Hate World Cup? You’re not alone…
This is why women hate soccer. Coverage for every major sporting event, from World Cup to Stanley, always falls into the same sexist trap: what about the poor, poor wives of the knuckle-dragging men who watch the damn sports. Because ladies like to be pampered and cuddled. Apparently we want to talk about our feelings…
Darrell Dexter explains his concerns with Bridge Terminal plans
Tuesday night, Darrell Dexter was on CTV news, and said that his office opposes changes to the land use bylaws that make the new terminal possible. Tim Bousquet interviewed premier Darrell Dexter today about those concerns. The following is a transcript of that interview. The Coast: What are your concerns about the Bridge Terminal? Darrell…
Bitch to self
Girls are such bitches, true, but I am the real bitch who repeatedly goes back to them, only get cheated on again. This bitch goes out to me. Bitch to self: you are a bitch. Smarten up! —Black Hearts Club
Yellow Hummer
To the heartless couple driving a yellow hummer: When I approached you about running over and killing my cat, it would have been nice if you guys had shown at least an ounce of sympathy. Laughing in someones face after you killed their cat is probably the furthest thing from normal caring human action. —Zero
Little Red Duck Hats
Hey Kids, and/or Parents of said Kids, when you’re done with your shootouts in the Public Gardens, pick up your spent rounds! I’m sick of walking past benches littered with little red popgun cap rings all over the place. They’re not going to biodegrade, and the ducks aren’t going to discover them as a new…
STOP SMASHING SHELTERS!!!!!!!!
I get it that kids want to be little punk asses, but why the hell do they have to keep smashing bus shelters? I know Metro Transit does their best to clean up all the glass but it is still all over the place! Try walking your dog around a bush shelter that has been…
Still Amazed By You
You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Who else has ever stirred my soul in such a way? None. We took refuge in one another this past winter for a short but memorable time. We were both hurting so much, but for different reasons. It came to its end, and it hurt (for…
CHECK OUT THE HUGE GUNS ON…
G.I. Joe! Your not-so-subtle glances have, on occasion, made my day. Thanks for the hours of endless amusement (both with & at you!) you’ve afforded my co-workers and I! As you prepare to depart Scotia Square and take up being a Real (Canadian) Hero elsewhere, know that you will be missed. Please tell Googles that…
What a Lil’ Gentelman!
Waiting for the bus the other morning on Bayers Rd, there was a group of young high school girls, and myself heading to work. There was a young boy standing by the side walk, and like a gentleman stood back (though he was first in line), and let all the ladies get on the bus…
To all the DT Dollar Store Ladies…
Just wanted to say I`ve been a customer of your store for years and you`ve ALWAYS been a group of the sweetest, most helpful, friendliest women in retail. From calling everyone ‘sweetie’ ‘honey’,’dear’ etc., and always smiling and chatting with customers, to your helpfulness in finding a certain item, to letting us squeeze into the…
Good Karma Coming YOUR way!
To the kind soul who found my purse in a shopping cart at the Penhorn Sobey’s and returned it on Friday. THANK YOU!!! I had a million things on my mind and was leaving for the weekend after getting some groceries. It would have totally ruined my weekend and more! I hope that every good…
Wicked-cool cougar purse
You: Wonderful purse-finder Me: Purse-loser Thank you so much for returning my cream-coloured purse with the golden cougar buckle. It is easily the most bad-ass thing I own and I was heartbroken when I lost it. Email editorhilary@gmail.com if you see this. I want to thank you! Do you like cookies? I want to bake…
Spaceships and Telescopes
This is a shout out to my main man, so as a warning to all you online folk reading, it’s going to be a giant ball of corniness. The brief encounter we had before we were together led me to write a love about you on here a little while back. Although you never actually…
Love yourself…
To all the men and women of Halifax, Sackville, and Dartmouth: You are awesome. Be yourself, no matter how crazy that is. Smile for no reason, laugh out loud when you think of something fun. Don’t be shy let it out. Live, laugh, and love. Three big rules to live by… —Love Vibes
To my caring new neighbours…
Thank you very much for giving me a big big of cat food for the abandoned and feral cats that I take care of !! You noticed the cat shelter behind my house, inquired about it, and then were very sweet to drop off food. I have rescued 6 cats in the past two years…
Cadillac Gas Mask
To quote the fantastic Bruce Dickinson song “Cadillac Gas Mask”, I’d like to send love to all those people who “get of your cars and take a walk on the street”. There’s nothing I love more in Halifax then taking a walk around town and have the smile on my face grow as I see…
CB
I like walks near the beach… getting lost in a silver honda… and laughing so much I fell in love at Rainbow Haven. Your part time lover and full time friend. —G
The Cribs
Thanks for making the best lo-fi indie british post-punk around. Love you guys. <3 —Cribs lover
I want you to bring me back through the gates
You came to my show tonight, out of the blue with our mutual friend. I was so pleased to see you; I always am. We had that really intense fling just before Christmas. We were both fresh out of really rough relationships. It didn’t work out for us but it’s okay. I don’t think that…
Free Dave Bidini show today at 2:30pm
In town for a two-night stand at The Carleton with Bidiniband and Colleen and Paul, the former Rheo and notable author performs an acoustic solo set.
