Alternative Budget calls for assault on poverty
CCPA Alternative Budget calls for assault on poverty, tax hikes for the rich.
30 Day Song Challenge: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere
I completely forget where I left off with the 30 Day Song Challenge, but I think it was something like #6. So! A song that reminds me of somewhere? There’s no big story about this one. When you grow up in southern Ontario, it’s hot and shitty all the time, but if you have nice…
Mary Stewart’s Sweet Deal
Awhile back, we spoke to the delightful Mary Stewart, whose 365-song-a-day project recently reached its mark. Now Stewart is re-working the songs and looking for funding to help produce an album from the best recordings. In return for your dollars, she offers a series of donation rewards through delicious baked-goods imagery— for example, a “Chocolate…
Glass Houses
Dear little neighbourhood judgement Nazi: Yes, I am aware of Earth Hour. If you had passed by my house on Saturday, you would have noticed that my lights were off from the time I left at 6 pm to the time I came back home at around 4:30 am. Which made it difficult to get…
$32,000 Tax Break to a Yacht Club
People of HRM already know about the tax reform so the rich can get a tax break and the middle class pays more for their property taxes but for HRM council to give a private yacht a $32,000 tax break then cry that they are millions in hole… —I want a break too
Solid White Lines
Every morning I see the drivers who must have gotten their licence from a cereal box jump from the left lane just as they get off the old bridge across the white line just before the crosswalk on North Street most of the time cutting drivers off on the right lane and sometimes when people…
It’s Cheque Day
You can always tell at my store when the welfare cheques come out, we sell a lot of cooked ham (that is the cheapest deli meat we sell). I also love how rude the people are that buy this meat. They act like royalty when they got money. My friend works at a pizza place…
Thank you
I want to thank you for Friday night. For holding me, for tickling me to make me laugh, for staying the night. For hinting to me that maybe we both want the same thing. Maybe next time I won’t be so scared to tell you how I feel. I wish desperately that you asked me…
Halifax’s theatre community throws a Merritt party
2011 will be known as the “fun and funny” Merritt Awards. Gone are the days when hosts spewed vitriol from the podium and the targets hid their tears behind false laughter. (But never fear, the Nigel Bennett “always a bridesmaid but never a bride” joke lives on.) Instead, host Marty Burt kept the tone light…
Out Of My Way!
Why do people think they own the sidewalk? When you drive your car you keep to the right (in this country anyway). So why do people get in my path when I stay on the right side of the sidewalk? I don’t care who you are I will not yield to you when you are…
Sore Spots sweet stuff
Shoptalk had a heads up from Jamie Lynn Chediac of Sore Spots Massage Therapy (1990 Barrington Street, in the Delta Halifax, 492-6439) about a few changes to her business: check out the half-price waxing services, running from April 1 to June 1. And that’s not all. “We are looking to add facials to the menu…
Oh, Irish
You were a wonderful addition to our Friday night. You came with kumquats, supersized straws & friendly banter. Thanks. —From the ladies
New arts and film editors!? What?
Well, hi! My name is Stephanie Johns and I am your new arts editor. You may remember me from Scene and Heard circa 2009 or possibly from various local bands. I was usually the guitar covered one. I am looking forward to reading your press releases, attending your events and then writing about them. I…
Concert loan scandal documents
In the public interest, I’ll post all the concert loan scandal documents I have for readers to peruse on their own. First, is Cathie O’Toole’s memo to city council’s audit committee, which originally revealed the existence of the improper loan arrangement. The Attachment C to that memo is a schedule of the loans made in…
Haters gonna hate
But ballers gonna ball, you pick up what I’m layin down? Good times in the 902, we party like nowhere else. —The Young and the Restless
You Don’t Know it All
Please, for the love of who/whatever KNOCK IT OFF! Reality check darlin’, you don’t know it all. Please stop. You’re driving all of us at work crazy. You seem to think you know everything about everything and only your way is the right way. None of us enjoy working with you. You stick your nose…
Towed and Screwed
Who the hell is responsible for the system in place if your car gets towed in Halifax? Sure I made a mistake (my bad) and got confused reading all five signs on the post before parking (do I read them down up or up down?) and came back to find my car gone. Since there…
Stop Signs Mean STOP!
