Unshore
We’re not surprised, at a month till showtime with no posted line-up, that the Shoreline Festival in PEI has been cancelled. Last year’s fest was a fairly dismal affair, with terrible weather and poor walk-up ticket sales leading to the cancellation of day three, an almost all-Halifax line-up. See organizer Dave Christian’s official website apology…
Touring Green – Blog 21: Vegreville to Lloydminster (June 12)
Today I finally unpacked the eagerly awaiting iPod from my bag and began listening to music and boy did I ever listen to music! You Left Saving The Planet definitely worth checking out if you’re an Arcade Fire fan as the guy is a one-man-fire-in-a-place-of-videogames; quite enjoyable. Big Eye: Little Eye by The Golden Dogs…
Touring Green – Blog 20: Edmonton to Vegreville (June 10)
C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.Han Solo: Never tell me the odds. It felt like doing just that while leaving Edmonton; rocks, rocks and more rocks. More rock than if Sabbath covered a Zeppelin song. With the new wheel too, it added some pressure to navigate…
Touring Green – Blog 19: Edmonton (June 6-9)
Edmonton was another whirlwind with three performances at an art gallery, CBC performance space (which was an interesting performance mid-day at CBC in this downtown mall), and the festival show at the Velvet Underground (with a little Cadence Weapon upstairs at the Starlite which was pretty nice since I didn’t get to catch his show…
Touring Green – Blog 18: Lacombe to Edmonton (June 6)
So… things break and my bike is a thing and so I guess, by this logic, it would need to break at some point, which it did today. The spoke situation got worse until, eventually, the wheel was just rubbing right into the bike’s frame and not doing the whole “moving forward” thing. Luckily, after…
Touring Green – Blog 17: Calgary to Lacombe (June 5)
Calgary to Lacombe was a long trek (for those of you looking on the map, it’d be a nearly impossible bike ride without the help of my sis driving me some of the distance). But, despite having this automotive boost, it was still one of the longer bikes at 120k (with some fun off-roading at…
Touring Green – Blog 16: Calgary (May 31-June 4)
Calgary was a busy time despite the idea that I was somehow going to have more time available. Seeing so many friends (Calgary seems to be the new migratory grounds for many young Canadians), interviews and shows filled the few days completely it seemed. There was barely enough time to keep organizing everything (as I’m…
Burning Ears for Tuesday
Would any visit to Metro be complete without a trip to a “Lobster and Lighthouses” tourist trap? (The Carnival cruise line isn’t interested in your answer.) Will the federal budget vote see more Nova Scotian MPs taking Nova Scotia’s side? (The budget vote’s tonight.) And is there anything pithy or trite to say about childhood…
Burning Ears for Monday
Two late-breaking entries for the Seven Wonders of Canada contest: The museum’s beloved tortoise, Gus. Rodney MacDonald’s recently returned spine. Full links below. SLOW AND STEADYfrom London (Ontario)It turns out Gus the tortoise has fans well beyond Metro. Yesterday his birthday was observed at the NS Museum, and the London Free Press ran a congratulatory…
So much music, so little time
If there is a summer custom I already miss about the East Coast it is – first and foremost – the pleasing, communal atmosphere of the backyard barbecue. Recognizing it as being a conducive forum for convening over 100 guests, Six Shooter Records made my Saturday afternoon by hosting a selection of delegates at what…
The Superfantastics: Bring the Cheer
People on the East Coast say “if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes”. And those, like me, who have moved to Toronto in the interests of finding employment (hey, Halifax, I tried!), find out quickly the “land of opportunity” is no different. I had initially been planning on starting the day at…
Taking the Hot Hot Heat
A group of music industry big wigs, and intrigued conference delegates, took over Much headquarters Thursday afternoon to discuss the future of music for profit. While the representative from FACTOR was optimistic a new medium she can’t divulge details on will assure everyone makes money again, much of the rest of the dialogue focused on…
Burning Ears for Friday
Murder, child molestation and, worst of all, Peter MacKay. These are the thing putting our city’s name on people’s minds. Full sordid details below. CLAIMING INNOCENCEfrom Plattsburgh, New YorkGlen Race was in court last night in New York State, and the Press Republican was there taking photos of the accused murderer in his weird white…
Opening day (and one night at the Palais Royale)
Wednesday morning began with a degree of uncertainty as I awaited the reaction of my employers to the “two weeks” I communicated to them the day before. Would I be freed to stroll my second NXNE festival on my own determination, or be obliged to labor long hours to unremitting distraction? Fortunately, I was afforded…
Keep flippin’
As was mentioned in this column last week, Flip the Switch has been cancelled. Organizers say the owner decided to pull the plug at the last minute, leaving many punk and hardcore fans feeling decidedly emo. Promoters say fans should have hope, as they’re trying to get something together. Because true fans never give up.…
