Bitter over litter
Hey, Halifax, crazy idea, march your fat ass 20 feet to the garbage can after shovelling a bag of Big Macs into your gaping maw instead of dropping it on the sidewalk among the piles of candy bar wrappers and beer bottles. Think you can manage that? I am from a major city in the…
Listen up for once
I have been best friends with you for five years. I have been with you through everything. I gave you advice and helped you after the same douchebag hurt you over and over again for almost a year. Hell, I helped you threw all your “heartache” in the past years that could have been avoided…
Bikes
I thought cyclists were supposed to act like they are driving a vehicle when on their bike. Why then do I constantly see people driving their bikes through pedestrian crosswalks? These are for pedestrians, if you need to cross, WALK your bike. Am I wrong about this rule because it happens so often I am…
Uh, no thanks!
I was talking to this girl on this online dating site. She looked gorgeous, beautiful face, slamming body. I even liked her personality. Unfortunately, as I came into the coffee shop and approached her, when I finally was sitting down in front of her, I was faced with hundreds upon hundreds of those dreadful spots.…
Lawn poison
Isn’t it illegal to use pesticides and shit like that on lawns in HRM? Every fucking time I lay down to have a sweet sunny summer lunchtime nap on various city grounds (Public Gardens, Common, etc) I get an itchy rash on my skin just where the grass makes contact. Quit using fucking pesticides on…
Moving ain’t easy when your box is broke
To mister tattooed university runner-man: You are the most considerate, chivalrous person I have met in a long time. While everyone else I passed on my way from Barrington Street to Queen Street just watched me in my struggle with a heavy, awkward box of boxes for moving, you actually had the humanity to ask…
Look to your right, no, your other right
Drivers, it’s difficult to make a right hand turn onto a busy street in the morning. You are looking to your left trying to see your opportunity while slowly inching into the intersection to strike when the time is right. That doesn’t mean you get to ignore pedestrians in your rush to the next red…
Jonesing for Jonestown
In ambitious people news, Halloway “Hind Legs” Jones is looking for intrepid volunteers and interesting bands for the mini-festival/art show by the name of Jonestown. Happening on August 18, the festival sounds like a doozy. “I’m lining the Bus Stop Theatre (academy style) with paintings and multimedia works I’ve made in my four years of…
Orgasm Zine launch is poppin’ off tonight
Hey ladies! Tonight (Wednesday, June 20) at 8 pm, Orgasm Zine, a new zine about women’s orgasms, will be launched at One Block Barbershop (2010 Gottingen). The zine is a “powerful compilation of women’s stories about their diverse experiences of orgasms,” says organizer Amanda Stevens. Expect readings from the zine, a screening of the documentary…
Thanks for the push, fellas
My vehicle has a gear shift (standard) that is MacGyvered together and slips out of commission sometimes…unfortunately on Friday afternoon at rush hour it happened as I was trying to get onto Joe Howe from some smaller street and I had to glide backwards and onto a small street to get out of the way.…
Guy behind me in line
Dude, back the fuck up! If I can feel your gross breath on the back of my neck you’re too fucking close! I don’t know what your wolf pack told you while they were raising you, but it is NOT okay to MOUNT total strangers in public! (Without their consent.) It’s called PERSONAL space for…
Best regulars in town
To all my cherished regulars, it’s been my pleasure to serve you over the last two-and-a-half years. I’m so appreciative of your loyalty and generosity. Our chats and jokes were always such a nice part of my day. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye but I hope to see some of…
To my lovely co-worker ladies
We eat lunches on patios in the sun, we celebrate birthdays and catch shows on weekends. We keep each other updated on the daily news, laughing, chatting and discussing our work frustrations, life frustrations. And we have our cottage country weekend to look forward to! You girls make work an awesome place to be and…
Hot stuff
Oh my glob, what the stuff? I fucking love you. —Cute Stuff
Effective policing?
