Tammachat spring show 2011
After spending four months in Thailand and Laos, Tammachat Natural Textiles (902-624-0427, tammachat.com) are back in the city to celebrate Mother’s Day and World Fair Trade Day in style. The Dress Up Spring sale takes place at the Council of Woman’s House, 989 Young Avenue from 10am-5pm, May 7 and 8, with 25 percent off…
Hobo With A Shotgun update
Thanks to a tip from a sharp-eyed reader, we can report that New York-based hip hop/urban culture mag Vibe has done a story on Hobo With A Shotgun. How weird is that? Check it here.
Nelson & Co opens in north end
Acclaimed stylist and designer Deborah Nelson’s new home decor shop, Nelson & Co, is now open at 5881 Almon Street (444-6050). Formerly Empire Shoe Repair, Nelson moved in and revamped the place to incorporate her own vintage inspired visions. Her professional rap sheet consists of style and design work for TV and print, including appearing…
Local filmmakers get into Canadian Film Centre
The Haliwood Insider has learned that Coast cover-star and feature director Laura Dawe (Light Is The Day) and Halifax hyphenate and frequent contributor to The Coast, Megan Wennberg will be attending the Canadian Film Centre, Norman Jewison’s Toronto-based film training school, which boasts alumni such as Sarah Polley and Daydream Nation director Michael Goldbach. Big…
Free Luedecke
scott blackburn In celebration of his second Juno win for his fourth album My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs, the perennially lovely Old Man Luedecke has offered up his first EP Mole in the Ground for free download starting May 1. Long out of print, the album was recorded in three hours…
Great story from Norway
A 13 year old boy in Norway was saved from a wolf attack by the power of heavy metal. Alternate sources say the song that turned the wolves away was not by Megadeth, but by Creed (Google translation alert on that last one). What are your favourite wolf-repelling tunes? Tell us, because you never know…
CFAT is on the move
On May 13, Centre for Art Tapes moves into their temporary digs in the Roy Building (1657 Barrington). CFAT has inhabited the CBC Radio Building (5600 Sackville) for 12 years. The move is prompted by CBC’s recent announcement that they will be ending leases with non-profit societies in the building as of May 31. CFAT…
Video on Sinclair Williams screens this week
A group of East Preston youth and seniors—working with Halifax video company Pink Dog Productions— are celebrating one of their local African-Nova Scotian heroes with a documentary-style short video. The series is called Empowerful, and the first entry in the project—a video on East Preston’s Sinclair Williams, the first African Nova Scotian member of the…
North Street Coffee Shop
My girlfriend and I were regular customers at this cafe. We would wake up and come in every day for espresso. Since we both worked as baristas for several years in the past, we were starting to get put off with the extremely impersonal service they would provide. Not once did they ask us our…
The Shits
To all of the dog owners out there—you walk your dog, your dog shits, you bag the shit… then leave the bag of shit on the sidewalk. If you’ve already taken the previous steps, why not just throw the bag in the garbage?! I’m sick of having to keep my eyes peeled in fear of…
Real Talk
You are such a toxic piece of shit and then to hear that YOU have the fucking nerve to be telling people I’M a terrible person? Sorry that I don’t suck the fucking will to live out of everyone around me. Enjoy being a fucking asshole for the rest of your life. You’re never going…
Don’t Drop the Cola
Thanks for spraying my car with your pop bottle. I know it was an accident that you dropped it but when you saw it spraying everywhere, why did you pick it up and hold it near my car? You then had the nerve not to apologize and drive away. I was sitting in my car…
Ginger Love
To the commander I’m letting you know that we are jealous of your red hair and think your freckles are cute. —Green With Envy
Great Bumper Stickers
To the car driving in front of me today, I like the stickers you had on your car. My favorite was “I think therefore I’m Atheist”. My Christian friend didn’t enjoy them much but I though they were great. —Fellow Non-Believer
Leashes are the Law
How would you like it if I came over and sniffed your bum? How about if I shit in your yard? If I drool all over you, wouldn’t it be “cute”. Or maybe you would enjoy me lunging at you and tearing your shorts with my teeth? What? You say that if I did any…
Long Long Long Go On Tour Tour Tour
let’s go for a dip Halifax’s prodigal sons of weird-pop Long Long Long have successfully managed to launch a rather massive North American tour through their own fund-raising methods. The band is currently on the road sharing bills with Cousins, Special Noise and Twin Steps, among others. The tour wraps up July 12 in Charlotte,…
Sloan Do 20th Anniversary Tour, Skip Maritimes
Sloan is set to release its 10th album, Double Cross, on May 10th. The release also marks the 20th year that the band has been together (and holy hell do I feel old now.) The band has scheduled a North American tour to commemorate this auspicious event, but we’ve noticed that Maritime dates are conspicuously…
Congratulations Tanya Davis on being named the Mayor’s Poet Laureate!