Hey fucktard in the white car turning right onto Wyse from Pelzant at 7am this morning! You completely ignored that stop sign you came to at the intersection and pulled out in front of line of at least 4 cars. Not only is that ILLEGAL, because it’s fucking unsafe in the best of conditions, but…
Retail < Professional
You seemed like a nice girl, and I enjoyed the 3 dates we had together, but now I see that your online profile is gravely misleading. Saying you’re a professional who works in marketing sounds like you went to university and have a degree. But to find out you work in retail selling clothing is…
Arse out for dinner
To the gentleman who decided to attend dinner on Saturday evening, March 26th, wearing a long coat: Fuck you. Not because you draped your ridiculously long coat over the back of your chair in a crowded restaurant. Not because the server your coat tripped was sent to the hospital. Not because she fractured her elbow.…
Update: Trade Centre gave wrong date to city
After publishing today’s article showing a discrepancy between the reported date of a Trade Centre Limited loan to Power Promotions and the date of the the city’s authorization for that loan, a spokesperson for TCL finally contacted The Coast to give their version of events. Suzanne Fougere acknowledged that The Coast followed all reporting protocols—we…
Don’t Start Something You Can’t Finish
I hope your girlfriend knows she’s going to be left behind when you leave this town. You’re here for a few more years, but when you’re done your studies you’ll fly back home, and she’ll be heartbroken. Did you tell her about how it’s a sin in your religion? Did you tell her that you’re…
Mean Girls
So you were having a big party and said your cousin was coming. This cousin was about my age and I wanted to meet him and see if we had anything in common, you know, maybe it might go somewhere. I asked you if he was single. You told me “Yes, but he’s out of…
Gravestone Tipping
To the thoughtless heathens who broke into the cemetery on South Park and South Street: Every Saturday a group of caring people volunteer their weekend to restore the historic headstones of the oldest Catholic cemetery in the city. They go for coffee afterwards and are genuinely nice people. Thanks to you, their hard work has…
Waste of my time
I’m sick of your depressed, antisocial behavior as of late. Stop letting your whole life be controlled by some guy you just met 2 months ago! You are no longer the person you used to be. I tried (as many others have as well) to get you to hang out or for your friends to…
Hellifax
Two of the top reasons why this city sucks: shi$%y transportation (IS ANYONE IN GOVERNMENT LISTENING?!) and the food. How many restaurants try and create the ambience and attitude (and prices) of NYC, but just suck?! Hey, north end neighbourhood resto, we don’t want to hear what the chef recommends or discourages. Please go to…
Stupid kids today
All these swarmings, shootings, and robberies happening; this really never happened near as much when I was younger 10 years ago, and the level of brutality simply seems to increase and the penalties for those responsible don’t. However, if someone actually stood up to some of these kids and say, turned the table so to…
Learning Disability Support Cut
Ok, this is ridiculous. There is ONE learning disability specialist for all of a certain university, college, and art school, and her position is being cut. Yes, they are in financial trouble, and they are under immense pressure to streamline their budget… but this isn’t the right place to make cuts. And senior administrators BANNING…
We’re having a baby
You’ve got to be joking. When you invited me out to have a coffee, I figured it would be the same bullshit: “Oh my hubby is still looking for work. It’s been almost two years now. He doesn’t know what he’ll do.” Or the “I love being a stay at home Mom. My little girls…
Please be Okay
You emotionally tormented me for the time we knew each other, so why can’t I stop thinking about you? I don’t want to get in touch with you—you were never good for me. But you excited me. You were different. I’m not the kind of person you’d usually associate with—I’m pretty white collar. Sometimes you…
Chemistry Tutors Rock
To my first year chemistry tutor. I couldn’t have survived this year without you. Thanks for continually reminding me why I came back to university. —Your resource centre newbie