I was watching the news and the top story was about a man who was recently swarmed and brutally beaten by five males in Highfield Park. Did anyone else see this story? I say “males” and not “men” because five on one is incredibly cowardly. This victim of this brutal assault had to have facial…
Sunny day
To the girl who stopped me abruptly on the street to tell me that my dress looked nice; thank you! You’re super pretty and you look like the marine trainer from ‘Free Willy.’ You were a lovely start to that sunny day! —Blue Dress
Raise a glass
To the dude at the video store with the glasses from Saskatchewan: thank you, thank you, for making me laugh about chocolate and honeycombs while renting a DVD. A close family member just passed away, and you left me with a smile on my face. —Little Renter
I saw you and you know it
You, with the black dog, I fucking saw you letting him dig up my girlfriend’s garden last Sunday. And it’s not the first time this has happened. Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you!? My girlfriend has worked her hands to the bone to try and coax some veggies from the little patch of…
Enjoying my little fire pit
When we purchased this home three years ago one of the things we loved about it was the nice backyard. Even though we are in the city we had a great backyard with lovely old trees and a garden. But what we really liked was the fact that the owner had a brick fire pit…
From west to east
I came to Halifax in hopes that I would experience my life a little differently, I learned a lot about myself through the people I’ve met and the places I’ve seen, although I regret not opening up to the creative people this city has to offer I enjoyed watching them from afar, maybe next time…
Good for you
Well, good for you! You’ve spawned a child, after chasing after every woman in Metro…cheating, womanizing and basically being a general, all-around sleaze bag. I feel sorry for the poor woman you duped into pregnancy—or maybe she duped you! I’m not sure how a twice-divorced two-timer is going to make out as a father, but…
Banking and cookies
You made spending gobs of money just delightful! I’ll give you that ride home sometime, if you’d like. —Girl With the New Car
I’ll say sorry if you do
You were my best friend and the love of my life. I hope someday we can forgive each other. You gave me the most exciting three years of my life, and the best summers I could imagine. Waterfalls, photo booths, staying up all night writing on walls. We lived on sunlight and chocolate bars. And…
Not everything has an opposite
What’s the opposite of me, or you. The colour blue. Just because I disagree with your opinion doesn’t mean I’m immediately supporting the “opposite” opinion! Sad thing is that these can be highly educated people you’re debating with! —I Just Talk About Space Now
Mr. Epic
I walked in and was instantly lost. I had no clue where to stand! But you ever so nicely directed me, then when it came time for you to take my order, you were so awesome my face started to hurt for my huge smile, I know you put a touch of joy in my…
Be a man
What the fuck is wrong with me? No, with YOU! I am so upset right now. I feel like you didn’t steal anything else but my pride. You drive three hours to see me, you told me you were falling in love with me, and made me fall for you. We agree not to see…
Halifax cab love
I just wanted to send a big thank you to the cab driver who drove my daughter all the way home to Eastern Passage from the hospital at 4am on Sunday, June 10th in the morning. She was at the hospital helping a suicidal friend get help. She didn’t give you a tip because she…
Metro Transit
OK, I remember the city telling us to leave our complaints at the door and not to harass the drivers when they came back after the strike. I complied with this but someone didn’t tell the drivers how to be nice. Every weekend for the past month I have had to take Metro Transit and…
Go down on me!
So here goes…I’m 35 and I’ve never received oral sex. No guy has ever gone down on me, and I’ve slept with over 30 of them. And I’ve been told why by a few men: I’m too hairy. No, I refuse to shave or trim or wax, it’s not natural! Yes, it’s thick and dark…
You broke it
It will have been one whole week tomorrow. Everyone says that “It will get better,” “time heals” and “you’re strong, you’ll get through this.” But those are only words. All of your recent actions made it loud and clear that you no longer love me and so you treated me with disrespect. And when I…
Barbara bushy
You have brought so much happiness, thoughtfulness and ease into my life. I have never laughed this hard with a partner and I feel incredibly fortunate that we stumbled across each other in this life. I have always looked for the good in bad situations and meeting you during one of the worst times lets…
Free advice for dating
Some free advice when on a first date: Do not talk non-stop about your ex-spouse, and explain all their faults that led to your breakup. Do not check out other people in an obvious manner, then comment on how gorgeous they are. And then don’t be surprised when your date doesn’t care for a second…
Mystery
You are a sexy mystery and I’m very intrigued to explore. You are so close, but yet so far. —Always Get What I Want
NXNE Day 4 and 5: The End
NXNE is now officially over and I feel like a giant skin bag of garbage. Writing will be minimal. Happy vibes will be a-plenty. Wonderful times were had. On Saturday afternoon I went to see former Haligonians (and former neighbours) The Danger Bees play in a bordello, apparently: However the band’s high-energy set cut through…
Idiots everywhere
Twice within the past two days, I have been driving behind someone who blatantly threw garbage out of their window. The first was going down Young Avenue and the second was on the highway. Not only is this incredibly lazy, damaging to the environment and frowned upon by society, but it is also DANGEROUS. I…
Star-eyed star-buck
I’m the guy who bought you a lottery ticket. Being totally smitten I had to buy you one. Sorry if it was strange. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a random person a lottery ticket before but you are so cut—that was my awkward way of saying I like you. Hopefully I’ll be less awkward…
Takeout customers not deserving?