Feast your peepers on this shit: HRM’s poet laureate announcement The amazingly talented Tanya Davis is now going to be poeting on the reg for the HRM, and generally representing awesomeness to the literary world. Attend the Mayor’s Poet Laureate Celebration Reception and Open Mic (Sunday, May 1 at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia,…
Mr. Goliath
Every day I see you get on the 52 to Burnside at the bridge terminal. As soon as you sit down, you fall asleep. You’re a huge man. A Goliath looking man. I wonder though, do you have sleep apnea or something? I wouldn’t be surprised by your size, and the fact that you sleep…
R.I.P. Poly Styrene
The inspirational frontwoman for X-Ray Spex passed away yesterday at the age of 53 after a battle with spine and breast cancer. Rest in peace, you totally awesome woman. BBC News
Looking for New Swollen Brained Members
The Halifax union of taggers and graffiti artists is looking to expand their membership. Please take our quick test to see if you would qualify: 1) Are you bereft of any discernible talent and/or imagination? 2) Do you have the mental maturity of a juvenile, lobotomized hedge hog? 3) is your political acumen en par…
Monster Comics Lounge moves
Gottingen Street comic emporium Monster Comic Lounge is moving, but not far. As of May 2 you’ll find it next door, having moved to 2089 Gottingen from 2091, which recently housed Art&Jules as well as being the former home of Taz Records. “It’s a bigger space,” says owner Mike Crossman of the reason behind the…
Shore Club reopens for 65th year
This coming Saturday, April 30, The Shore Club (250 Shore Club Road, 857-9555) in Hubbards reopens for it’s 65th anniversary year. Known far and wide as the province’s Last Great Dance Hall, the owners are proud to note the venue has featured a live band on stage every summer Saturday night since 1946, including rock,…
Stereotyping the Image of the Images
Stereotyping the image of the images and this is what the image is… Tommyjules902 just wanted to say that I think you’re awesome. The points you make are always well written and to the point. I may have a little cyber crush on you. —Secret Admirer
Red Opposition Morons
I am so sick of the Liberal party pretending that they are the alternative to Harper. They voted for his budgets without negotiating for positive things for Canadians. That is the point of a minority government—negotiation. So thanks for nothing to the 2 big parties for agreeing that women should not make as much as…
Independent Police Work
I came home last week to discover that my tenant had left with my jewelry and our money. I immediately reported this to the Halifax Regional Police. I called back each day to see if anyone had been assigned to my case. Two days later I stopped an officer in his police van. I gave…
Earth Day
Earth Day was recently upon us and I saw haligonian “hippies” had formed a group prompting “Earth friendly” activity and “awareness” in our own commons. Drum circles, hooping and overall fun was had by all but I was later informed that these people were using styrofoam plates and plastic cutlery that littered the commons during…
Relationship Status
Nothing drives me more crazy than when I see my female Facebook friends adding “In a relationship with ______,” then you hop over to the man’s profile and low and behold… he doesn’t even acknowledge he’s IN a relationship. Girls, I’d bet if you just happened to get into his account that the relationship status…
Royal Wedding
Does anyone else find all this upcoming Royal Wedding hype boring or lame? I mean who really cares about this couple, it’s not like they rule the world (or Britain for that matter). I can’t believe people around the world (and here in the Maritimes) are going to have parties for this and are even…
Terrible Voting Experience
Just voted in the advance poll at a nursing home in the South End riding. There was an unbelievable 45 minute wait just to be registered. Facilities completely inadequate for amount of people trying to vote. If anything turns away young people from voting it will be a 45 minute wait! Seems almost intentional to…
Billboard Hatred
Am I the only one outraged by the billboard on Herring Cove Road, just after the junction with Purcell’s Cove Road? The billboard is for a US-based cult that actively promotes discrimination against established churches, as well as against lesbians and gays. How were they allowed to post their billboards in Canada? Isn’t this a…
Home Sweet Home
To the teenagers who don’t live in my building but hang out in it all hours of the day and night: Grow the fuck up! You don’t live here, why do you hang out here?? The landlord kicks the 5+ of you out (of course you’re never alone, thats how you get away with harassing…
The Neighbourly Autoport
A big thanks to the local autoport for rearranging their yard and creating a loading zone behind my house. Now 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays I get the constant joy of listening to idling trucks within a hundred meters of my back porch! I’m also glad that you take full…
