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The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
Home of the Best of Halifax Reader's Choice Awards, the award-winning independent newspaper covers the Halifax news, politics, events, concerts, movies, restaurants, and nightlife scene.
The 35th Atlantic Film Festival announced the full program this morning at The Lord Nelson Hotel. There was cake, popcorn and coffee and I also met my childhood hero, CTV’s Liz Rigney. Along with the earlier-announced Atlantic Canadian selections, AFF 2015 offers an exciting lineup of award-winning domestic and international features and shorts hitting Halifax theatres from…
[Image-1] I am going to ask a series of “belief” questions. Who do we believe? What do we believe? Do we believe in the mass media? Do we believe in governments, or corporations? Do we believe in a god? I submit that we cannot believe in anything. We live in a fake world. We cannot…
[Image-1] The other day I came to your stand about ten minutes before it closed, and asked if you still had coffee left. I was tired from work and was hoping to grab a quick cup before dance. You didn’t have any coffee on, I said that was fine, but you put on a pot…
[Image-1] To the red-haired young man in the red and white shorts crossing Herring Cove Road at Chocolate Lake at 4:45 PM Wed Aug 19th, do you realize that without looking, you stepped in front of a Halifax Transit bus about 6 ft away from you. If it weren’t for the diligence and quick reflexes…
Never, ever, ever, ever slow to a complete stop on a highway when trying to enter an exit lane! Yes, it was difficult as no one would let you in but there was room to pull over at the top of the exit and wait rather than put at risk the lives of those in…
So sick of people thinking the world revolves around them just because they are in a car and I am on foot. I only cross at marked crosswalks when the crosswalk light indicates I may (not just a green light). Several times I have been nearly hit from people trying to speed through the intersection…
[Image-1] To the man who helped me pay for my groceries at a certain Bedford grocery store today (Sunday) when I came up short on money: Thank you so very much. —No Longer Hungry
[Image-1] Thanks to the couple who offered their table at the busy outdoor restaurant on Argyle to accommodate my wheelchair. Your kindness was very much appreciated. —Wheelchair Man
[Image-1] STOP IT. The daily loaves of bread are bad enough, and those goats’ feet you left out there last month were pretty disturbing, but this morning there must have been five pounds of raw red meat sitting in the grass getting pecked at by pigeons, crows and seagulls. WHAT. THE. FUCK. I don’t know if…
You asked me out, I agreed. You decided that we should go to a restaurant and so that’s where we went. I’d have been just as happy to have a coffee. At the end of the evening I told you in the most polite way that I simply wasn’t interested in seeing you again, except…
THAT’S IT. I’M DONE. I have had it with this fucking hot weather, bring on the fucking snow. Yeah, I lived here last winter, and yeah, it was so cold I got frost bite every time I stepped outside. But guess what? At least when it’s –40 outside, I’m not sweating out of every single…
People with allergies don’t just one day think up that they are allergic to things like peanuts because they are bored or whiney; allergies are real and very serious. If you don’t have allergies, good for you. You should be thankful and considerate of people that unlike you have to constantly worry about not only…
[Image-1] I haven’t had a lot of nice days off the summer, but today was one of them. I took the opportunity to walk through the Public Gardens where I happened to notice Tinkerbell and her Pixie Hallow friend, Fawn. You two made me smile. Thanks for whatever you were doing. I know you probably…
[Image-1] For the past couple of months I have been getting an absurd amount of junk mail in my mailbox, despite the fact that I have posted a “No flyers please” sign. This doesn’t seem to have any effect on the mail carrier because he has ignored it every single day. I am also getting…
I’ve seen it, others have and it’s time for written words. There’s been an increase in minor collisions, pissed off good drivers and no regard for traffic laws. Red light breaking, cutting off other drivers, not sharing the road, people driving without lights at night. I know Halifax is laidback but not to a point…
On the #7 a sign says “Welcome to Halifax ” down the road Dartmouth 150 kms Halifax 155 KMs WTF ? HRM confusion since 1996 —confused
I love the food trucks…quality of service, food and price are superb. What I don’t like is paying to get into a food truck festival. Why collect only 2.00 admission? Why not collect 10.00 or 12.00 and let the public eat? I don’t pay to get into a food court to find a variety of…
The show must go on? The Atlantic Fringe Festival is looking for your help to fund this year’s festivities. An IndieGoGo campaign, launched this morning by festival director Thom Fitzgerald is looking to make up for the funds slashed by Halifax council. The scrappy theatre festival urges supporters to dig deep into their pockets to…
“I don’t think I’ve ever said the word kitty so much in my whole fucking life,” laughs Kasey Chaulk. The entrepreneur behind the potty mouthed pop-up gift shop Frank & Folly is at it again, putting her gift-loving ways and wise wit to work with Kitty Kitty, a subscription box for feline lovers of all…