Ping and Pong
That pin reminded me how much I loved Halifax, found off the street if you can even believe it – it’s what brought me back. I couldn’t imagine a better band, a better venue; and though my favorite possession has, it seems, ventured onward forever, I hope it’s new owner pays it it’s due respect.…
Friendly on Bell Rd
To the girl (blonde wearing a cute floral romper) who offered me a hand with my bike, even though I didn’t need it, I really did appreciate it. I’ve been in many roadside situations where I stuggled on my lonesome and I just think that was so sweet. And I tried to wave to kind…
Bike-Thief Bitch
To the bitch who cut my lock and stole my bike: I hope you appreciate the terrible gears and lack of a tune-up. You see, it was a brand new birthday present I bought for myself and I hadn’t yet brought it back for a tune-up. I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in two years and…
Rain or Not
It should have rained during your wedding last year. I thought it did cause it rained here all summer long. Either way it was sunny for my sisters wedding and he still cheated on her. Don’t kid yourself, I am still in his heart. And he is still in mine. Love you SMU Grad —S’up?
To the bro mansion in the apartment above me
I gathered from your drunken “rhymez” that were being screamed into my window from outdoors at 3 am that you’re obviously not “taking money from the bank of Dad”, but some of us actually have jobs to get to in the morning. And I know that it’s all fun and games on Friday night, in…
Dexter throws potential wrench in Bridge Terminal plans
This is all very rushed… Apparently, premier Darrell Dexter was on CTV news tonight, and said that his office opposes changes to the land use bylaws that make the new terminal possible. (See here for more detail.) You’ll recall that after initial plans to have the Bridge Terminal travel alongside Nantucket Street were met by…
The Coast does NXNE: A preview
This ain’t Toronto, or at least not the Toronto I remember. There’s a chain link fence cordoning off a large swath of the downtown core. Kites and radio-controlled aircraft, I’m told, are strictly forbidden. Poorly-marked CCTV cameras track every movement south of bustling Queen Street. Two-week summer condo sublets cost roughly $8,400. And there are…
CTV reports NSCAD’s financial difficulties
NSCAD’s waterfront campus Last night, as I groggily analyzed Bruce Frisko’s tie on the ATV 11pm news (note to news writers: referring to “starving artists” is as cliche as saying that TV hosts are shallow), he surprised me with a piece about NSCAD University and their current financial situation. The school isn’t saying anything, but…
Emma FitzGerald’s jeans in the genes
“See Reverse for Care” by Emma FitzGerald, produced at Ross Creek. There’s nothing more ubiquitous than an old pair of blue jeans. It’s our reliable go-to uniform as well as a social status indicator. Cowboys, construction workers and supermodels wear them, but we rarely think about where all that denim originally came from, or where…
Sensationalistic shit
Dear Media: Why the fuck do you insist on printing the horrible details of a person’s death? Is it not bad enough someone was murdered? Do we have to know the details? Do you never think that when you post pictures of a car wreck, that the family of the victim wake up and find…
That’s the way the ball bounces….