My Own Stupid Fault
To the three dudes who fucked me over this last year: Don’t kiss, have sex with, or pursue someone if you’re not able to handle a relationship with them that comes as a consequence of extended intimacy. Of course feelings naturally arise from all of those things, and never at any point was I all,…
Sweet Silence
I’d just like to send a big shout out to the guy in my neighbourhood who feels it’s necessary to use his wood chipper at 9am in the morning on Good Friday. Is it not possible to wait until noon on the first day of a four day weekend to get out the industrial farm…
Cat Driving Apartment
Thank you Halifax for showing so much interest in my piece with the cat and the steering wheel hanging out on my window. It’s about every time I get up to go to the kitchen now someone’s taking a picture of it or laughing at it as they pass by. It’s heart warming to know…
Bitches Make Me Happy
First, I’d like to point out I’m generally a pessimist. Today though, while reading the Love the Way We Bitch posts, I realized how unimportant everyone else’s problems are to me, which means if I were to post a Bitch, mine will most likely fall on deaf, or uncaring ears as well. Us pessimists need…
Pick Up Your Dog’s Shit
I had a busy day with a lot of running around to do… and I had the pleasure of starting it off by stepping in an enormous pile of dog shit. Before the trolls tell me to watch where I’m going, you should know that this particular pile of poop wasn’t on the sidewalk, it…
Hello Friend
This is for that special guy who I know doesn’t realize I care so much for him. Soon you will be gone and I’ll have never told you how I feel about you. Here’s to hoping I’ll get the guts to tell you—even it’s not mutual—but you should know I’ve always had a thing for…
The show will go on
Fringe fans were in a panic last Tuesday when former Artistic Director Ken Pinto announced that he was putting the Atlantic Fringe Festival on hiatus for two years while he focused on his other baby, Titanic 100. Members of the theatre community rallied together to figure out a solution. On Sunday, around 80 people attended…
Love for The Coast
I was the lucky winner of the iPad2 prize for The Coast’s reader survey last month. I just want to give out much love for this wonderful gift! I’ll be sure to remove the horseshoe that is apparently up my rear end and pass on the luck to someone else… —As Close to a Hipster…
Beer and Whiskey
Just so you know, you are both beautiful and sensible. Thank you for noticing me and making me feel special. I also am really grateful you kept me honest with my self. I just wanted to say thanks. —Water
Morris East offer prix-fixe lunch, running and wine club
Starting Friday, Morris East (5212 Morris Street, 444-7663) is introducing a new Lunch prix-fixe menu—two courses for $14, reports owner and pizza expert Jennie Dobbs. This includes a half-pizza with a local organic green salad and a salted caramel tartlette for dessert. You can add a mocktail, such as the Cherry Thyme Bomb—housemade black cherry…
Scotia Square Shoe Hero
I cannot count how many times you’ve fixed my favorite shoes and boots for me and not charged me a thing. You stand behind the work that you do and provide fantastic customer service. In this black hole of the retail universe we’re lucky to still have you. —Fix ‘Em Don’t Chuck ‘Em
Furniture Freakout
I was overly nice to you and your husband while you browsed the store picking out furniture for the new house you bought. I was warm and welcoming, and was happy to hear you recently immigrated to Canada for a better life, and that things were going so well for you. The bedroom set you…
Halifax Crafters’ Handmade Market coming this weekend
The semi-regular Halifax Crafters’ Handmade Market is back again. This one is called Spring Flight, and takes place Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1 at the Olympic Centre (2304 Hunter Street). The hours are 11am-6pm. You can expect to find the usual host of knitters, quilters, leather experts, crafters, artisans, illustrators, poster-makers, designers, fashionistas,…
Mitchell Wiebe at Video Difference
On Thursday April 28, from 7-9:30pm, Video Difference (6086 Quinpool Road, 425-3029) is presenting “An evening with Mitchell Wiebe.” Wiebe will provide a tour of his artwork permanently on display at the 24-hour DVD and Blu-Ray emporium. In addition, VD will serve complimentary coffee and sweets provided by another Quinpool hotspot, Ireland 32 (6220 Quinpool…
Jokers closes
We can’t say it any better than Picnicface, who posted the following message on Facebook about Jokers Comedy Club (5680 Spring Garden Road). “Our Local Club, Joker’s has closed for good. “If you live in Halifax and have friends who go to our show but DON’T subscribe to Facebook PLEASE let them know that if…
North Face to open on Barrington Street
