You don’t have to get ink at this weekend’s Maritime Tattoo Festival (Halifax Forum, May 17-19, maritimetattoofestival.com), Lucky Diamond Rich, the most tattooed man in the world, has you covered. Sadly, sideshow phenom Lizardman’s forked tongue won’t be flicking; he cancelled due to “unknown complications.” But there’s plenty more, including burlesque, music, contests and prizes. […]
Sue Carter Flinn
Posted inArts + Music
About Bloomin’ time
If you’re wondering what the heck is happening with Bloomfield Centre, it’s time for everybody’s favourite activity involving markers and big sheets of paper—public consultations! Facilitated by MLS Architects, on Wednesday, May 21 (6:30-9pm), use your imagination at a discussion about Bloomfield programming and uses. On Saturday, May 24 (1-4pm), brainstorm about the building’s potential […]
Posted inArts + Music
Prize writers
It was easy to pick out the Atlantic Book Awards nominees at Alderney Landing on Monday. Just look for corsages on lapels and nervous hands clutching glasses of chardonnay. Ten book prizes were presented, plus two mayor’s awards. Although this year sadly marked the closure of two independent bookstores, Halifax’s The Book Room and Bennington […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Wet Secrets
[image-4]Published May 22, 2008.The Wet Secrets Rock Fantasy (Rodeo Peanut Records)Imagine if your high school band got hammered and marched off the field, then passed out in the equipment room in a pile of tubas, trombones and paint-can drums. That’s Edmonton’s The Wet Secrets, started by Lyle Bell from Shout Out Out Out and Vertical […]
Posted inArts + Music
That’s gold, Jerry, gold
As Seinfeld demonstrated, good mentors can teach you about risk management or making jokes about Ovaltine, but they can also teach you how to be better film, TV and new-media producers. Film Nova Scotia is co-sponsoring the Canadian Film and Television Association Atlantic Mentorship Program. Last year the pilot program teamed up Shotgun‘s Jason Eisener […]
Posted inArts + Music
Command performance
Jacob Zimmer is the ideal keynote speaker for this weekend’s Performance Creation Canada meeting. Organized by local artists through the SuperNova Theatre Festival and the Khyber ICA, PCC Halifax brings 100 artists, educators, critics, presenters and funders together (watch out hockey dudes) to “explore issues inspired by our theme—‘Bridge Walking: Reconciling the gap between avant-garde […]
Posted inArts + Music
Art meets hockey
It’s the first warm, sunny Saturday in April and already downtown Halifax is filled with foolishly optimistic crowds wearing shorts and flip-flops. At the Nova Scotia Power parking lot or “graffiti pit” over on Morris and Lower Water streets, a group of about 20 young people are preparing for their weekly street-hockey game around a […]
Posted inArts + Music
Will Currie and the Country French
[image-4]Published May 08, 2008.Will Currie and the Country French A Great Stage(murderecords)For Will Currie, one of the first acts (along with Pony Da Look) assigned to Sloan’s resurrected label, 11 years after murderecords stopped producing non-Sloan material, this is a great start. The pop sextet—five dudes and a woman—make happy, melodic piano pop that Ben […]
Posted inArts + Music
Robyn
[image-4]Published May 15, 2008.RobynRobyn(Konichiwa/Universal)Mall music just got more interesting. The North American release of the Swedish bubblegum-pop singer’s dance album was the same week as Madonna’s Hard Candy, but it’s years ahead in style and sass. Although Robyn’s hair and balls-out confidence is sadly reminiscent of a young, scrubbed-down Pink, there’s a sincerity Spears and […]
Posted inArts + Music
PEN worthy
Goran Simic, the author of several volumes of poetry, drama and short fiction, is reading Thursday May 1 at 7pm, Dalhousie University, McCain Building (6135 University) in the Fireside Lounge. A prominent writer in the former Yugoslavia, Simic witnessed the collapse of his country, the three-year-long siege of his hometown Sarajevo and the death of […]
Posted inArts + Music
Inner Circles
Metamorphic Theatre‘s Script to Stage Project introduces promising playwright Caitlin Pilsworth (daughter of Coast illustrator, Graham). According to Pilsworth, who wrote the script in hopes that it would be selected by Metamorphic, says that Living My Life in Circles is “a story about the complications of basic relationships. It is about Van seeking attention from […]
Posted inArts + Music
Plants and Animals
[image-4]Published May 01, 2008.Plants and AnimalsParc AvenueSecret City RecordsEpic is a word spouted too often in music reviews, but in the case of Plants and Animals’ ambitious debut folk-rock LP, it’s actually justified. Named after the popular Montreal street running through Mont Royal, Parc Avenue almost dates back to the late 1960s and early ’70s […]