The World Cup introduced a new ball this year, the Adidas’s Jabulani. This has been the cause of all sorts of whining by the he-men soccer players: Algeria’s Fawzi Chaouchi was the latest keeper to be impacted when he allowed a long-range strike from Slovenia’s Robert Koren to evade his grasp and produce the only…
Oh Canada! Pier 21 officially the country’s national immigration museum
It’s official. On Monday, the House of Commons voted unanimously to designate Pier 21 as the country’s national immigration museum. It’s not just a fancy title: this means that the former immigration shed will be eligible a higher level of federal funding, as well. Here is Sean Flinn’s story from last year, when the announcement…
Laura Chenoweth’s hot pink summer clothes
The Summer Love Clothing & Fashion Sale is happening at Heroine (5775 Charles Street) on Thursday June 17, Friday June 18 and Saturday June 19, from 11am to 6pm. Expect Laura Chenoweth’s typically gorgeous work to be available, including the very season-sensitive cap-sleeve tops, pink belts, chiffon scarves and organic flannel meterage. Deals abound! Visit…
LCD Soundsystem is Amazing
When I think about LCD Soundsystem’s set on Friday night, I get all gooshy inside. A giant disco ball had the tent sparkling, and some fruity dude had a unicorn he was parading around on a stick, so if you stepped back far enough, it looked like the unicorn was walking on all the bobbing,…
The US “equalises” Britain thanks to a treacherous anti-Commonwealth Canadian
The World Cup just got way more complicated… To the British, she’s Elizabeth Minett, the 5-foot-10 lingerie model whose memory haunted the goalie whose slippery fingers devastated the England team in the match against the U.S. To the folks in Guelph and Muskoka, she’s the gorgeous, brainy, globetrotting Lizzie, daughter of dentist Dr. Charles Minett…
Nuggets and Black Keys
Some random things we picked up/saw during the three-day drive to Manchester: yes, tennessee publishes a weekly newspaper of mugshots. yes, this is a truck with a pair of antlers attached. this photo took some stealthy work – the men were large and shouted a lot. loved this maine has gas, everyone! After Gossip we…
Bonnaroo Tried to Kill Me
heavy cross I’m lying in bed in a crappy motel outside of Chattanooga. I showered for the first time in a few days this morning, and twigs, blades of grass and Gwar blood poured in a continuous stream of disgusting onto the shower floor. I think Bonnaroo happened but I’m not really sure – it…
Ghana’s favourite pothead
Source: boxofficefootball.com Ghana beat Serbia 1-0. I believe it’s because of this fan and his smokin’ headpiece.
Weezer sings World Cup
Download for free on iTunes.
Strangerer and strangerer
“I view myself as a Johnny Appleseed,” says comic store kingpin Cal Johnston “I’d like to travel the world opening comic stores.” And so he is—with his first new location in many years, which will be his third, counting his Fredericton store. You’ll find Strange Adventures #3 at 101 Portland Street, 444-2140, and open on…
Sorry about the spam…
It’s coming from some web site in China. I deleted the first batch, and blocked the email address, but they just used another and added a bunch more, and I’ve just deleted all that. I’ve asked the tech people if there’s a simpler way to block this stuff, but in the meanwhile, it’s much easier…
To drivers who blast their fucking horns
STOP IT. RIGHT NOW. NOT NECESSARY. The street isn’t loud enough with sirens, trucks, engine noises, obnoxious teenagers and those noisy fucking mufflers (don’t even get me STARTED on motorcycles)? Is it really crucial to your existence that you lay on the horn because the guy in front of you isn’t driving according to your…
For Mr Bannanas
You will always be my family. I am in love with you and always will be. You will always be in love with me. I await the day you come home to me again. —Heartbroken
Tired of Inconsiderate Transit Drivers
To the bus driver that waved at me when I tried in vain to flag him down to wait for me shortly after 11:00 a.m. at the Dartmouth Bridge Terminal on 2010/06/11, FUCK YOU! —Aggravated Metro Transit Rider
Waiting for Left Turn Signal
Listen up drivers. If you are waiting for a flashing left green light, make sure you have your fucking head up and are ready to go. I am sick of people tex ting (or not paying attention) with their heads down while 15 seconds go by. I am waiting behind you arsehole and so tempted…
Get off my tail!