Great coffee, nice “mom and pop” outlet but why are your free coffee cards punched for only sit down customers? Takeout coffee is not a legitimate purchase in the eyes of management? What kind of fair trade is that? —J
Break-heart speed
Dear beach-goers and residents of Cole Harbour and Lawrencetown: Please direct your attention to the speed signs on Portland Street as you proceed uphill. It makes absolutely no sense to me why they would make you putt along at 50km/hr as you climb Heartbreak Hill (there is a reason it has such a harsh and…
Rip it up
Carpet: It’s nice and smooth on your feet in the morning, it’s fun to do sit ups or push ups on, you can lay on it and stretch or watch TV and not pinch an ass nerve, but it’s disgusting. Halifax landlords, rip up the carpet already, it’s no longer something people enjoy having and…
Drifter kids rock
Can you imagine if everyone took a chance to explore as much of Canada as they could without wasting away at a job they don’t like and finding alternative ways to make money? If everyone stopped to talk and asked the person sitting there asking for money what roads they had travelled and what brought…
Not so accessible after all
I need a beginner’s licence. Yes, I’m 26 and probably should have done that already but hey! I don’t even have a car. I live downtown, work downtown and I walk everywhere. I’m doing it so that I can potentially drive some other car sometime if I need to. But, this “public service” is hardly…
What’s wrong with me?
Yes I know we’re friends, and I know I’ve been pretty crazy lately and you don’t exactly understand why. I’ll never tell you exactly what’s going on in this head of mine, but even if you’ve decided we are strictly friends, it hurts that when you suddenly become single you don’t consider me for a…
Cafe girls
OK, so I stole a latte. It was sitting there for like ten minutes and no one had claimed it. But you forgot to give my friend her four dollar mini molten chocolate cake! I’d say it was a fair trade, so lay off with the judging eyes. —CoffeeKlepto
Don’t be surprised
As I sit here and try to enjoy a beautiful afternoon, it is once again obvious that the neighbours have zero parenting skills. Because once again their yard is the scene of total mayhem. And for literally hours now I (along with all the people around here) I have had to put up with screaming…
A tree grows at The Coast
The Coast has a tree! Rather, the people of Halifax have a tree, which happens to be situated in front of The Coast office. We moved into our 5567 Cunard Street digs in 2007. The new office is spacious and wonderfully situated in the north end, but it’s always bothered me that the two-block stretch…
Epidemic of disrespect
What the fuck is wrong with society today? I’m trying find a roommate for my new place, and this is the second time someone has stood me up for a viewing. I have no idea what the fuck went wrong; we emailed back and forth, I specified what I was looking for, and they seemed…
You’re destroying your children’s lives
You have every right, even under the law, to not take your medications that stop your schizophrenia. You know, in your saner moments, that you’re experiencing delusions. You understand that, during your saner moments, your delusions create havoc within your family, my brother, our family and your community. We are all adults and manage well,…
Lesson 1: blind people
Hello moron with the blue jersey in the morning on the #7. When you sit in the first seat that is reserved for handicapped people, the elderly and pregnant women, you know, the one right behind the bus driver and a blind person approaches that seat, you might think again before shoving said blind man…
B-Well is first with Ra-men
The B-Well Sushi and Cafe (6184 Quinpool Road, 428-4019) is the first Halifax restaurant to serve Ramen “in earnest.” B-Well owner and cook Masahiro Amemiya started offering the traditional noodle-based Japanese dish as an one-off daily special a few weeks ago, but the response was so overwhelmingly positive that it is now served every day.…