Keepin’ it wheel
You know what’s better than a ride on the ferry? A free ride on the ferry. And you know when you can get a free ride on the ferry? Right freakin’ now. It’s true. All you need is a bicycle and a smile. Although you may not have been aware of it, you’re now smack…
This one night I got into film school
In December we told you about Andrew Hines, the local filmmaker who turned a carjacking into a dramatic short called This One Night…. Hines made the film to help him deal with the experience, even setting the film’s violent act in the same alley, beside the Blowers Street Paper Chase, where he was held at…
Burning Ears for Thursday
I went to bed last night depressed about shirking weeks of Burning Ears updates, only to wake up this morning and realize it was all a terrible dream. I’ve actually been a faithful correspondent, every day trolling a whole cyberuniverse to find you lots of Metro mentions. That made me feel a lot better. Then…
Your Daily Sure Thing
Cowboy Show(Rock/stage/enigmatic extravaganza) Integrating live video, movie images, rock music and live acting this show creates an (un)spectacle for people who bored by Hollywood. More extravaganza than an easy to define production, Cowboy Show uses the mostly-true life of Buffalo Bill Cody as a framework and explores the archetypal image of the star as human…
The Penny drops (its name)
The thing about copper is that it can tarnish. That’s why the Copper Penny owners decided it was time to polish up the Clayton Park bar and restaurant. ” spent $100,000 on renovations to the interior and there are going to be renovations outside as well,” says manager Scott Samways. “The new look is far…
The short circuit
The current crop of celluloid storytellers in the Atlantic Filmmakers’ Co-Operative’s Film 5 mentorship program already know you don’t get anywhere without a solid story. The year-long gig starts with eight teams for phase one—development—but only four of them move to the production stage. This year, all four groups are applying to the Atlantic Film…
Turning back the tide
Guarding the entrance to Halifax Harbour, McNabs Island hosts impressive and diverse ecosystems, amazing views of the harbour and interesting and complex archaeological sites, including military fortifications, a bottle works and a cholera cemetery. I had never been there before so I jumped at the opportunity to ferry over with the Friends of McNabs Island…
Noodle all wet
Noodle Nook is a great idea, in theory. With a small menu comprised of various noodle-based dishes from Japan, China and Thailand, Noodle Nook aims to fill a void in downtown Halifax for people who want cheap, healthy take-out. It’s also a lighter alternative to the main dining attractions on nearby Pizza Corner. You can…
Knocked Up
Seeing Knocked Up hyped as a sleeper hit had an obvious effect. The movie opened and made serious bank. All the alternative-fare talk was just a deceitful way of creating anticipation for a blockbuster. Were Judd Apatow’s comedy not another all-white Middle America take on a couple’s compatibility, this might mean something. Knocked Up is…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
It’s all about the “surreal hope,” Aries, says Rob Brezsny.
SAVAGE LOVE
Dan Savage has all the lies, sex and reverse seduce-ology you want.
Business displeasure
It sounds like the name of a fictional planet, but Atlantica is also the posh title given to our region by a Halifax-based conservative think-tank, the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Eastern Quebec, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and northern New York State. President and CEO of Atlantic…
The silent partner
“We have nothing against the Canadian people,” Euvonie Georges-Auguste, a Haitian women’s rights leader, told an audience of about 35 at the One World Cafe on Agricola Street last week. But the 51-year-old activist made it clear that desperately poor people in Haiti are very angry at Canada’s politicians. It’s widely known in Haiti that…
Getting Better
Angst-filled lyrics and an adolescent following too-often compel listeners to pigeonhole bands with the overused and under-defined emo label. Hamilton-based rock band, The Reason has both requirements in spades. But rather than burst into tears when asked if he considers his band emo, frontperson Adam White answers the question soberly. “I still haven’t figured it…
Garment district
The old JJ Muggs in Granville Mall is now NSCAD’s fashion studio, replacing bar stools with industrial sewing machines. Upstairs, exposed brick and natural light makes the perfect studio space. This is where Lydia Klenck has been working for the past month as artist-in-residence, designing pieces for her exhibition Garment Works, opening at Anna Leonowens…
A matter of principle
This is a story about a man and an idea, an idea that became a story, a story that became a media circus and the important issue that got lost in all of that. We’ll start with the man. Physically, Wade Smith towers an inch taller than the six feet St. Francis Xavier University’s online…