Ok people, listen up: some of us drive vehicles of the manual shift variety. I like my standard and prefer to drive one over an automatic. My question to other motorists out there: is it absolutely necessary to stop so closely behind me? In case you weren’t aware there is, no matter how quick you…
Two faced scabs
Pick a side or it will be picked for you. I have no patience for these people anymore, one strike and you’re OUT! —Stabbed in the back
Big black clip
When I prepare a file and give it to you held together with a giant black alligator clip, I expect it to come back with a giant black alligator clip. STOP STEALING THE CLIP and returning the file back to me as a mess of papers that are all falling apart. —Tidiness is next to…
Horning in on the Vuvuzela Orchestra
Source: vuvuzelaorchestra.co.za Reader M in South Africa writes us: And although the buzzing can be annoying on tv, in the stadiums themselves it creates a fantastic atmosphere. People do call-and-response, and different rhythms, and one local musician has even created what he calls a Vuvuzela Orchestra, with each vuvu tuned to a different note. You…
Viva Italia! Spaghetti at the Italian Cultural Centre
I used to live right the edge of an Italian neighbourhood in Toronto, and it was the place to be during World Cup…unless you liked sleep. Even if you don’t have a drop of Italian blood, you’ll want to cheer along at the Italian Canadian Cultural Centre (2629 Agricola) this month—they’re showing the games in…
Hawley Parade
Parade day in Hawley, Minnesota (rodeo tonight). Folks gather on Main Street early, with nylon folding chairs. The kids all have grocery bags: there’s going to be some candy throwing. There are only a very few horses, but politicians, beauty queens and of course, big-ass farm equipment.
Get your own man!
Ok, I get it, my boyfriend is hot and he plays in a band. I couldn’t agree with you more. I have no problem with the couple of groupies he has. The groupies buy his merch and cd’s so I’m all for them because when he makes extra money at gigs I get taken out…
Halifax Learn How To Walk
Dear Halifax, Why is it that nobody here seems to have the decency to share the sidewalk with others, especially since there is so much room. A LOT of both men and woman of all demographics here seem to have a problem moving over to share the sidewalks when people are walking towards them (like…
Mommy dearest
Mother, I am 26, and circumstances being what they are, I have to move back in with you. Consider me a roommate. This ‘nurture and smother with love’ face you are showing is not gonna work, you are still the same woman who treated me like garbage for the first 26 years. You are not…
Hfx love
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Halifax Central Library planning session on Thursday. It was a lesson in community building and we all played a part. —@steeleworthy
Productivity at work, see you in a month!
Thanks CBC for the blanket online coverage of the World Cup! Too bad my boss won’t appreciate it as much… —SoccerFan
Kindness of Strangers
We went to the Museum of Natural History last Saturday to enjoy their new exhibits and as I was running around with my 5 year-old I set down our silver digital Canon camera somewhere and didn’t notice I didn’t have it until about 30 minutes later. I retraced our steps and had a friend look…
Debit Dude
To the server at the Young Street eatery. Thanks for making my day a little brighter as I stood waiting for the debit to start working again. I was having a really cranky day and you put me in a better mood. That was great. —Veggie delight
Step one, one, one – we can have lots of fun
Awww girl you are the best friend/partner in crime EVER! I just wanted to tell you that, because I know you read this thang. Dont worry, if you wear the lampshade tomorrow night I will take care of you even if you get all surly-like haha and I will wear flats if I can find…
May the force be with you!
Or this guy the dude with telephone booth? I get all my superheros mixed up. (link)
Will the US’ biggest (and only) soccer fan lose his shit today?