Shoptalk has learned Joachim Stroink, owner of The Trail Shop (6210 Quinpool Road, 423-8736), plans to open a North Face store on Barrington, in the space once occupied by Carsand Mosher (1559 Barrington). Stroink, whose Quinpool store already carries the North Face brand—including exploration apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories—intends the international brand outlet to open…
Le Coquerel replaces Mosaic
The Feed has learned that RCR Hospitality, owners of CUT Steakhouse, Onyx, Waterfront Warehouse, Victory Arms Pub and Q Smokehouse as well as a successful catering operation, will debut a new French restaurant called Le Coquerel in the location of Mosaic, 1584 Argyle Street, which closed this week. It will be a casual French bistro,…
Flyers All Over the Place
If you’re going to deliver flyers (which I don’t want), bring them to the door so we can dispose of them in a timely manner. Don’t throw them all over the yard and driveway, some of which I didn’t find until a few weeks later. Besides, aren’t flyer people suppose to deliver the flyers straight…
I Know What You Did Yesterday Afternoon
You may want to pretend it didn’t happen but it did. We all heard that enormous fart you let loose in the library. The sound just echoed off the walls. I could see you looking to see if anyone noticed. I feel sorry for those standing closer to the blast, I was far enough away…
A Coffee Mishap
Thanks very much to the guy at a busy coffee/food shop in Scotia Square who spilled his hot coffee all over me while trying to put the lid on his cup. I love how you mumbled “sorry, sorry” over and over again but did not even get napkins or anything to wipe up the mess.…
Rude Uni Students
It is NOT okay to disrespect a prof just because they have an accent, jerkoffs! It is NOT cool to yell at a prof because you don’t like your grade. If you didn’t study, that’s your problem! Stop passing the blame onto other people. Your classmates are fed up with your posturing. GROW UP or…
It’s a Small World and It’s Not Big Enough for Your Ego
I understand that taking your children on their first trip to the “Happiest place on Earth” is exciting but stop being a fucking bitch about it. You asked me for advice on your trip because I’ve been there a couple of times. Just because you don’t like what I’ve said don’t be such a rude…
To the Boy on the Bus
Maybe I’m crazy and reading too much into this but was that some lingering eye contact on the 33 this morning? Twice? I remember you used to take my bus a couple years ago going home, and when I started taking the 33 in the morning recently you were there. I think you’re absolutely freaking…
Customer Service is Not Dead
Thank you to the wonderful man at a national outdoor store downtown… after I was done making my purchase you noticed that the zipper on my store name bag was broken… and you went out of your way to replace it immediately! While I was trying to pack all my crap back into the bag…
The One for You
I love you. We’ve been together for 2 and a half years now and though we’ve had some bad times, the good times more than make up for it. Every morning when I wake up before you and look at your makeup-spattered, messy haired, sound asleep, awkwardly positioned face, I can’t help but marvel at…
Intelivote trips over BC election
Despite problems in the British Columbia Liberal elections, Intelivote, an electronic voting company from Dartmouth, is setting its sights on the state of Maharashtra, India. Intelivote also has a half-million dollar contract to run the internet portion of Halifax’s city council elections. Intelivote allows for people to vote from the comfort of their home, online…
Washmill underpass boondoggle swept under rug
Halifax council approved a $4.5 million expenditure for the Washmill underpass project, bringing total cost of the project so far to $15.5 million, $5.5 million over budget. The project is “the biggest boondoggle in HRM’s history,” said councillor Gloria McCluskey, an assessment no one disagreed with. The underpass connects suburban Clayton Park to the big…
Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age 2 promised to fix all of the bugs and issues with the first game while maintaining its top of the line storytelling and imaginative world. What we ended up getting was excellent gameplay with sub-par level design and a lack of imagination. The combat is satisfying and less complex than before with forgiving…
Earth Day 2051: Dystopia/Utopia
Sea level rise Dystopia: A one-metre rise in sea levels is within 30 years is almost a given. Throw in the disintegration of the Greenland and Antarctic ice shelves, and all bets are off. Expect more cities flooded by hurricanes. Utopia: Sea level rise is limited to 30 or 40 centimetres, and thanks to thoughtful…
Get your brain going with When It Rains
Lives are busy and entertainment opportunities are plentiful in Halifax, but I’m telling you to make time to see 2b Theatre’s original and gorgeous When it Rains. Projection designer Nick Bottomley has created a fantastic world painted with shadow that delights and amuses, and writer-director Anthony Black has peopled it with four memorable characters played…
Did 40 Earth Days make a difference?
