Evan Dando pinballs through the flat he’s occupying in Buenos Aires. His phone camera pointed up toward his perennial scruff, his hair unchanged after decades in the pseudo-spotlight—long and unkempt and long unkempt. Then we’re on the balcony. “Look.” I look. “It’s like Las Ramblas.” “You mean in Barcelona?” “Yeah. Las Ramblas.” I toss my […]
Music
The best coverage of local arts & entertainment news in Halifax
Matt Andersen sells out three Halifax concerts this May, adds fourth show
Halifax just can’t get enough of Matt Andersen and his band The Big Bottle of Joy—as proved by a trio of instantly sold out shows the band is mounting in the city this May. If you don’t count yourself amongst the lucky ticket-holding few, consider this your hail Mary shot: Today Andersen announced he’ll be […]
Acadian music superstar P’tit Belliveau announces Halifax concert for May 18
P‘tit Belliveau, one of the most exciting and eccentric voices in Canadian indie today, announced this week that he’ll be performing in Halifax May 18 at The Marquee. A Polaris Prize long-listed artist who’s been riding the same franco-rock wave of fellow critical darling Lisa LeBlanc, P’tit Belliveau strikes a similar fancy as early kd […]
Video premiere: Leona Burkey’s “Groundrush” is about to make mom rock a thing
Leona Burkey knows it couldn’t have happened any other way. A self-described musical offspring of Brandi Carlile and Jimmy Rankin, the singer-songwriter swam against the popular current, coming home to Nova Scotia to launch her music career (instead of the common reverse route). Her landing on the scene was interpolated with the arrival of her […]
5 new Halifax records you need to hear, now
It’s time to spring clean your playlist: to pick up some fresh, new music to go with the (as-of-yet alleged) arrival of warmer, brighter days. As always, Halifax’s music scene has your back, ever at the ready to help you discover your next favourite album or artist. Here, we’re rounding up some recent album releases […]
Great Lake Swimmers announce May 26 Halifax show
Great Lake Swimmers announced today that the band will be coming to Halifax for a May 26 show at St. Matthew’s Church. A Canadian indie staple that’s 20 years strong, Great Lake Swimmers has been compared to Neil Young, Gram Parsons and Sufjan Steeves, making over a dozen albums that sit on the sonic spectrum between […]
From long shot to contender: A Halifax outsider’s chances in the 2023 Juno race
You’ll be excused for thinking that the only red carpet being unfurled right now is the one for this year’s Oscars (happening Sunday, March 12). But, on March 13, the 2023 Juno awards kick off in Edmonton. This year, as Halifax preps for its turn to host Canada’s answer to The Grammys (it was announced […]
Halifax will host the Junos in 2024
Next year is already shaping up to be a big one for the local music scene—and for your eardrums: An announcement from the Junos released this morning says that the 2024 awards will be held in Halifax, at the Scotiabank Centre. Days of programming from March 21 to 24 will precede the March 24 ceremony, […]
Rapper Pat Stay’s family “shocked,” heartwarmed after weekend benefit event raises $200K
Malyssa Burns wasn’t sure how she would handle the emotions of being in Toronto for a weekend-long memorial held in honour of her late spouse, the celebrated Dartmouth rapper Pat Stay. She brought along his signature sunglasses for comfort—“that helped my crying eyes,” she tells The Coast—but nothing could have fully prepared her for the […]
Feist announces Halifax Jazz Festival show July 11
Regardless of the forecast, this summer’s gonna be a hot one for music lovers. On the heels of Jazz Fest’s first headliner announcement—The Fleet Foxes—the annual event is now naming another big act: Feist. The 11-time-Juno-winning, “1,2,3,4” singer will play the Jazz Fest main stage (located on the waterfront) on July 11 at 8:15pm. Related […]
Catching up with Classified
When The Coast reaches Luke Boyd by phone, he’s just leaving the studio, still high on the new music he’s making that he anticipates will drop this spring. “I still go to the studio every day, because I still got the same hobby as when I was a 15 year old kid,” the rapper better […]
Daniel Romano’s Outfit announces Halifax show May 19
Indie rock wunderkind Daniel Romano announced today that he and his band will be playing Halifax on May 19. Tickets for The Marquee Ballroom gig—which features newcomer Julianna Riolino, label mate to Romano, as the opener—go on sale Friday, Feb 12 at noon via Sonic Concert’s website. Daniel Romano’s star skyrocketed to a new strata […]