Breaking news It only looks like… Trade Centre Limited loaned Power Promotions $600,000 without city approval
Update, 2:35pm: Trade Centre blames sloppy paperwork and misplaced cell phone for the miscommunication that resulted in the article below. See here for the latest information [image-1] Up to now, the official narrative on the concert loan scandal is that it was all Wayne Anstey’s fault: For several years, the city’s deputy CAO acted alone…
It’s just nice to see
I just wanted say thank you to the two bartenders at a pub on North St on Thursday night. A blind gentlemen was there enjoying the bands and you two made sure he was taken care of. Even gave him a seat up front. It’s nice to see people that care and go out of…
Sports fields are for people
Numerous times I have attempted to use a soccer field to play soccer. However, when I show up, I find it occupied by someone and their off-leash dog (dog is usually running around pooping on the field). I have attempted to use the field anyway only to have dogs bark at me and try to…
Love the way we love spring
The powdery mountainous snow drifts that broke our backs some weeks ago slowly thaw into dirty ugly little icy monsters, their last stand till their ruthless invasion of next year. Me emerging from my winter cave gleefully hanging the snow shovels up in my shed. The rain washing the black dirty side walks to their…
Hell phones
I hate cell phones. I hate all of the people that use cell phones. I especially hate people on the bus talking on cell phones. Our world is in fucking trouble when no one can live without a cell phone. Oh yeah, titter and facecrack suck too! —You suck
My tongue is bleeding
To my fellow co-worker: We both started at the same time. I am new to this certain industry and learning as I go along. You have been doing this for a few years but it does not give you the right to belittle and demean me especially in front of customers. You work mostly in…
Superior Service in Rearview
To the guy driving the yellow Superior Propane truck on North Street (at about 11:45 am on Saturday March 26th) who went out of his way to give a homeless guy a pair of gloves, you absolutely made my day. I hope nothing but good things happen to you! —Paying it Forward FTW
Macaron
To the girl who came into my coffee shop this afternoon regarding the possibility of selling French macarons. We weren’t able to take you up on the offer due to contracts but I wish it had clicked with me sooner what French macarons were. I want to know where you came from and where I…
Penelope’s Boutique opens
Opening April 2 at 5685 Cunard Street—the former location of Pretty Things Boutique, just off the Commons—is Penelope’s Boutique (420-9164, penelopesconsignmentclothing.ca). The brainchild of Penny MacAuley, it’s a high-end women’s consignment store, carrying the work of local designers, accessories and select vintage items. Check them out if you need minor alterations done, or become a…
Adorable #80 Bus Friend
Your interest in our science facts was second only to your cute, cute smile. Long femurs=very attractive. Love, —The overwhelming ladies
Big changes at Halifax Shopping Centre
[image-1] Shoptalk has learned from one of our intrepid mall-walking reporters that a number of Halifax Shopping Centre (7001 Mumford Road) retailers are shutting their doors, with today being the final day of a series of end-of-lease sales. Athletes World, West 49, Susie Shier and Fairweather on the main floor are all closing, along with…
Little Mysteries’ sweet 16
Stop by Little Mysteries (1663 Barrington Street, 423-1313) Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 to take part of their Draw For You Discount Sale. Everything in the shop is 20 percent to 50 percent off. That includes all their Earth-based spiritual materials, stones and crystals, tarot and aromatherapy stuff, and, of course, books. You…
Haven goes to camera
Starting up in Chester, Nova Scotia this Friday, April 1 is the second season of Haven, shown on SyFy in the United States and Showcase here in Canada. It’s produced locally by David MacLeod and Big Motion Pictures. The series, based on the Stephen King supernatural novel The Colorado Kid and starring Nicholas Campbell, Emily…
Meaghan Smith and Old Man Luedecke Win Junos
This past weekend Meaghan Smith and Old Man Luedecke both took home Juno awards. Smith took home Best New Artist, while Luedecke won Roots and Traditional album of the year for My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs. GREAT JOB.