Did 40 Earth Days make a difference? Earth Day 1970 versus Earth Day 2011, by the numbers In 1970, humanity’s rate of resource consumption could be sustained even by a planet just 80 percent the size of this one. Today, we use the resources of 1.5 planet Earths each year— meaning it is taking the…
Better Living Through Plastic Explosives
Zsuzsi Gartner’s Better Living Through Plastic Explosives is a collection of clever, tongue-in-cheek short stories, with some falling into the category of bizarrely realistic science fiction. How else would you define a story about a realtor trying to sell houses in an area where mountains randomly swallow up homes? Or another about angels inhabiting the…
Disney neuters African Cats
Live, powerful carnivores filmed in their natural environment should be a can’t-miss premise, yet Disney somehow manages to fumble African Cats. The stars of the show are two families, one headed up by a single cheetah mom and the other a pride of lions under threat from a rival gang. Samuel L. Jackson’s overwritten narration…
Five years to Operation Mongoose
I thought, ‘It must be just as easy to make a feature. It’s just a longer short film.'” Six years ago, this little nugget of hubris sparked filmmaker Sean Grady to get started on Operation Mongoose, a mockumentary about a wannabe bounty-hunter whose escalating delusions make him a tragicomic figure. Grady, who had made it…
Yielding the Love
A big thank you to the HRM drivers who are yielding the right of way to the buses that are trying to re-enter traffic from a bus stop. Your kindness makes the commute that much easier and faster when the bus can get back into traffic sooner rather than sitting there for several minutes with…
North America’s biggest export
Comparing environment then and now is difficult. Indicators, methods and technology—our ability to measure accurately—change. Anthropogenic climate change wasn’t on our minds in 1970. Air pollution was, but only rich countries measured it and they didn’t look at the global picture. Two Dalhousie scientists, Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall Martin, are helping NASA and the…
Elephant the best thing in Water for Elephants
A melodramatic plot, an overdone soundtrack and countless montages make Francis Lawrence’s (I Am Legend) adaptation of Sara Gruen’s Depression-era novel (screenplay by Richard LaGravenese) a two-hour slog. Water for Elephants is told as a flashback in which a geriatric Jacob (Hal Holbrook) recounts his life story: young Jacob’s (Robert Pattinson) parents die the day…
Hot damn, it’s Hot Jesus!