Source: The Onion It’s Brad Janovich day! A huge game for the team, the US play England this afternoon at 3:30pm. According to the Guardian, the Americans are lacking in any Michael Jordan players (no stars), so they’ll have to play well as a team. But of course Janovich knows this—while his buddies are eating…
More Halifax World Cup venues
Having seen Shoptalk give a shout-out last week to a few local venues prepping for World Cup action, the fine folks at Niche (1505 Barrington Street, 423-6632) blew their vuvuzela—the multi-decibel noise-making horn popular among soccer stadium dwellers—to remind us that they are going all out for World Cup celebrations by putting up a tent…
Vuvuzuela victory
I appreciate what my colleague Mr Bousquet is saying about the cultural significance of this horn, but I dunno. I’ve been watching the replay of the South Africa-Mexico game from earlier today, and those horns sound like a swarm of angry mosquitos, so consistent and ubiquitous and annoying… it certainly diminishes the pleasure I’m getting…
Vuvuzuela palooza
Journalists everywhere—OK, maybe just one dude in a Hali newsroom—are updating their spellcheckers with the strange and slightly suggestive word “vuvuzuela,” which near as I can tell is a requirement for entry to the upper tier spectator seats. Somebody who actually knows what he’s talking about explains: Vuvuzela is a traditional horn used by South…
Halifax West poll pits Megan Leslie against Peter Kelly
Residents of the federal electoral riding of Halifax West are reporting that they have been polled about a possible contest between sitting MP Megan Leslie and Halifax mayor Peter Kelly. Thing is, Leslie doesn’t represent Halifax West, so such a race is all but impossible. Leslie is the rep for the Halifax riding, which consists…
Is Canada’s housing bubble about to burst?
I know I’m nearly alone in my view that Canada’s housing market is in a huge bubble, which will soon burst, just like the American housing market did two years ago. I’ll leave the details of my argument to another time, but for the moment, let me point readers to a press release I recently…
Al-Jazeera English now available on TV in Nova Scotia
Al-Jazeera English now available to Canadian satellite TV subscribers as well as on Rogers and Videotron cable.
Halifax firefighter union pulled commercials under threat of disciplinary action
Last week, as theChronicle-Herald reported, the Halifax firefighter union was preparing to air commercials to protest the Fire Department’s plan for rolling temporary closures of four fire stations: King Street in Dartmouth, Lady Hammond Road in Halifax, Bedford station and Upper Sackville. But those commercials never ran. “All I can say is that we’ve been…
Shelving thoughts
Local architectural firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell and Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen were recently hired to design and build Halifax’s soon-to-be Central Library, and are starting the public consultation process this week with the first public meeting. With projects such as Citadel High School and Dalhousie’s New Academic Building under FBM’s belt, and both…
Game on
The World Cup finally started today—you might’ve heard—and Team Coast is there. Not there in South Africa. There watching live webcasts on our computers at work, trying to figure out what the hell is going on in a sport that can have offsides without a blue line. Soccer may be the biggest game on the…
V for victory
In the midst of renovations in its 35th year—The Ship’s Victory (400 Windmill Road, 463-7496) spread its nautical-styled sails in 1975—the family-owned establishment is planning to celebrate the changes, along with the Navy’s centenary, later this month. An email from manager Catherine MacDonald explains: “Over the last few months we have had new parking lot,…
Big book sale
Though it’s well-known for course texts and serious political and philosophical books that make you go “hmmm,” Outside The Lines (6265 Quinpool Road, 422-3544), which Shoptalk recently reported is now open on Sundays, also has a selection of more mainstream reads as well. You may wish to keep this in mind as the store is…
The guy on the 52 Bayers Lake
I saw you on the 52, I thought I recognized your smile. You’re the guy I asked for papers while you were on your doorstep one afternoon. You’re incredibly cute and you make me very nervous. You definitely didn’t notice me, but that’s okay. Keep doing what ever it is you do that makes you…
Awesome and cheery Bicycle Cop
Thanks to the cop on her bicycle near the Triangle who wasn’t a hard-ass about me being on my motorcycle for all of 20 seconds without a helmet while I moved it from one spot to another. I know some cops would have freaked out and started to at least tear into me if not…
