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The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
Home of the Best of Halifax Reader's Choice Awards, the award-winning independent newspaper covers the Halifax news, politics, events, concerts, movies, restaurants, and nightlife scene.
To the two beautiful women walking two rather incorrigible dogs up and down Preston street: Halifax is a port city, and you’re the anchor. Coming home to you girls is like coming up to breathe. It’s an in-between time, but you both have beautiful things in the future—and you bring love into my present every…
One of my favorite parts of my night. Keep smiling, you never know who’s thinking of you. —That Combo Guy
I was standing at the Spring Garden Road bus stop outside of McDonald’s when you came walking down the road with the happiest pup on the end of a leash. As you walked by, I watched your puppy climb into the lap of a particularly hard looking gentlemen that was sitting on the ground to…
You’ve got to stop with that gorgeous, awesome smile. Those eyes and that friggin’ charm—you don’t know how much I want to lock that door behind you. —It’s Never Been a Crush
This weekend we’ll be singing along to songstresses from western Canada, Dartmouth punks, Pixies covers and The North End Metal All-Stars.
[Image-1] I’ve been pregnant since February. This pregnancy hasn’t been easy for me. I’m frequently tired, emotional and hormonal. And it’s made me a home body whenever I’m not working. I turned down the last two of your suggestions to hang out because you kept getting me at a bad time. Sorry I didn’t feel…
Dear local purveyor of wine, beer and spirits: Please supply only good wine which should be sold in bottles, not cartons. Wine bottles should be corked, not screw-topped. Boxed and screw-topped wine is cheap and dirty. Now I realize that this is Nova Scotia, where even cheaper, dirtier wine is produced and bought by locals…
[Image-1] I get it. Its tough out there. Like real tough. I’m also prone to sad chats that consist of despairing questions and shaking fists. I say, “Where can we go from here? Things are really getting worse and worse,” and even on occasion “$%& this province.” But we need to find a silver lining…
I’m sure what I’m about to say you are more than aware of and already know. You are seriously good looking and you have the best moustache around town. Catching a glimpse of you when I make my weekly market trip brightens the day. Even though I can’t eat anything at Wrap So D, walking…
This week’s High 5 comes from Mauno, performing Thursday, May 28 at Menz & Mollyz Bar (9pm, $6) before kicking off a two-month Canadian tour. Read more about the chill pop agents here. “Mandarin Collars With Women,” Long Long Long Shorts by Long Long Long “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” Dirty Projectors “Pulses,” Steve Reich from Music…
Belwiz Entertainment is throwing an event charmingly called Summer Bling with Memphis, Tennessee’s Snootie Wild and Long Beach, California’s O.T. Genasis and a DJ battle. Here’s what we know: It’s all ages, July 18 at 8pm at the Halifax Forum and tickets will be available soon. Tickets range from $35-$49 with VIP tickets going for…
1 Generously, GLAD Canada is donating 400,000 free clear garbage bags to Halifax. The gifted bags will be distributed to residents in advance of HRM’s new garbage collections bylaws, which begin August 1. Regional Council voted unanimously for the reverse-corporate handout yesterday, which saves the city hundreds of thousands of dollars it would have otherwise…
Before playing a cross-Canadian tour kick-off show this Thursday, May 28 at Menz & Mollyz Bar with Quaker Parents, Harley Alexander and the Universal Lovers and Municipality ($6, 9pm), Mauno’s Nick Everett takes a break from writing chill pop tunes to answer a few questions. But he doesn’t reveal too much though, mystery is important.…
[Image-1] REMEMBER we the poor out-number the rich its time to fight back stand up I’m seeing Halifax Die and it’s fucking pissing me off look whats going on people pull your heads out of your ass’s and stop thinking everything will be fine while the poor get poorer and rich get richer here —Remember…
I have a great suggestion in order to make transit better. Fire at least 50% of the bus drivers who have to work either the weekend shifts or the holiday shifts. I normally only take transit on Saturday’s and have not had a friendly driver in over a month. I was brought up to say…
to all those and you know who you are, when you enter a grocery store stop stealing rhe food by eating it right in front of of me i am not stuipd i see the bag of almonds in your hand that you did not pay for or the bag of chip you took off…
Sitting at the back of the 7 heading downtown along Gottingen, I was reading Maggie Nelson’s /Bluets/, when I noticed you, in a bright blue jacket, talking about jazz with your friend across the aisle. Maybe I was marked by the essay, finding the blue in the world jumping out at me, but you seemed…
Oh how beautiful all the tulips and daffodils are! What an excellent splash of colour they add, especially to some unsightly spots around the city. Thank you to all who put the time in to plant them! —More, more!