Daily Grind is open
Now open is the Daily Grind (1479 Birmingham Street), moved from down Spring Garden and no longer a magazine store and deli, now just a cafe. “The space is beautiful—comfortable with three fire places, four chandeliers,” explains Daily Grind manager Ann Franz. “Although it sounds exotic it is very warm and cozy with the soft…
NS cabinet minister grilled over mandatory VLT cards
New provincial VLT gambling strategy makes “My-Play” cards mandatory, but critics say the new system won’t curb problem gambling.
Caution! Lady slob tormenting the city!
Why bother going out in public if your only goal is to be a complete whore to the people around you. Why go to a restaurant and complain about EVERYTHING?! I guess it didn’t fit your regular diet of Pringles and Pepsi. I’m sure your truly delightful friend will think twice about taking your ungrateful,…
To the girl with the flame colored hair
You work at a local north end coffee shop. I walked in looking for coffee and walked into your boss raking you over the coals for something someone did on the morning shift. He was so adamant in making a fool of you in front of me, the customer. As he was being rude to…
Reel Talk kicks off tonight at the Khyber
Women in Film and Television-Atlantic continues its steady progression into the local film community beginning this Friday, March 25 at the Khyber (1588 Barrington Street) with Reel Talk, a monthly series of Q&As with notable industry women. The list includes producer and scholar Rita Shelton Deverell (April 29), cinematographer Becky Parsons (May 27) and filmmaker/Carbon…
Where did Harold MacKay get his numbers?
Failed concert promoter Harold MacKay told the Chronicle-Herald that the economic impact for last year’s Black Eyed Peas and Country Rocks shows was worth the loss to the taxpayer: The two shows that we did not make money on, and we lost money on, generated $13 million in economic spinoff,” he said in an interview.…
Passing Lane Junkies
To the people who drive in the passing lane in the morning on the 102 doing 95 kms/hour, MOVE THE FUCK OVER! It is called a PASSING LANE, not a “sit in this lane pissing people off and drive 95 kms an hour in morning traffic forcing people to pass on the inside lane”! UAH!…
Are you a plumber?
This morning I was grateful to finally get a seat on the bus. But, had I known I would have you get on the bus and then stand next to my seat with your nasty ass crack in my face for 20 minutes, I would have rather stood. You need to get pants that fit,…
Enough Already
As a native from NS, aren’t we supposed to be so super friendly and helpful and wonderful? Apparently all we can do is bitch! Bitch about our neighbours, about the food here, about your roommates, about… everything. And when someone does submit a valid bitch (like government overspending for instance), all we can do in…
Domestic Blah
Hey guys in their late 20s/early 30s who are super proud of their shiny new life they’ve made with their shiny new wife and that shiny new baby on the way in that shiny new house and that shiny new SUV: In 15 years, that shit won’t be so shiny. You and your wife will…
Fuck You Common Sense
You got bought out by big business over the last 100 years, you cheap goddamn whore. We need to legalize weed; ban oil, and get back to reality. When the tsunami hit Malaysia in 2004 it rolled over a tiny island directly in its path, covered in Stone Age people known as The Sentinelese who…
Really?
Once again Employee Services, you single me out from a so called ‘equal opportunity’. Why? Because of the bullshit you believe? You have repeatedly screened out my application over the last 6 years for one bullshit reason or another. Each reason less credible than the one before. Yet somehow I have gotten the same job…
Trains in Halifax, but not for Halifax
With some talk of commuter light-rail along the Bedford Hwy, some Haligonians have been wondering what these new locomotives are doing sitting on the tracks at the end of the rail cut on port lands. But don’t get too excited. The five-unit choo choo that has been spotted at the south end terminal is en…
Urine Shit
To the gentleman who pinched a loaf in the urinal in my office… Thank you. That took dedication and balls. Could you imagine if someone would’ve walked in on you squatting over the urinal? What would you have said? What would you have done? Pure GOLD my friend. Way to stick it to the man.…
The changing face of Gottingen Street
A construction fence has gone up around the old Diamond’s Bar on Gottingen Street, and workers are tearing out the insides of the building right now. It looks like the whole thing will be coming down in the next few days. Next to be razed is the former Mitchell’s Environmental Treasures building three doors down.…
We don’t want to hear it anymore!