Music, art and Jesus? Sure, Jesus was a dreamboat, but how does he fit in with this lineup? Art Cabaret, the brainchild of painter Peter Farmer, essentially pairs live music with live painting (and live models!). With this being Easter weekend and all, why not carry through the theme? “We thought that at a time…
Halifax and Earth Day
Earth Day was inspired by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. Senator Gaylord Nelson was outraged—little was being done politically to change the oil industry. Perceiving a lack of knowledge as the problem, he organized Vietnam War protest-inspired teach-ins attended by 20 million Americans. Nelson’s mistake was assuming that education automatically creates change. It can,…
Dan the man
A lot’s changed since the last time Dan Mangan rolled through Halifax. In October 2009, the gravelly-voiced singer was still pretty obscure. His sophomore album Nice, Nice, Very Nice had dropped only three months prior. And the fact that he came all the way from Vancouver for the Halifax Pop Explosion and sold out The…
Panda Bear
Tomboy is yet another piece of otherworldly pop mastery from Noah Lennox. Much like its predecessor, Person Pitch, Tomboy manages to turn bizarre sonics and surprising song structures into truly compelling, earnest music. There are so many lush synthesizers, rich vocal harmonies and cunning drum loops, it’s hard to imagine the task of organizing and…
Eight things you can do
Get political Our political system sucks and that’s why we should all be part of it—and fix it. And frankly, nothing else on this matters unless our leadership gets its shit together. Lobby for progressive legislation. Fight boneheaded development that threatens the land and water. Build community OK, this one’s as important as the last,…
Kevin Muise Interiors opens storefront
An interior designer for more than a decade, Kevin Muise decided it was time to have store front as well as studio space. Voila, the north end provides (2063 Gottingen Street, 405-8455) the store offering a selection of Canadian-made and artisan stuff along with international brands and custom draperies. Meanwhile, Muise continues to design, specializing…
22 Bullets
In the French action-thriller 22 Bullets, Jean Reno’s character does his best impersonation of 50 Cent: he’s shot 22 times by the crime family he deserted. After emerging from a coma, Reno delves into his crime-ridden past in an attempt to gain vengeance against his would-be assassins. 22 Bullets falls flat with plot inconsistencies—Reno can…
Give us a break
Anyone else feeling it’s been waaaaay too long since we’ve had a day off? This weekend’s Easter break comes 111 days after the last statutory holiday, New Year’s Day. That stretch of winter drudgery gets broken up in several provinces, but not in Nova Scotia. Here we’ve got the fewest holidays in the nation, making…
Quiet, please
In The Coast’s recent Best of Music feature, a band with a relatively low profile swept the votes to win the “best band to listen to quietly” award. That band is Quiet Parade, a solo recording venture by Halifax music veteran Trevor Murphy (Sleepless Nights, The Establishment) who has slowly been creeping his way through…
Earth Day: do we have another 40 years?
If the growth in our consumption and resource use continues at its present rate, we’ll need two-and-a-third planets by 2051. Most likely, though, Mother Nature won’t let us get there without kicking our upright hairless asses. We won’t change the way we are, the things we do, until we fundamentally change the way we think…
HalifActivists on Earth Day
“Instead of meaningful action, such as voting for politicians that make the environment a priority, we end up with short-term action that doesn’t really make the lasting impact we want.” —Satya Ramen, veteran eco-activist “We need Earth Days. To sell something you must tell it and tell it again. Even if we only give lip…
Eureka! Mother Mother’s in town
Vancouver’s indie power-pop-rock quintet Mother Mother will hit the end of a coast-to-coast road this Friday at the Paragon Theatre. The band’s frontman/producer Ryan Guldemond says the cross-country trek is nothing new, but it’s still a great experience. “This is familiar turf for us, but coming off the heels of a new release gives it…
NSCAD’s finest fashions Hatch
Hatch: Advanced Fashion Runway Show will showcase pieces from the collections of students of the NSCAD’s Advanced Fashion Studies program. Students and friends of the designers will model original ready-to-wear fashions that the AFS students worked to create in the final semester of the school year.The designers are: Alysia Myette, Nathalie Dieras, Cait Vachon, Jessica…
Cancelled Again
WTF! Another rap concert cancelled. I don’t know how they keep expecting us to buy these tickets when these promoters clearly don’t have their shit together. One would think that the most basic of things you would check before booking an American artist for a show in Canada would be to MAKE SURE HE CAN…
Poplar Pines plus Nick Everett equals Rocky Top
There is nothing better for hungry musicians to bond over than food, and that is exactly what Nick Everett and Poplar Pines’ Scott Biggar did. It was after a dinner date that the decision to collaborate on a split EP was made. The two recorded separate songs on two discs but shared the title, Rocky…
Puddle Jump Coffee arrives
An Eastern Shore-based coffee roaster, Puddle Jump Coffee Roasters (450 Causeway Road, Seaforth) is settling up shop in spring 2011. Check out the website and Facebook page for contact info and to order coffee in bulk.