Bird feeders
My husband and I like feeding the birds—we don’t necessarily plan to feed the pigeons, but we are not pigeon racist so we don’t try to chase them away when they frequent the feeder. You are a chicken shit neighbour when you leave a typed, anonymous note telling us we should take down our feeder…
NXNE Day 3: METZ and The Men
I’ll try and keep this one short because I know you get bored easily and breakfast is calling my name. After biking nearly 15K on Thursday night we decided to stick at one venue the next night. First we met up with some familiar faces at the Exclaim!/Jagermeister BBQ, where free samples were indeed offered…
NXNE Day 3: The Anti-NXNE Day
So yesterday kind of became the anti-NXNE day (sorry, festival organizers). First off, England was facing Sweden, so there was no way I was going to miss that. So after about four hours of watching the game at The Duke of York and eating a pretty hefty meal of bangers and mash (England!!!) I headed…
Love, Me Boutique to close
In a big blow to the local artisan community, Chara Kingston has decided to close Love, Me Boutique (1539 Birmingham Street, 444-3668). On her blog she writes: So…this just might be the hardest blog post I have ever had to write. After almost five years of following through on a dream, I have decided to…
NXNE Day 2: Puffy Shoes
Woke up on Thursday feeling a little fuzzy, but there was another Cold Warps show at 2pm so there was no time to dither around, moaning. We headed down to JangBang Bar and Grill, a tiny little spot that serves Korean tacos. There we sat in a fog of booze sweat and found a clutch…
The Record Shop is coming to the north end
Kathy Jollimore and Brent Darbyson are planing to open The Record Shop Resto-Coffee Bar in the next few months, somewhere in the north end. Jollimore is a cook at Saege, and will be overseeing the kitchen of the new operation, explains Darbyson. The pair intend to serve breakfast and lunch, and perhaps down the road…
NXNE Day 2
I’ve always been enamoured by Asian music. Well, at least Asian interpretations of Western music. You may or may not remember (probably not) my name-dropping of Japanese kraut-rock enthusiasts Cornelius in 2011’s Best of Music year end issue. But my love of Japanese art rock doesn’t stop there. Who could ignore the stoner riffs of…
Tess to open backyard patio
Liz Cunningham opened her north end restaurant under the name Chez Tess Creperie (5687 Charles Street, 406-3133) in 2009, but found that the name was scaring people off. First, she dropped the “Creperie” because “people though sweet or breakfast crepes, but we serve all sorts of dinner crepes–scallops, ham, chicken and a wonderful cordon bleu…
La Trinidade is closed
La Trinidade & The Listening Room (5171 Salter Street, 422-6000) has abruptly gone out of business. No word yet as to why, or what will happen to the space.
Escalators move things, Einstein
I don’t care if you get on the escalator and park it, I really don’t. If I’ve had a bad run the day before, my legs don’t want to lift my ass either. But once that escalator stops moving yours, it stops moving at all. So start again. Lift those feet. Shoo, vamoose, andale! Don’t…
Eleanor King Sobey shortlisted
All hail the King! A big congrats goes out to Eleanor King, who’s made the 2012 Sobey Art Award Short List. Snagging the spot for the Atlantic Region, this Nova Scotia artist, musician and NSCAD instructor—she graduated from NSCAD with a BFA in 2001—has been showcased both nationally and internationally, including an appearance in Norway.…
NXNE Day 1
Hey guys! I’m doing some NXNE stuff and blogging about it right here. This is my first NXNE EVER so I have no idea what I’m doing. I guess the purpose of the blog is for you to learn from my mistakes. A really good thing to do before you attend a big multi-day festival…
It doesn’t make sense
To require a degree to get a job that pays 13 bucks an hour. Let us uneducated masses have those jobs! No one goes to university so they can rent cars or work in a customer service position in a call centre. You can have all the relevant experience in the world but because I…