Don’t Forget Me
Even though we haven’t been friends in a while, I was really sad to see you go. There was so much else I wanted to say before you left. Thanks for everything. Your awesomeness, all the conversations, the laughs, the friendship. I’m sorry again for everything. I wish you all the luck and happiness in…
Thank you to those who clean up their dog’s shit
Thank you to those who clean up their dog’s shit. —BM
Bike accident by the Plum
Tuesday afternoon I braked too fast going down Sackville St. and flew over the handlebars of bike, landing gracefully on my face. Thank you to everyone who came running; collectively you helped scrap me off the pavement, called my mom+paramedics, cleaned me up and drove me to ER. At one point there were 2 girls…
Increase the Peace
So I shave my head, I like it that way; I’m the most comfortable that way. But I don’t understand why people ask if I’m a skin head or a Nazi and then look at me waiting to laugh. Asking me if I’m a white supremacist or a member of a regime that slaughtered millions…
Another dog shit bitch…
To all of those assholes who do not properly dispose of their dog’s feces: Do you like shit all over your shoes, on your clothes and even your hands?!!? Probably not – and neither does anyone else!!!!!! I work in Fleming Park (for those who don’t know where that is, it’s where the Dingle Tower…
Depends for Feathered Friends
Dear Birds – go shit somewhere else!! You feathered fuckers piss me off, I wash my car, stand back to admire the sweat and toil and then kersplat a big fucking bird turd on the hood. Anyone willing to chuck in some $$ for bird depends? —Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Premier League fans
This isn’t really a bitch, but I am truly baffled on how the hell there are people that exist in North America that are fans of clubs like ‘Liverpool F.C’, Manchester, etc. etc… you know what I’m talking about! Where the hell are they? Not on any of my TV stations! I have basic cable…
Dear Mr Scooter Man
Good for you. You’re being eco friendly and driving your scooter to work. Less gas, less pollution and all that. But seriously man… do you need to take up TWO parking meters for your freaking scooter? What about all the gas and exhaust burnt by people circling the building looking for a place to park…
Clean up your dog’s shit
Clean up your dog’s shit. —BM
Hoarders who vanish…
There is a hoarder lady who has lived in Halifax for years, and she always has the craziest, dustiest collection of crap displayed in her windows and door. She even changes it to reflect changing seasons and to celebrate holidays. I walked by today and it the apartment was EMPTY, with walls knocked out and…
Saint Leonard’s Society to build transitional housing project on Gottingen Street
The operators of the Metro Turning Point homeless shelter are planning to build a four-storey transitional housing project on Gottingen Street, at the corner of Cunard, on what is now an empty lot next to the Company House bar. Ross Cantwell, who is the brain behind several other Gottingen-area projects, says he has been working…
Wilderness terminated
The proposed expansion of Metro Transit’s Bridge Terminal is one step closer to reality, as Halifax council Tuesday gave its final OK to placing the new terminal on land occupied by the Urban Wilderness Park in the Dartmouth Common. Council still has to approve architectural plans and allocate the money to build the terminal but,…
Trudeau, the opera
Love him or hate him, there’s a larger-than-life quality about former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau that makes him the perfect subject for an opera—a fact that was not lost on George Elliott Clarke. In 2007, the award-winning Nova Scotian poet/writer again teamed up with jazz composer DD Jackson (Clarke and Jackson had previously worked…
It Kills resurrects rowboats, sort of
photo Mat Dunlap One of the saddest days in recent scene (and Scene) history was the dissolution of the majestic, peerless i see rowboats. Most of that band has returned in the form of It Kills (formerly Library). After a generally revered set at Long Live the Queen last month, the band will release its…
Ex’s bullshit is sopping wet
Q My husband was 28 when I met him and a virgin. When we started having sex, he opened up about being “different.” He wanted to wear panties, he wanted me to have sex with other men, he wanted me to make fun of his tiny penis. Didn’t love the stuff, but whatever. Now it’s…
Get Him to the Greek translates poorly
Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) is sent to London to fetch rock god Aldus Snow (Russell Brand) for an LA concert. The film can’t be praised as a completely funny movie because it is more like a collection of funny ideas, however the film’s one deep pleasure is Brand’s Snow and the filmmakers know how to…