Your family and your friends are fed up with your complaining about there being no work in HRM. There is work here! You haven’t been trying hard enough to get it. Ok, so you have applied to tons of places related to your degree. You get no calls or emails back and automatically assume the…
To the cute asian girl skipping along Tower Rd.
I just wanted to say that that was by far the most adorable thing I have ever seen. I have no idea if I’ll ever see you again or if you’ll even see this, but I feel the need to express to the world just how amazingly adorable it was. —Brown-Haired Whiteboy In a Puffy…
MacPass is going down, who hoo!
So what illiterate looks after the big signs on the Dartmouth side of the MacDonald bridge, the one that says that the MacPass price is going up to .70¢ on April 1 WTF? Seven tenths of a cent? Learn what a decimal is used for! —Babette
The Depression Monster
Every day it’s a struggle to get out of bed. I can’t eat and day after day I spend more time either crying, or trying not to cry than not. I’m on the maximum dose of two of the most powerful anti depressants on the market, but I still feel like shit day in and…
As I leave, remember this
Remember Halifax that you are so close to being a walkable, bikeable heaven. Remember that you have a great library system; excellent local beers and music and a wonderful future ahead if you follow your plan. I will miss you. —Walkable Gal
Susies times two
Susie’s Shortbreads is excited to have opened a new location in Bayer’s Lake Park. (218 Chain Lake Drive, 406-7075) The store offers delicious cookies and decorative cupcakes. Join owner TJ Peach and her team in their Grand Opening celebration on March 26, starting at 11am. The first 50 costumers will receive a free gift with…
Hair Factory comes to Halifax
[image-1] Hair Factory (1475 Lower Water Street, 492-5343) is new to Nova Scotia. With two successful locations in St. Johns, NL, owner Dale Abbott decided to open a new one downtown Halifax. “It seemed a natural progression to expand off the island to Halifax as many of our ex-patrons call this beautiful province their home,”…
Another Violent “Too Young to be Identified”
So, this douchebag has beaten a kid with a pipe, stolen, violated parole, all before his 18th, and the best the Gov’t can do is not publish his name or face to protect HIM. Ohhhh, boo hoo, he is “from Somalia and can’t adjust”. Then send the fuckstick back to his hometown! Sounds like he…
Mosaic to close
We heard rumours around our office, and now it’s been confirmed by star cocktail expert Cooper Tardivel on Facebook: Mosaic Social Dining Lounge (1584 Argyle Street) will close at an undetermined day next month. No word yet on where Tardivel will be taking his mixology skills next, but selfishly we hope it’s somewhere nearby.
Let’s Make Sandwiches All Night Long
I’m sorry to what we have become. It’s no longer the same. What was once excitement is now all but a tired stare. You used to touch and love me, all the right ways. We used to laugh, like sugared up five year olds at a fart joke. I miss those days. I know you’re…
New Brunswick drops film tax credit, effectively killing NB film industry
Aimed at cutting New Brunswick’s debt, the provincial budget handed down by finance minister Blaine Higgs earlier this week ends the NB film tax credit, which amounts to approximately $3 million a year. The absence of the credit—40 percent of wages and salaries paid to New Brunswick personnel working on a film or television production…
Last Stand at Random Play
Goodbye Random Play (1587 Barrington Street, 445-1056) it’s been fun. The CD/DVD store, with a selection of rock merch, too, is now offering 75 percent off. Saturday, March 26 is its last day in business.
