Jeremy Hotz is having a bad day. There’s a rat in his kitchen and it’s decided to take up residence. It started with a crash the other day. Hotz came downstairs to find his newly-bought hot dog buns knocked off the counter and on the floor. “The whole bag, for fuck’s sakes!” he laughs, speaking […]
Arts + Music
Live theatre, art exhibits, comedy, literary, spoken word – The Coast guide to Halifax and Dartmouth, NS . The downtown, local arts scene – plays, writers, actors, artists and performers. Painting, sculpture, photography, stand-up, stage.
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax authors delve into the craft of writing on King’s podcast
Years before Aaron Williams and RC Shaw became published authors, each with a pair of books under their belt, the friends and former University of King’s College classmates had a fever-induced idea one night. It was the winter of 2017. The two were rooming together in New York City for a weeklong authors’ residency. Williams […]
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12 books by Halifax authors for your end-of-2024 reading list
What do you get when you mix a celebrity jewel thief with the Halifax Explosion, and then throw in a few tales of family secrets, Haligonian oddities and bike-bound hijinks? Well, you end up with this: The Coast’s end-of-year list of the best books written by local authors in 2024. Last year’s book roundup went […]
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Marc McLaughlin has a voice—and a video—you need to see
If there’s one artist you need to listen to before this year’s end, it’s Marc McLaughlin. Fredericton-based and Newfoundland-born, this former Halifax resident is hot off the release of his latest single—the title track of his soon-to-be-released EP—”All I Can Say”, accompanied by a new music video. This single, coupled with his first EP, […]
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10 albums and EPs from Halifax artists you need to listen to this year
In this streaming era of music, it’s hard to keep tabs on everything. When 100,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify, YouTube and other platforms every day, how can anyone find the must-listen amid the mediocre? The truly stellar among the stale? The original among the old news? Count yourself lucky in two respects: As ever, […]
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Here are your Best of Halifax 2024 winners for Arts + Culture
Fresh off the Canadian release of the film Closer to You, Elliot Page continues to be one of Halifax’s favourite actors, winning Gold in the Best Film/TV Actor category for the fourth year in a row. It’s been a productive year for one of Nova Scotia’s greatest actors. Page wrote, produced and starred in […]
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Bridging cultures with comedy: Normal Scotia seeks to bring Indians and Maritimers together
There’s nothing more normal than learning about other people’s cultures—even if you can’t quite get a grasp on it. That’s essentially the premise to Bell Fibe TV1’s new short-form comedy series Normal Scotia, co-created by Charles Wahl and Amarpal Dhillon. The show features two Indian immigrants, Manish (played by Akshay Shirke) and Shiv (Ishan […]
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Halifax-born pop artist re-emerges with new single, music video
Naomi Shobha has spent years of her life working on songs with some of the world’s biggest artists. Now, after a long break, she’s back to making her own music. Shobha, who some may recognize from her debut 2008 album Work In Progress, is an award-winning, Juno- and ECMA-nominated songwriter who went from singing […]
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Here are your Best of Halifax 2024 winners for Music
Joel Plaskett’s brimming trophy cabinet just got a little fuller. In his 30 years of recording music, the Lunenburg-born rock troubadour has amassed a slew of honours, from East Coast Music Awards to Juno and Polaris Prize nominations to Best of Halifax gold awards. But this year marks a first for the 49-year-old who now […]
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Iron & Wine, The Decemberists first headliners announced for Halifax Jazz Fest 2025
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Iron & Wine and indie rock band The Decemberists will be taking the main stage at the waterfront during Halifax Jazz Fest 2025, playing on July 17 and 18 respectively. In the first lineup announcements for the festival, it was also revealed that Nigerian Afrobeat and jazz musician Femi Kuti and his […]
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Tim Baker brings Full Rainbow of Light tour to Halifax
Growing up in St. John’s, Tim Baker’s winters were coloured by two sounds: Wind and snow plows. It was all you could hear some nights, whispering beyond the crackle of a fireplace or the quiet of a bedroom, as a blanket of white covered the foggy city. It was a “comforting feeling,” the former Hey […]
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Avril Lavigne is coming to Halifax in 2025
One of Canada’s biggest pop-punk exports is coming to Halifax in the New Year. Eight-time Grammy nominee Avril Lavigne is bringing her “Greatest Hits” tour to Atlantic Canada in 2025, with stops in Moncton on May 18 and Halifax on May 20. The “Sk8er Boi,” “Complicated” and “I’m With You” singer will be joined by […]