Bad Vibrations
Last summer, when KC Spidle formed Bad Vibrations, his vision was simple: “My plan was to rock,” he says. A veteran of many a venerable local group (The Hold, Dog Day, Husband and Knife), Spidle was itching to play loud, heavy music—“not wanky,” he says. He wrote 13 songs in two hours and then corralled…
Dana Beeler
The first time that Dana Beeler played in front of an audience, she was almost overwhelmed by nerves. “I performed at a high school open mic and almost fell off my chair,” she says. Although Beeler has played in a bluegrass band with her family for years, the 19-year-old says it took time for her…
The Caravan
Known for outlandish acoustic hip-hop covers of “Mama Said Knock You Out,” The Caravan has been silently gaining a cult following and is now putting its debut album, Emerald City, out on wax June 12 at the Seahorse—fronted by NSLC employee/potential Playgirl cover model Kyle Mckenna, with Freddie Prinze Jr. look-alike Mark Bachynski on the…
Long, Long, Long
Long, Long, Long can’t sit still. They’ve barely played their second show, and they’re already working on their second release and preparing for a mid-June tour. After three of four band members began building a reputation across Canada as York Redoubt last year, the band’s sudden split late in the fall left plenty of disappointed…
How to reclaim the city’s public spaces
Michael Cook’s coming to Halifax and he’s packing big ideas about public spaces. Cook is an advocate of us citizens creatively claiming public spaces in our cities, or what he calls “placemaking”—one of the primary principles and practices of his Portland, Oregon-based group, City Repair. From a bench on the corner to street paintings, a…
The Cold Warps
Here’s a conundrum: You and your friends start a band. You make punk that spangles, with romantic snappy hooks that echo in the brain for days. You do a small tour, you release a tape and suddenly everyone is in love with you. Crowds throng your shows, each person banging into the other, clutching each…
Alderney Gate Library’s big 2-0
Twenty candles sit atop the cake for Alderney Gate Library’s birthday on Monday, and you’ll have a chance to blow them all out at a lunchtime celebration that also opens a photo exhibition of the library from 1990 to the present. “We had a ton of neat old photos, so I got a really nice…
Heather and Chelsea Edgett
It doesn’t get any sweeter than Heather and Chelsea Edgett. The twosome embodies love, togetherness and matrimony. Both are songwriters in their own light. Having met via MySpace, Chelsea chased Heather to Los Angeles where the two of them cultivated their craft and said their vows. Due to Proposition 8 they had to head back…
Ranters, Ravers and Raconteurs
Keltie MacNeill, interning curator at Eyelevel Gallery, believes in storytelling as a way of working on solutions, be it for the world’s problems or those of a budding artist starting a career. That’s why she made a call for artists who could tell a story through their work for Eyelevel’s current show, Ranters, Ravers and…
Meat Curtains
With a moniker like Meat Curtains, the feminist question is almost inherent. “It’s pretty gross,” says drummer Jenna Empey (AKA Ronny Rib Rack). “Our lyrics are pretty disgusting. Hanging out with us quite vivid and gross.” Inspired by the grotesque, Meat Curtains is comprised of bassist Heather Rappard (Betty Bologna), guitarist Jenny Gillespie (Patti Pisstrami)…
Fire brand
For more than 20 years, Cafe Chianti sat on the corner of Hollis and South, romancing the south end with a delicious European menu and understated elegance. Five months ago, a fire shut down the restaurant, leading to a few furious months of relocation and renovation. Now, Cafe Chianti is open again, in the old…
Micro Organs
Jenny Gillespie (also of Meat Curtains) first began performing solo under the name Oil Spills and Microrganisms in 2008, but has since switched to the shorter Micro Organs. She teamed up with drummer Mathieu Blanchard in October of last year—“I thought you were good, I wanted to play with you,” Blanchard pipes up from behind,…
The best of Michael Caine
Here’s a question: What actor had his stage name used in a hit song by British pop act Madness? Here’s a clue: He also appeared in the very first play by Harold Pinter. Got it yet? How about this: He’s played a transvestite psychiatrist murderer and was in a killer-bee movie called The Swarm. We’re…
Mydriasis
Mydriasis is one of those bands where the “new” status is a little amorphous: They’ve been jamming in various incarnations for the past two years, and three members—Mike Atwell, Mitch Henshaw and Jeff Morrison—have played together for years. But after going through three bass players and two singers, guitarist Henshaw says that the pieces finally…
