
Posted inArts + Music
Inside the Lodge
Scott Saunders wants to maintain an almost Masonic level of secrecy about his show at Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery. It’s appropriate, since his installation Grand Lodge is derived from Freemasonry and built out of artifacts taken from the former Freemasons hall on Barrington Street. When the Masons left the building in 2008 because they […]
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Children of the Atom
Toronto comic artist Dave Lapp won acclaim for his first book, Drop-in; Children of the Atom collects his strips from the Vancouver weekly Georgia Straight, telling the stories of his two characters Franklin-Boy and Jim-Jam Girl. The two speak in riddles, playing and dancing a line between childhood and adulthood at varying times. Their discussions […]
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Play Guitar
Originally begun as an art-rock collaboration, the ex-Halifax band finally puts out their first full-length release, with the current lineup including the powerhouse team of brothers Christian (Burdocks) and Jef (Special Noise) Simmons. Though the members have moved to Montreal, you can still hear the east coast experimental-pop sound in their music. The intense basslines […]
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Graphic nature
What makes a successful comic or graphic novel? There are plenty of reading options out there these days, but what draws readers towards one book over another? “Something that’s appealing to people, that makes them smile, laugh, feel something—whether it’s good or bad—something that has an effect on people,” says Calum Johnston, owner of comic […]
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Quaker Parents
This nine-song tape is the first release from locals Quaker Parents. Made up of members of the Gamma Gamma Rays and Long, Long, Long, Huge Mask starts off with a lo-fi sound recalling elements of various bands the three members have played in. The tape carries along with a catchy, math-rock vibe. The b-side is […]
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East Infection
Featuring four of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s weirdest, coarsest bands, this EP hits like a Colt 45 hangover. A live, unedited recording from Sydney’s Mess Folk tries to capture the band’s live sound, louder and more abrasive than its lo-fi bedroom recordings. Halifax’s Meat Curtains’ “Get Rebel” snarls with raw, gruff vocals and heavy […]
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How Did You Get This Number
Coming off a bit like the younger, slightly rebellious, and actually funny, sister of Carrie from Sex and the City, Crosley’s collection of humorous essays centre around being young in general, and being young in New York. The New York humour is a bit alien: I don’t really get jokes about taxi service, or bargain […]
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Rail Life
If you’ve taken VIA Rail’s The Ocean train between Halifax and Montreal, you know the movies played in the lounge car generally come off a list of the worst of last year’s blockbuster fare. Watching them onboard, Khyber ICA board member Colleen Wolstenholme had an idea: why not expose train viewers to contemporary video art […]
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Maylee Todd’s power
Having played with the likes of Woodhands, Henri Fabregé and the Adorables and the Bicycles, Maylee Todd is no stranger to the indie rock scene, but her solo material jumps across genres, with hints of pop, jazz, funk, R&B and more. “I hear a lot of Latin influence,” Todd says. “Growing up, my father, who’s […]
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Ruts & Gullies: Nine Days in St. Petersburg
Quebec artist Philippe Girard chronicles his first visit to Russia, for the St. Petersburg comic festival Boomfest, in this comic travelogue. Girard checks out Russian cuisine, living arrangements in formerly communal apartments, vodka, the Cyrillic alphabet and St. Petersburg’s elegant subway. On his journey he pays attention to coincidences and oddities: old ladies speaking in […]
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La Strada
It’s early summer, and the warm damp air is blowing in through the windows, and the slow rhythm of La Strada’s guitars, strings, drums and accordions has a calming effect. The New York band’s first full-length album, New Home, is like a burst of positive energy, conjuring up visions of travelling and wanderlust. Playing poppy […]