To a certain bitchy little sister
Okay, I know I’m not the most perfect person in the world, but I’m NEVER this mean to you. You constantly put me down and whenever I see you, you end up inflicting some kind of injury upon me. Are you bipolar or something? Go get fucking checked out, I’m sick of you hurting me,…
Ode to Slurpees
Anne of Green Gables, where art thou for me? All I want is a pop-flavoured Slurpee. You have fruity and wacky flavors I know, but where is the Pepsi or Coke? Today I found them at a petrol station, but they were a big rip off because of the carbonation. Oh cycling team, oh cycling…
Monomyth
“This should really be about Graeme [Stewart],” says Josh Salter of the young pup who’s teaching old dogs Salter (Quivers), Seamus Dalton (Nap Eyes) and Andrew Patterson (The Bad Arts) some new tricks. On a debut cassette that’s part soda-pop-malt-shoppe, part shoegaze math-rock, Monomyth write and play to its strengths, touring Canada until July before…
Nightfall
Nightfall started playing live this year, though that was never the intention. Nightwolf (the artist behind Nightfall) has only performed a handful of shows so far—the last being at the Blood on the Altar release at the recent OBEY V—but an upcoming video made by Heather Rappard can help tide you over until the next…
The Cannisters
Last summer, Daniel St. Dan brought his songs from the country to a punk warehouse in Dartmouth. With Dylan Jewers (drums) and Jesse Webber (guitar), The Cannisters recorded tracks that are “somewhere between extreme noise and good old-fashioned folk,” says St. Dan. Playing over 20 shows at Jacob’s Lounge since then (a unique opportunity for…
Radical Cycle
The simplest explanation for Radical Cycle is that the duo—comprised of legendary Haligonian musical brothers Sageev and Dani Oore—creates acoustic “remixes” of classical works. Or, in the words of Sageev: “We took individual art songs by different composers, and reconstructed them into new compositions. No songs were harmed in the process.” The project was born…
Concrete Asylum
Concrete Asylum is wise beyond its years. Although the members of this crust-punk ensemble are all fresh-faced 20-somethings, they’ve collectively logged multiple hours on the road playing or roadie-ing with Contagium, and these mates—Adam Kindred, Cody Cross, Jason Vassalo and Ben Radford—also play in Negative Circles, Word on the Street, Castle Wolfenstein, Envision and more.…
Sex Wzrd
Born from a rich history of ancient civilizations, “scorpion-like arachnidan creatures,” Mayan predictions and drugs (or possibly just the last one), Sex Wzrd is an ode to a mythical creature “known under different names as either the god of sex, the god of intoxicants or the god of musical pleasures,” explains Johnny “The Ripper” Shazam.…
Weirdo Click: No limits
Weirdo Click is prolific, talented and just making its mark on the Halifax hip-hop scene. Lucky for us, this young group’s not planning on stopping anytime soon. by Stephanie Johns Sitting in Weirdo Click’s living room, eating poutine (shoutout to gravy on the side) and playing NHL 12 would take anyone right back to the…
Tales of Old and Weird
Quality over quantity, a great sense of humour and a relaxed sense of joy in Old and Weird’s music leaves us breathlessly waiting for its upcoming tape. The four members of Old and Weird began as co-workers, classmates and friends who had between them a new drum kit, a sister’s borrowed bass, guitar skills and…
Sister Knives
Ace Norman, Kat Williams and Lor Sangster formed Sister Knives as a chance to blow off steam. The group’s upbeat indie pop (think Plumtree meets Tegan & Sara with a touch of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and cheery attitudes turns even the biggest grump in the club to a grinning idiot. This also works at…
Find your New Music Issue here
We went looking for the best of the newest acts on the block, and found 20 for your enjoyment. Thrill to them all right friggin’ here.