Day 5: South By Southwest 2011
FNL’s The Landing Strip. It’s REAL. Driving to dinner on my last evening in Austin, I am trying to navigate the side streets outside the downtown core in my car, the GPS taking me to parts of the Texas capital I haven’t seen before. Specifically, near the airport. And that’s when I see her. Suddenly,…
SMU cancels women’s hockey, then un-cancels it
In an attempt to save $120,000, the athletic department at Saint Mary’s University made an abrupt financial decision to cut the woman’s hockey team last Friday, but then put that decision on hold in the face of protest. The tipping point might have been the hundreds of supporters who showed up at a rally Monday…
Salt Water Moon is full of charm
Director Bryn Robins McLeod has done something very interesting with David French’s lovely and lyrical Salt Water Moon. It’s a sweet love story set in the 1920’s and written with two characters, Mary and Jacob, but in this King’s production, there are actually three Marys and three Jacobs. The result is that while the costumes…
Cell Phone Ban is for Posties Too
Hey, if I see someone talking on a cell phone while driving I think, fuck, what a schmuck, but there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it because you can’t always see a license plate and really, who could be bothered to report every time they see someone on a cell phone while…
L is for the way you’re loud in bed
To the girl living below me: I get it. You and your boyfriend are in love. From my perspective, however, it seems like you two are in lust. He spends the night over your house all the time. Has it ever occurred to you that when someone is staying the night several weeks in a…
Playing Mommy for a Roommate
I do the dishes. I vacuum. I clean the bathroom. I constantly clean up after you. I take out the trash. I take out the recycling. You leave your trash on the counters and tables. You left a piece of trash on the kitchen table just the other day when the trash can is literally…
In Need of Narcotics
I have PTSD. PTSD increases cortisol levels in the brain. Long term cortisol levels in the brain lead to potential brain tumours. The medication for PTSD also heightens the odds of brain tumours. Marijuana relaxes the anxiety of PTSD, thus lowering cortisol levels, it also has been proven to dissolve those specific kinds of brain…
It’s My Money Too
When is someone going to do something about the way the government spends our money? That is my bitch! “Why dont you do it?” is going to be a common comment. I don’t do anything, because I hate politics. I think it’s the biggest load of bullshit out there, but we also kind of need…
It’s 1 am and the Walls are Thin
Just end it already and get a fucking divorce. Someone just bite the goddamned bullet and LEAVE. All you do is fight and it’s clear you don’t love nor like each other anymore. And it’s not like you have any debt or children to support, and even if you did, wouldn’t you think two happy…
Temporarily Rich
I hardly ever check my credit card charges or balances. I don’t fill up, I top up a couple of times a week. So I hit the net and check my card balance for a major credit card. The twat at a certain national gas station on Bayers has been hitting my card not only…
Dear Cereal Box Driver’s Licensees
When you want to make a turn, the correct procedure is signalling your intent *before* coming to a stop on a busy street. Signalling 10 seconds after you’ve stopped as you are making your turn is redundant and is sure to tick off all the other drivers who actually possess a real driver’s license. —Not…
Karma is a bitch
This is going out to the ignorant asshole, who stole my purse at a bar, took my iphone and money and then decided to stuff my purse in the tampon dispenser in the women’s bathroom. Not only did you steal something that was not yours it was mean and I don’t know what you believe…
Whine about wine
So… I’m in the liquor store to get some wine for my wife and since I am cheap, I look at all of the wine that is on sale. I will admit, I am no wine expert but if I have a description I usually do OK. Here is the hitch: all of the bottles…
Thank You
Dear bronchitis/pneumonia, Thank you for showing me what a big tough infection you are. The way you’ve make me cough every few minutes over the last week has been fun. Every time I cough my bladder spasms, pinching the catheter, making me feel raw inside, like I have broken glass in my cawk. It’s been…
Not Sorry
To my ex’s family: Don’t get pissed with me because I’m moving to Toronto to pursue my career and end our 2 year relationship. I asked him to move with me if he really wanted to be with me, but he said no and insisted that I stay here in NS and continue to wait…
Theatre and Gaming
I just wanted to say thank you for coming to all my shows, even if you never really had an interest in theatre. Thanks for gaming with me, making me food, holding me when I’m upset, and being the guy I’ve really always needed. Your smile lights up my day. —Your Gamer Girlfriend
