The royal-like tapestries still hang over the ancient streets, though it’s hard to believe just last night thousands of people crowded the streets of Valetta for the annual Notte Bianca. As the full moon hung high in the sky, the city was a spectacle of art, music, performance and culture. From the retro-inspired dancers jiving in rhythm to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, to an ethereal choir singing hymns at St. Paul’s Cathedral, there was something for everyone at this year’s Notte Bianca. With parades and marching bands weaving down the narrow streets, restaurants opened their doors, tables set in
Shannon Webb-Campbell
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Dinah Thorpe
Toronto’s Dinah Thorpe understands the line between fact and fiction. Her double disc Truths and Other Stories straddles this divide. Produced, mixed and mastered by the artist, Thorpe layers her ethereal vocals over club-worthy beats. (Imagine Dido if she were a dyke.) Academically minded, much of Thorpe’s material dives into queer theory and gender politics. […]
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Jessica Rhaye
New Brunswick’s darling Jessica Rhaye could be the next Jewel. With catchy hooks and pop sensibility, her latest album, Good Things, is an ode to what could be. “Shining Star” reminds listeners to look up and take in the night sky, though it’s Rhaye who shines on “Rose Coloured Glasses.” Fans of Nina Gordon’s solo […]
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The Cliks
With heavy-rock riffs and Lucas Silveira’s cocksure vocals, The Cliks are a good kind of dirty. The title track opens with a surf-style riff and climbing bass notes. Relationships are tough, especially on the road —“Not Your Boy” alludes to a flailing love affair. “Henry,” “We Are Wolverines” and “Career Suicide” kick up the rock […]
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Gossip
Gossip face potential backlash for their major label shift—a far cry from an Arkansas punk-rock blues band originally on Kill Rock Stars. But Music for Men is an homage to homos. The title track and “Men In Love” nod to the lack of queer-minded music. Political dance anthems “Pop Goes the World,” “Heavy Cross” and […]
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The Novaks Fall Apart
The Novaks live for rock ‘n’ roll. After an opening slot for KISS, the band returns to Halifax to celebrate its new album, Things Fall Apart, at The Seahorse on August 2. “KISS was great. I was a fanatic when I was a kid,” says vocalist-guitarist Mick Davis. “Ace Frehley was one of my heroes […]
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Fighting to Clik into place
On a bitter March evening, a few dozen folks huddled into Venus Envy on Barrington Street to listen to Lucas Silveira play an acoustic set. He previewed a few tracks from The Cliks' then-forthcoming album, Dirty King. Silveira revelled in the intimate setting, cracking jokes about pictures popping up on Facebook of him playing against […]
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Atlantic Jazz Festival Shortlist
Valery Gore is not a pseudonym. At 26, the Fort Erie native strives for creative purity and truth. But it wasn’t always this way. “Coming from where I was at when I went to school, I was classically trained and I didn’t know anything about jazz,” she says, calling from her home in Toronto. “Maybe […]
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Hot Summer Guide: Concerts and music festivals
Paul McCartney July 11 A Beatle is coming to Halifax. Some come down on the man for his stand against the seal hunt—though it sounds like these days most blame the militancy on his ex-wife, Heather Mills—or some say that his wanting to change the order of the songwriting credits on “Yesterday” from Lennon/McCartney to […]
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Hot Summer Guide: Cultural events and festivals
CATCH: The Nova Scotia Seafood Festival June 27 Get those culinary taste buds ready for a weekend of seafood: CATCH will be working overtime. The festival promises to be a weekend of tasting, learning, shopping and just generally loving all things fishy. Presented by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the festival’s focus is to […]
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Summer new music guide
Songs have seasons. In autumn listeners long for transitional songs, while in winter the ear tends to hibernate with softer, folkie odes of melancholy. Spring inspires renewal and rebirth, so bring on the pop-anthems. But it’s the sounds of summer that are the true soundtracks of the year. This year’s contenders for the season kicks […]
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Ria Mae has a new job
Halifax fosters new creativity. At least that’s how Ria Mae sees it. Recently the songwriter quit her construction-management day job to take on music full-time, a bold but necessary risk. “Deep down, I know that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” says Mae. “I’ve had to downsize and am living very differently, but […]