Virgil’s Girls
These fellows know a thing or two about momentum. After a few appearances at $Rockin 4 Dollar$ this past winter, the threesome—guitarist/singer Andrew Neville (Quivers, Negative Circles), bassist Matt Grace (Fat Stupids) and drummer Paul Brown (Kestrels)—cranked out a beautiful little self-titled tape, played a cluster of gigs with the likes of BA Johnston, Ultrathin,…
Rock of Ages
On one hand, Rock of Ages presents painfully lifeless covers of Journey. On the other hand, Tom Cruise sings into a woman’s butt. Little more than a feature-length Glee, this hair metal musical finds a small town girl, who was living in a lonely world, moving to LA to become a singer. Naturally, she falls…
Dark for Dark
If the New Music Issue had a “newest band award,” Dark for Dark would peacefully steal the title. Forming this spring, Dark for Dark includes drumming Jess Lewis, key-pounding Laura Peek and strumming Rebecca Zolokower. “I went to a cabin in the winter and songs just came to me,” says Zolokower. “I asked the girls…
Wet Denim
Wet Denim was brought together by love. Love of music, love of cheekiness, love of Halifax. It is influenced by “the magic that is being in a room, playing music together,” says Eleanor King. King, Leigh Dotey, Jess Lewis and Victoria Parker have yet to record any material, but estimate about an album’s worth. “I…
Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom delivers the full Wes Anderson treatment: an ensemble cast of moody characters, stylized aesthetic and a quirky plot. Two troubled New England pre-teens—Sam (Jared Gilman), an orphan boy-scout, and Suzy (Kara Hayward), the daughter of two lawyers (Frances McDormand and Bill Murray) run away together —it’s the 1960s, so essential survival equipment includes…
Dyscontrol
Having known Alex Mitchell (Bloodhouse, Tomcat Combat) and Dave Brown (Career Suicide) for a few years, Lachie MacDonald (Horses) moved back to Halifax and turned their jams into Dyscontrol, a stripped-down punk band like The Undertones and Wipers. “Unrefined, straight to the point, with rawness and honesty that’s not hidden by a lot of extraneous…
WijeratneWorks
Dinuk Wijeratne is a pianist-conductor-composer, and opposite him on the music-genre spectrum is the talented DJ Skratch Bastid. This apple and orange team is joining two other musicians this summer to form the super-group, WijeratneWorks. The band will be playing an epic set of three, 20-minute pieces, composed by Wijeratne, at the Halifax Jazz Festival.…
That’s My Boy
The world of movies wouldn’t miss much if Adam Sandler retired. His latest venture, That’s My Boy, a Happy Madison production directed by Sean Anders, is a comedy of the lowest common denominator. Donny Berger (Sandler), a junior high student, is essentially molested by his sex-kitten teacher and gets her pregnant—their lovechild, Hans Solo (Andy…
The .Gifs
“I really like the boy-girl thing, like Sonic Youth and Eric’s Trip but grungier,” says The .Gifs’ Bijoux Wilcox. “And I use a Grunge FX pedal, which I love.” Wilcox moved from Toronto last year and began jamming with Coleman Johnston in a Dartmouth warehouse. While recording a split tape with The Cannisters, Jesse Webber…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! GEMINI (May 21-June 20) An apple starts growing on its tree in the spring. By early summer, it may be full size and as red as it will ever be. To the naked eye, it appears ready to eat. But it’s not. If you pluck it and bite into it, the taste probably…
Lovers in a digital time
Q I’m a 28-year-old guy who was broken up with via text by a girl I had been dating for two months. She is dealing with the loss of a family member and some other personal issues, and she sent me this message while out of state for a week or so. Two months is…
The Halifax All-City Music Program
If you’ve ever wondered how Nova Scotian musicians developed their skills, one answer is the All-City Music Program. Running for over 40 years, it supplements The Halifax school board’s music programs by offering honour choirs, jazz band and string programs. To join, students audition. “Some people who went through the program are Janet Dunsworth of…
Get in OUTeast
Pink champagne, popcorn and queer films take over the Neptune Studio Theatre for the OUTeast Queer Film Festival. by Veronica Simmonds “There are a lot of bad gay films out there,” Krista Davis says over drinks at Tom’s Little Havana. “And people will watch them because they are gay.” Jenna Dufton, sitting across from her,…
Scarlett Jane’s two hearts
Cindy Doire and Andrea Ramolo, the duo also known as Scarlett Jane, are driving through a Quebec rainstorm, east-coast bound. “We’re losers because we’re both wearing shorts and tube tops because it was so hot in Toronto,” says Doire as Ramolo laughs from the passenger seat, “and now it’s pouring rain.” The pair has been…