Tonight, UK-based, German sound and performance artist Helmut Lemke presents “Long Strings ‘n’ Short Encounters” at The Bus Stop Theatre (8pm), a collaborative, improvisational concert experience with Paul Cram (sax/ clarinet), Brandon Auger (modular synth), Lukas Pearse (bass) and Andrew Patterson (reading). It will be his only performance in Halifax. As one of the the Ballast artists…
When we were all buried up to our earlobes in snow last winter, designer Maggie MacCormick and jewellery-maker Sarah Sears were sweating bullets in India. The pair spent four months not just travelling, but getting inspired by the people, places and materials they discovered along the way. “It was pretty amazing,” says Sears. “More inspiring…
[Image-1] Reason number 756 why the Halifax Regional Library is great. Misplaced my debit card sat. Card does not have my name on it. Returned ( yes, overdue) books today….and an eagle eyed librarian found it stuck in the pages….and called me!!!!!!! And no, says the menopausal woman, I have no idea how it got…
[Image-1] Tuesday at 3:45. A man in distress on Barrington Street. Thanks to the two Halifax Transit drivers, one seniors’ home worker and the uniformed member of the HMCS Protector? Preserver? For jumping into action. —#7 passenger
[Image-1] Hey remember me? You suddenly rode your bike across three lanes on Chebucto on Sunday morning, Aug 16. Not only didn’t you look to see if cars were coming, but then you stopped in the middle lane suddenly to pick up something off the ground. I blew my horn at you. I’m a cyclist…
What are you thinking running a dozen segways on the boardwalk? It’s busy enough walking, but it have to get out of the way so you can zip and drive in front of me is insane. Stick to the deserted sidewalks of downtown —BoardWalker
This past humid Saturday afternoon, a bunch of Halifax bands carried gear, a generator and sweet summer snacks to the old lookout on the Polly’s Cove Trail, a rugged path with a beautiful view of Peggy’s Cove. Organized by Matt Peters, the Polly’s Cove Summer Show featured eight sets of folk, rock, sludge and electronica on rock…
“Bands are like gangs,” says Arlo Klahr of Fragile Gang, “Gangs need each other to be strong.” Tonight at Gus’ Pub, Fragile Gang brings their folky post-punk, hazy heartfelt pop jams all the way to Gus’ Pub. The touring duo will be joined by Toronto post-punk band Casper Skulls, with Halifax locals Josh Salter and fuzzy pop ensemble The Everywheres…
1 William Michael Sandeson has been charged in with 1st-degree murder in the death of his fellow Dalhousie student Taylor Samson. Court documents from police claim Samson had been selling marijuana for extra cash, and was supposed to meet a new customer with a large order when he disappeared on Saturday. Samson’s friend, the same…
When Barrington Street’s book and spirituality shop, Little Mysteries, closed last August, it was more than a loss for the street. “There was an entire community without anything like it,” says Pamela McInnis, owner of Put Me On (1526 Queen Street) and a one-time Little Mysteries employee. “There’s a very spiritual community here, and there…
The Maritimes are swimming with pride: there’s a tale to be told of why people stay, why they have to leave and how they always come back. Vish Purgrass pays homage to our seabound coast through storytelling. Originally from the UK, the digital art director found himself swept up by the beauty of Nova Scotia…
In April, Halifax’s Floodland released It’s The Fire, which featured the single “Old School,” a perfectly named rock jam for this four-piece rock band. Across the universe of their releases, Floodland brings classic pop sounds into modern indie rock, like a revolver. To shake it up, baby, Floodland’s been covering legendary Beatles songs in live performances. With…
[Image-1] There is a bullshit cultural milieu surrounding the use of cannabis. The general perception seems to be that marijuana is not only a completely harmless substance, but actually a panacea capable of alleviating/curing a vast array of medical conditions. However, its use is hindered by mean, moralistic politicians who are kept in the back…
[Image-1] The Aluminum Falcons softball team are all smiles, buzzing with excitement, giving props and high-fives. They re-enact the big moments of an 11-10 nail-biting semi-final win against the Master Batters. The big comeback win came after trailing going into the seventh and final inning, on diamond 10 of the Halifax Common under a cloudy…
[Image-1] There’s a forgotten treasure in the Halifax Harbour and those who care to visit remain unsuccessful. It’s been over a year since the general public was permitted on Georges Island and there’s been no indication of progress to reopen. Tristan Cleveland, coordinator of Our HRM Alliance, says establishing visitor accessibility to historic sites should…
“Most folks don’t want to feel. I try to write about how I feel,” says accomplished poet, playwright and director Clyde A. Wray, who will read from works old and new at Prismatic. Based in Fredericton, Wray turns fleeting moments into permanent forms by staying open to the world: “All I have to do is…
Playwright Leah-Simone Bowen knows better than to plan a quick exit from a reading of her play The Hallway. “People want to talk to me about it,” she explains on the phone from her home in Toronto. “I usually get people saying things like ‘that’s not what [I] expected to happen.'” That’s exactly what she…