Happy Spring Karma
I just wanted everyone who reads this to share a little bit of my happy and hopefully karma will smile on you this beautiful spring season. Ive got enough happy to go around so take some and pass it on. Smile at the people on the street. Thank your neighbourhood fast food server. Wave at…
Sarah Burwash
Last summer, Sarah Burwash traded one coast for the other. She and two friends drove from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, stretching the trip out over a month and a half by stopping in towns along the way to work on organic farms and making sure to take in landscapes they weren’t familiar with. Though…
Full speed ahead for Slow down, Molasses
In the past five years, Saskatoon’s Slow Down, Molasses has morphed from a solo project into a band that boasts anywhere from seven to 15 members. “The idea was start something solo and leave it open to people interested in playing. That way I can play with people that I adore…and we’re playing music because…
Home sweet Halifax for Chloe Jones
When Chloe Jones arrived in Halifax, she wasn’t sure how long she’d stay. The singer-songwriter had only visited Nova Scotia a few times but was sold enough to pack up her things and leave her home in England. Now, more than three years later, she’s releasing her debut EP Old Palace. The album began to…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Were you under the impression that the sky is completely mapped? I’s not. Advances in technology are unveiling a nonstop flow of new mysteries. In a recent lecture, astronomer Joshua Bloom of the University of California described the explosion of wonder. One particular telescope, for example, detects 1.5 million transient phenomena…
Average Jacob
It’s around 12:30pm and there is a pretty good lunch crowd at Jacob’s Restaurant. Half of the tables are full and there’s a nice amount of happy chatter filling the room. With the attached lounge and the fish and chips decal on the window, my friend and I expect a true-blue pub when we walk…
Hobo With A Shotgun premiere at the Oxford
[image-1] I was thrilled to be a part of the excitement last night, having visited set last year, interviewed director Jason Eisener and producer Rob Cotterill on a few occasions, plus doing the cover story in today’s issue of The Coast. Today it feels like all Haligonians have a bit of our own blood in…
Jason Eisener’s big shot
For Jason Eisener, the circle is complete. The Dartmouth born-and-bred filmmaker’s creative interests—at least partly the by-product of grainy, stuttery VHS and eight-bit video games, obsolete by the end of the 1980s—drove him to find work at the The Last Gamestore, the original location at 590 Portland Street and the current one in Clayton Park.…
Adele
Here’s a talent worthy of the hype. The London-based singer Adele, who names albums for her age at the time, won two Grammys with her debut. 21 fulfills every promise suggested by 19 and raises a few more. Like Amy Winehouse, Adele’s a sharp songwriter with great support, absorbing the richness of vintage soul and…
Classified
With each album Classified drops on the masses, his cachet continues to rise in the Canadian music community. If you want to dispute this fact check the collaborations that appear on Handshakes and Middle Fingers: brother Ali; Joe Budden and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy; not to mention the stellar sampling of the theme from the CBC…
Wool On Wolves
Edmonton-based Wool On Wolves gets an A+ for perseverance. After experiencing the worst side of any creative industry —being duped by the big guns—the fellas fought on to successfully release their first full-length Grey Matter. As far as folk-rock goes, the band is brilliantly tight and multi-faceted and a close listen reveals truly charming layers…
Yuck
Fat Possum’s new fuzz-rock act Yuck makes a decent stab at the early ’90s American indie-rock sound everybody is recreating right now. With Jesus and the Mary Chain-esque distorted guitars, Stephen Malkmus solos and that super-simple tom-tom heavy drum fill music critics seem to love, Yuck is a surprisingly good pop album for a label…
DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
Mark McQueen’s zombie flick may be a shameless 28 Days Later knock-off, but it does give the genre an absurdly fascinating tweak. In his movie, the people infected by a performance-enhancing drug gone wrong aren’t merely fast-moving flesh-eaters. They’re also nimble practitioners of parkour. Yep. Craig Fairbrass, Danny Dyer and MyAnna Burling lead the Londoners…
A history of violence
The Warriors (1979) It’s a huge inspiration on the movie. It’s my favourite movie of all time. Hobo is almost in another dimension and that’s what The Warriors is. It’s not necessarily in the present day, it’s got a futuristic feel to it. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008) It’s a…
How Do You Know?