Lykke Li
Sweden continues to to hit well above its weight in the area of pop music that can stop you in your tracks. On her sophomore effort, Li sings words that live up to the gothic echo, organ and rhythm settings of Björn Yttling from Peter, Björn and John. Mystery and longing like the Shangri-Las resonate…
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family a drag
The new addition to Tyler Perry’s Madea films disproves the theory that drag is inherently funny. Perry plays the title role of the potty-mouthed, fried chicken-obsessed matriarch of a dysfunctional family. When Shirley (Loretta Devine) finds out she’s dying, she tries to reunite her children with Madea’s help —the rest is a hodgepodge of uninspired…
Hunx and His Punx
Oakland’s bubblegum bad boy took up with a bunch of sassy ladies (The Punkettes) and created a perfect collection of classic ’60s girl group gems—if classic ’60s girl groups had been fronted by a libidinous young man. Too Young to be in Love is a slight departure from 2010’s Gay Singles, in that his new…
The Middle Spoon joins Barrington Street rush
In Shoptalk we just announced that in August, a new outdoor supply store North Face will be opening in the old Carsand Mosher space at Blowers and Barrington, joining Argyle Fine Art. Well, sooner than it debuts there’ll be another business arriving at the address, something called The Middle Spoon (1559 Barrington Street). It’s scheduled…
Berry, berry good
We can hear the sounds of traffic whizzing down the 102, as we clamber up the rocks behind the Bayers Lake IMAX to a grassy bank of earth. The snow has thawed, revealing shredded plastic bags clinging to the bare branches of trees, old decomposing department store flyers and scads of wild blueberry bushes. Decked…
Am I trying to be a sexual tourist?
Q My wife and I have been married for a few years and are expecting our first child. I’m really into the idea of being sprayed with my wife’s breast milk. The other night, she was fretting about when her boobs are going to start leaking. This seemed like a good time to bring it…
Lemuria
Pebble sees Lemuria’s songwriting territory expanding far beyond the sonic landscape displayed on the band’s earlier releases—songwriters Alex Kerns and Sheena Ozzella effortlessly add shifting time signatures and intricate song structures into their repertoire while retaining their trademark vocal harmonies. Lyrical brevity has long been a strength of this band, and Pebble doesn’t change what…
Wear and tear
NSCAD’s Wearable Art Show is a main event on the creative social calendar every April, and the organizers of this year’s show are looking to expand that by making it a full-scale gala production. Starting off as a small-scale show in the student lounge, the show has occupied venues from the Cunard Centre to the…
Free Will Astrology
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In his book on intuition, psychologist David G. Myers defines it as “the capacity for direct knowledge and immediate insight, without any observation or reason.” Another expert on the subject, Malcolm Gladwell, describes intuition as the “power of thinking without thinking.” Both authors encourage us to cultivate this undersung way of…
Crysis 2
In a world populated with Call of Duty, Halo and Killzone, we have a breath of fresh air: Crysis 2, developed by Crytek Frankfurt and published by Electronic Arts, has shown people how beautiful their shooters can be. Gorgeous lighting effects and fantastic music aside (Hans Zimmer, NBD), Crysis 2 has an interesting way of…
You Talk to Your Mother Like That?
To the group of young girls with the nastiest attitudes I’ve ever encountered, FUCK YOU. You ran across a busy street when you didn’t have the right of way and got pissed off when my mother had to slam on her breaks so she wouldn’t hit you. Yes she yelled at you, you’re a bunch…
Idiot Driver
You piece of fucked up no brain cocksucker! We were both making a left hand turn. Your piece of shit Ford in the inner lane and me on the outer. Don’t fucking glide into my lane while you’re taking the turn. I honked at you. I should have followed but I was getting off at…
Cucina Moderna opens location number three
Cucina Moderna, Halifax’s specialty kitchen store, opened its third location last weekend at Mic Mac Mall, 21 Micmac Blvd, 468-9562, joining the Dresden Row store and the one up in Bedford at Sunnyside Mall.
Library Madness
To Prick 1 and Prick 2 that are seated two tables down from me: I HATE you! Go back to your fraternity, boys, you are not wanted here. For your information, my facial hair is ironic. It is ironic as fuck, gentlemen. To say that I look like Perelman is uncalled for. I am the…
Veronika Horlik’s Burn
Veronika Horlik has spent the last two years combining painting with ceramic sculpture to create works of art. She’s now showing off three of those pieces in her MFA thesis exhibition titled Burn. The show has three works to check out. Plotlog is an impressive sculpture that measures about four meters in length and is…
The Heart
Why do landlords online advertise north end & central Halifax listings as “the heart of downtown”? Falkland is not the heart of downtown. Agricola is not the heart of downtown. Also, fuck, gentrification is scary. Goodbye peninsula. —Ryleyhfx