The reputation of Renée Lavallée’s popular Dartmouth sandwich shop, The Canteen, is built—just like its sandwiches—on a foundation of freshly baked bread. Along with a devotion to beautifully baked sourdough, focaccia and bagels, The Canteen embraces seasonal ingredients that are used in creative and classic combinations. And there are very few things bread loves more…
After moving from Mexico to Winnipeg in 2004, guitarist and artist Jorge Requena discovered the city’s vibrant and thriving Latin American community. By 2009, he was inspired to begin a Day of the Dead-themed graphic novel for Mexico’s important national holiday that honours life. This became the blueprint for the group The Mariachi Ghost. Travelling…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22) English author Barbara Cartland published her first novel at age 21. By the time she died 77 years later, she had written more than 700 other books. Some sources say she sold 750 million copies, while others put the estimate at two billion. In 1983 alone, she churned out…
Q I’m a woman in a straight relationship. I woke up this morning, and my BF wasn’t in bed with me. He felt ill in the middle of the night and went to sleep in the spare room—where he found a condom in its wrapper behind the nightstand. Now my BF thinks I’m cheating on…
Efficient career building Love stories that show there are other routes than killing your financial future with university (“How to be a crane operator,” The City by Thoshlae Smith, August 13). Great topic. —posted by Brandon Wilcox at thecoast.ca Heft on the left Hey Isaac, we can make this happen (“It’s time to merge Canada’s…
Started in 1988 in Paris, the fanciest of places, Dîner en Blanc is a dress-coded picnic whose glamourous public location remains a mystery until the night of. Now, people in cities across the world—including Halifax—pay to dress head-to-toe in white and lug their chairs, tablecloths and elegant baskets of food and wine to be part…
The brash, R-rated cousin to the summer’s other wonderful coming-of-age story, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Diary of a Teenage Girl follows teenager Minnie Goetze through an auspicious sexual awakening atop the hills of San Francisco in the 1970s. Completely of her own accord, Minnie (Bel Powley, a terrific UK find) decides…
Without conflict, there would be no stories worth telling. The Dart Gallery seeks to tell popular stories of conflict in fresh, contemporary ways with VERSUS, the downtown Dartmouth gallery’s latest group exhibition. VERSUS was initially dreamed up by Pierre Tabbiner and Dartmouth Clothing Company’s Eric Miller as a means to examine the relationships between classic…
When Jeremy Webb dreams a dream, big things happen. The actor/director/producer/writer set out to bring a small, cabaret-style show to Neptune’s main stage during its normally dark summer months. Instead, it became a full-scale musical. Broadway on Argyle Street stars Webb and Martha Irving as two aging actors who return to the soon-to-be-demolished theatre where…
“Every human being deserves the right to a safe environment in which to lay their head to rest,” says Dwayne Wright, musician and organizer of Headbangers Against Homelessness. On Saturday at the Oasis, the fundraiser features four Halifax metal bands—Aikia, Snap the Butterfly, Forward Unto Dawn and Oceans Will Rise—with all proceeds going to Shelter…
Last Friday, Toronto’s Pleasance Records released a seven-inch split with four new songs by Halifax’s Old & Weird and Toronto’s New Fries, bands that are different in approach, but alike in the methods by which they’re challenging convention. Honestly, this seven-inch super-rocks. There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard anything like it, probably ever.…
When watching Akshongay, it’s impossible not to lose your breath a little as Nova Dance’s Nova Bhattacharya and Louis Laberge-Côté flit, as though weightless, together across the floor. The dancers seem to be communicating telepathically with one another as their bodies bend and spring apart in tandem. “We’re bringing contemporary dance that is inspired by…
For Wallace Smith, music has always been a fact of life. “I was sort of born into it,” explains Smith, a member of the North Preston soul gospel group The Sanctified Brothers. “I don’t think there’s ever a day that went by in the whole time I’ve been alive that singing hasn’t taken place in…
Shahin Sayadi has just secured a very important item for this year’s Prismatic Arts Festival. “We needed a fire permit,” he says, as if such requests are everyday occurrences for artistic producers. This fire is a very important element in one of Prismatic’s most unique offerings: The Global Savages. Manitoulin Island’s Debajehmujig Storytellers will gather…
Michael Greyeyes, a renowned artist/dancer/choreographer/actor/director and professor of theatre at York University, explores a Cree family’s experience of the harsh Saskatchewan winters through the decades with his multimedia installation and solo performance Winter Home. Greyeyes—who you’ll likely recognize from his on-screen roles; he’s appeared in everything ranging from Passchendaele to Smoke Signals, Charmed and Law…
1 “I’m willing to let go of what I have so I can grow something that I don’t quite have yet.” That’s what Fred Connors told us yesterday upon announcing that after 11 years on Agricola and North Streets, FRED. would be moving out of its current salon-cafe location at the end of September. Don’t…