Reese Witherspoon stars in this bizarrely chaste romantic comedy (that cost $100 million!) as a professional baseball player past her prime. The movie has her waffling between playboy (speaking of primes passed) Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd, as if anyone with working eyes and ears would choose the former in any universe Wes Anderson didn’t…
Transistor mister
Nostalgia is complicated. Not just because our economy is very good at selling our past back to us. It’s also that nothing deceives quite like a good memory. Just how awesome was that favourite concert of yours anyways? That long-lost boyfriend/girlfriend? That one summer? Is anything about our recollections objective at all? See? Complicated. Shotgun…
Fable III
The third part of Microsoft’s fantasy role-playing game, Fable III, should be better and bigger than its predecessors, but the series has taken a step backwards. Your character is the prince or princess of Albion and your kingdom is adjusting to the industrial age. Don’t worry—magic and swords are still a huge part of this…
Long Weekends off
Long Weekends is gaining ground fast. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Noel Macdonald, drummer Adam Hartling and bass player Devin Peck, the band recorded its first EP, Warmer Weather, at Echo Chamber just a month after getting together and released it earlier this month. “We didn’t want to start playing shows until our music came out.” “It…
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Yes, this game came out a while ago. But if you are looking for a reason to dust off your Wii and haven’t tried Super Mario Galaxy 2 yet—it doesn’t get any better than this. This Mario game is in the 3D tradition of Super Mario 64 with a variety of levels allowing players to…
Soldiers can be kinky, too
Q Three months ago, my sociopathic girlfriend dumped me because I was going into the military. Afterward, I found out she was cheating on me with a married man. The one great thing about her was that she opened me up. At 22, I’d been in only a few other relationships. The sex with her…
A man against the people
In the days after the Common concert funding scandal came to light last week, I noticed a new parlour game being played everywhere I went. The goal sounds simple: Name a contender who can challenge mayor Peter Kelly in next year’s municipal election. However, it’s surprisingly hard. Just a short list of names keeps coming…
Milamodo closed temporarily for Chinese holiday
A concerned reader got in touch with The Feed, concerned that Milamodo (30 Farnham Gate Road, 446-6888) had closed. According to the outgoing phone message, the owners are away for a Chinese vacation, so don’t panic Vicki, lover of the Fire Dragon roll. If they don’t show up in another month, let us know.
Order up at Cafe DaPoPo
Just when we were beginning to wonder what happened to the friendly faces of DaPoPo Theatre, they’re back again! After sharing their skills with some European audiences and taking a bit of a breather, they’re ready to revisit the much-loved Cafe DaPoPo. Order from a menu full of tasty morsels of theatre such as sonnets,…
Peter Kelly’s failure of will
Ninety-one-year-old Mary Thibeault died in her mobile home in St. Petersburg, Florida, on December 7, 2004. A former motel manager, Thibeault was evidently frugal. She had saved about a half-million dollars in cash, which she had squirrelled away in bank accounts, and had acquired two tiny properties—one in her native Halifax, one in Florida—worth a…
Fundraiser
Lunch with Megan Leslie? A night for two at the Cambridge Suites? How about an action figure and some comics from Strange Adventures? Sure, your silent auction bids might help you take home one of these enticing items, but more importantly, your dollars will support Veith House. This new fundraiser will raise money to strengthen…
The story behind the Hobo score
While you were pounding wine with the fam last Christmas Eve, Russ Howard III (The Third!) was answering a phone call from Jason Eisner. The Hobo With a Shotgun director asked him to score the climactic scenes for his feature-length grindhouse film with one catch: he would have to deliver the orchestral score by January…