Running with Caribou
Of all the artists you might have predicted to make the dance album of 2010, Caribou probably wasn’t on your shortlist. But with a decade’s worth of critically acclaimed, award-winning bedroom electronica to his credit, Dan Snaith—the man behind the moniker—was determined to make a clean break from people’s expectations. “I was very conscious of…
The Numbered Head
“The salt of Halifax has kept the band tough and robust,” says bassist Mark Gale. “The water of Halifax keeps us wet.” After laying the foundation for the band in 2007, it wasn’t until last winter the four-piece project came into its own. As a patchwork of Maritimers who gather from all over the region—The…
One Life Surf heats up
The ladies at One Life Surf School are leaving the boards at the beach and heading to the Seahorse to host one big dance party this weekend. “This is just a fun excuse to bring together all the partners and friends who help make our company happy,” writes Caralee Murphy, from OLSS. Not to be…
Quaker Parents
Quaker Parents began as a collaboration between brothers Mark (Gamma Gamma Rays, A History Of) and Scott Grundy (Gamma Gamma Rays), playing jittery, danceable math rock. They soon added Brad Lahead (Long, Long, Long) to the fold, and Mark calls the group “more of a band now.” “We’re more confident. We’ve developed well under the…
Colleen and Paul sing it all
“I’m a princess and I live in the tower spa, and I’m having a mud bath now,” says musician Colleen Hixenbaugh, pulling off a snobby air before bursting out laughing. Hixenbaugh is using a phone at the spa of the Ontario inn where she’s staying, after a show with husband Ron Sexsmith the evening before.…
Quivers
Two-fifths of beloved-but-defunct psychedelic rock band The Gideons, the more punk-influenced Quivers began practising a few months ago, playing their first show in April. “My old band broke up and Lyle [Peterson] and I wanted to keep playing together,” frontman Josh Salter explains. They joined forces with bassist Ryan Allen (Cold Warps) and drummer Matt…
Free Will Astrology
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) If you have long conversations with the image in the mirror this week, I won’t call you a megalomaniacal narcissist. Nor will I make fun of you if you paint 15 self-portraits, or google yourself obsessively, or fill an entire notebook with answers to the question “Who am I, anyway?” In…
The Rockin’ Apostles
If the rockabilly scene in Halifax could be likened to a growing baby, the three men in The Rockin’ Apostles are the ones to rear it. When veteran player Carey Beck moved to Halifax after years doing rockabilly on the road, he found two like-minded souls in Fabian O’Brien and Craig Hamlin. The three began…
NDP’s unchallenged anniversary
Our new NDP government has turned its back on its dearest friends. At the party convention last weekend, Darrell Dexter made a point of not thanking the opposition parties and the media for helping his government weather its first year in office. Yes, the NDP won the provincial election a year ago this week and…
Stop Motion Massacre
Stop Motion Massacre is filled with illuminated inspiration. The three-piece punk band released its album Bright Ideas at the Obey Convention in late May. Instead of the usual jewel case the band offers a free download, a comic book, a mixology book of preferred Stop Motion Massacre drinks (see Acid Viking: Rev combined with a…
Population bomb
In 2007, when I worked for a Ghanaian daily newspaper, I broke a story that 30 percent of the country’s maternal childbirth mortalities were actually botched abortions. Like many women throughout the world, denied access to safe surgical abortions, they resorted to backroom quacks with dubious equipment. They are among the 70,000 women who die…
Union of the Snake
Coming from a strong Halifax rock pedigree, hardcore outfit Union of the Snake played its first show at May’s Long Live the Queen festival. Made of Chad Peck (Noyes Records, Kestrels, The Medium Mood), Jim MacAlpine (VKNGS, North of America) and Dave Kaufman (VKNGS), the band formed out of “boredom, sharing a practice space, and…
Bicycle Bitch
Okay so let me start by saying that I support those who wish to ride their bikes to work or just around town. I am just sick and tired of being a motorist and having cyclists not using their hand signals and suddenly cutting out right in front of my car causing me to slam…
Drivers Ed.
Accidents, they happen, but not all of them have to. This bitch is for the blond lady in the black 4 door who could have killed me Tuesday morning because she couldn’t wait her turn: Maybe you don’t remember learning to drive, in fact I’d place a bet on that being the case after the…