Hello, Click
In indie-dominated Halifax, Hello, Click stands out like a neon suit on Spring Garden. Energetic, catchy pop-rock tunes, dashed with hip-hop and house elements, are Hello, Click’s key to overwhelming success—its EP release show in March was sold out. Why six band members? “It’s necessary,” says bass player Tony Kaill. “Each of us always has…
Heritage Moments
We’re Canadian and we’re proud. We have moose, hockey, mountains, double-doubles, the Peggys Cove Lighthouse—all those iconic (read: stereotypical) things that make your heart flutter a little when you think of our great nation. On Friday, a new art exhibit in Halifax will showcase some of that Canadian-ness, perhaps a little more artistically and a…
Joanna Barker comes on down
Joanna Barker has only been playing music in public for about two years, her guitar-and-voice proficiency coming to light in living room jams with Newfoundland pals like Matthew Hornell and Michael Dalton while living in Antigonish. “I had three or four tunes I liked enough to show people,” she says from St John’s. “When I…
The I don’t give a rips
There’s a video on The I don’t give a rips’ website (idontgivearips.tumblr.com) that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about these rakish punkers. Filmed in a Truro elementary school, lit by Christmas lights, the foursome smash out a bunch of pissy, fitful jams in shadow. There’s moments of masterful shredding and moments…
Dhaba Express yourself
I dodge as many raindrops as possible in my quick sprint across the parking lot to the door of Dhaba Express, with my friend Stephen trailing behind. Upon opening the door, a warm blast of spice cuts through the chilly dampness, affirmation that our lunch-and-a-movie plan was the best way to spend a rainy Saturday.…
Authorpalooza
This is the time of year—now that it’s been 20 degrees for more than three days straight—that we start piling our totes full of books and heading for nearby docks, rocks and shores. Saturday, June 16 will help you pick out your summer’s worth with writers running all over the province in celebration of Atlantic…
Jennah Barry
With a folk guitar, a slide guitar and a voice as sweet as honey, Jennah Barry’s first album Young Men is “a lot of juicy gossip,” she says, drawing on a string of loves lost and won between the South Shore and Toronto. Recorded at the Old Confidence Lodge in Riverport over the past year,…
Damning Salmon
In 2007, leader of the opposition Darrell Dexter spoke passionately from a Port Mouton beach: The provincial government is “not listening to [coastal communities]…they could turn this around by demonstrating that, with respect to this project, they are going to say no.” “This project” is an open-pen salmon farm. Dexter was right. Open-pen finfish aquaculture…
Henry Rollins’ long march
When it comes to early ’80s hardcore, you’re either a Morris or a Rollins fan—or possibly a Dez Cadena fan. (Is anyone a Ron Reyes fan?) With this year’s eponymous release by the Morris-fronted OFF!, it doesn’t seem so dated to be talking about former Black Flag singers. Not to be outdone, Rollins is bringing this…
Milk Moustache
Milk Moustache started out as KT Lamond’s solo project that expanded with the addition of Kirk Schnare, Rebecca O’Quinn and Chris Wilson. The new team makes for an eclectic sound including “a few heavy tunes, some slow melodic songs, a few instrumentals—even a funk song,” says Lamond. “I’m really influenced by punny, witty musicans like…
Shaping culture
This week the museum at Pier 21 will officially launch its exhibition Shaping Canada: Exploring Cultural Landscapes, which features contemporary and archival photography, oral histories, public programming and events throughout the show’s summer run. Last year staff met up with photographer Naomi Harris, a Torontonian based in New York, while Harris was travelling across the…
Clean your burners
I’m SICK of hearing your fucking smoke alarm go off every single day around supper time. You either need to stick to cooking things in the microwave or get up off your lazy fat ass and clean your oven! Nothin’ but a bunch of pigs in this town. —Driven Insane
Dee Dee’s expands
Everyone’s favourite corner ice cream and burrito shop, Dee Dee’s (5668 Cornwallis Street, 407-6614) just got a whole lot bigger. Owner Ditta Kasdan has rented the space next door to her formerly postage-stamp sized operation, blown out the wall, re-arranged the kitchen and about tripled the space for customers. She now has a church pew…
Anchored away
The Business Development Bank of Canada is taking votes for the winner of its Young Entrepreneur Award, and in first place is Zane Kelsall, co-owner of Two If By Sea Cafe. Kelsall always wanted to create Anchored Coffee, a roastery specializing in direct-trade and high quality coffee. The grand prize grant of $100,000 would be…