I’m glad we’re friends. Whether it’s a drunken snapchat or a meaningful conversation, I’m glad I have you around. I don’t have many friends, but you’re more than enough. —Tall glass of ginger pale
I’ve loved you unconditionally for more than a decade in fact for close to 20 years. You’ve abuse me emotionally, taking what you can and have lied continuously. Yet unconditionally means without conditions. I couldn’t have stopped loving you. Yet, what you have done was so hurtful, but I don’t miss you. I feel angry…
Name: Mitch Fraser Age: 23 Occupation: designer/seamstress Spotted: Gottingen Street Wearing: jacket, H&M; shirt, Urban Outfitters; overalls, American Apparel; sneakers, Fresh Goods; hat, Dollarama How would you describe your style? I would say my style is very pop, a little hip-hop, a little sporty and definitely Korean-influenced. What types of things influence your style on…
Sad news alert. Local entrepreneurs and designers Jessy Lacourciere and Rachael Grant announced yesterday via Facebook (see below) that after four years of bringing downtown Halifax Canadian-made fashions, local jewellery and their own designs, their Barrington Street women’s clothing store, J&R Grimsmo (1533 Barrington Street), was closed permanently. We miss its presence already. (function(d, s,…
David Parks first fell for taco stand culture at 18 when his lack of a summer job and love for his Intro to Spanish class landed him in Mexico. Since then he’s been spending time there on-and-off for about 20 years, learning and enjoying the ins and outs of authentic Mexican cuisine along the way.…
I can’t even believe I’m even typing the word “October” right now, but apparently it’s a real month that exists (lalalalala), and it’s coming. To soothe the thought of October’s brisk winds before we’ve even felt June’s balmy breezes is the prolific husband and wife duo of Whitehorse, riding in to town on a white…
Presented by Eastern Front Theatre, Stages Theatre Festival packs it in June 17-28, with six full productions, family friendly events, work from new and established artists and play-readings. Artistic producer Charlie Rhindress curated the festival and stayed true to the name. Showing plays at different stages in their development, by artists at different stages…
1 A hot take on hot dogs is slated for the corner of Agricola and Charles Streets thanks to T-DOGS, a New York-style hot dog cart serving up handmade sausages courtesy of Tony Rinaldo, his best bud Patrick Lowe and his brother Sam. Local ingredients, family recipes and chef-inspired creative twists are coming for us…
Redesigning the North Park intersection is messy business, but the city is trying to make sure that at the end of it all there’s some nice art to show for it—sandblasted into the concrete, forever! Right now Halifax is seeking an artist or arts facilitator for one of three planned entrance plazas on the Halifax…
I stumbled into Just Us Coffee barefoot like a hobo carrying a large red coffee of their competitors. I explained how I had just broken a strap on my sandal and asked if they had any tape? Smiling and welcoming, they promptly produced a large roll of silver duct tape. And allowed me to use…
Do you seriously think everyone wearing a orange work vest is a cartboy? And to tell some complete stranger to put your cart away for you when the cart corral is 5 feet from your car really takes some nerve. It must have surprised you when I told you I didn’t work there because you…
I never thought I’d love a woman, but that is who you are. When I finally understood it, I thought we’d come far. Your family will never let you be you, their shame sickens me – but worse it sickens you, and put us at constant odds. So I left. BECAUSE I love you. So…
[IMage-1] There I was May 17, 6:55 a.m trying to walk to work from Dartmouth to Halifax on the bridge. Only to be stopped rudely by three “security” people who said the bridge was “closed”. Closed to pedestrians before 7am??? WTF. Who do they think they are? What about poor people who have no other…
If summer had a scent it would totally be barbecue smoke. And if you, like me, tend to follow your nose to wherever the source of such smoke is, soon you’ll be spending a lot of time on the corner of Agricola and Charles Street. Come early June, the Chapman Autobody lot (2500 Agricola Street)…
1 Just in time for those rides to the lake, bus tickets are finally back on brand. The bright-orange tickets of Metro Transit’s past have been replaced by the above blue-and-gold tokens, which neatly match the recently rechristened logos of both Halifax Transit and Halifax the city. Spokesperson Tiffany Chase says the tickets were redesigned…
A new podcast seeks to keep Mi’kmaq language, culture and current affairs thriving and accessible.
1 Dalhousie’s report into the sexually violent Facebook page created by fourth-year dentistry students was released today. If somehow you missed the scandal, refresh yourself with our coverage on the Facebook posts, subsequent suspensions and Dal’s general public relations nightmare. All of the men involved in the group can now graduate, according to the report.…
Twenty-two years after August and Everything After made them stars, as is local custom, the Counting Crows visited Halifax for the first time last night. (Blondie waited about 35.) After a sweet, harmony-drenched set from Reuben and the Dark (“I was born here,” said singer Reuben Bullock. “I left when I was one year old…
[Image-1] If the last few weeks of budget protests have shown anything, it’s that this town has some powerful advocates for the arts. Which is great, since Halifax is looking for citizens to participate on the newly-formed ArtsHalifax advisory committee. Approved at council’s May 12 meeting, ArtsHalifax will be composed of eight artistic minds appointed…
[Image-1] It’s easy to say that racism doesn’t exist in Canada or that it’s a spectacle only visible in America. Headline-grabbing cases of blatant racism are rarer here. But dig deeper, and Canadians can find what Christopher Stuart Taylor calls the “small nuances of anti-black racism.” Taylor, who works as the diversity and inclusion coordinator…
Carey Mulligan is a feminist way before her time (1870s rural England) as a farm owner who can’t walk across her own damn field without getting proposed to in Far From the Madding Crowd, yet another entry from the Thomas Hardy factory. Her suitors include Matthias Schoenaerts (hot), Michael Sheen (old) and Tom Sturridge (a-hole,…
The Best Brothers has received a lot of great reviews, but one that really stands out for director Dean Gabourie came from a woman in a coffee shop in Stratford, Ontario where the show had its debut in 2012. “She said that anyone who has a brother, a sister, a mother or a pet will…
[Image-1] Crime is down in Halifax. That’s according to the first quarter stats for 2015 released by Halifax Police, which saw an overall drop of eight percent (or 358 cases) compared to the same period last year. Violent crime, however, has jumped 11 points compared to the first quarter of 2014. Assaults are up by…
Macbeth is coming to Neptune, but not in the way you might expect—director Ken Schwartz has reimagined it as a five-actor enterprise, with Jeremy Webb as the titular would-be king, and actors Francine Deschepper, Sarah English, Margaret Legere and Jeff Schwager juggling multiple characters apiece. Deschepper, playing Lady Macbeth and others, says the balancing act is…
Moss Lime, Bonnie Doon, Vulva Culture Saturday, May 23, 12pm The Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottingen Street $10 “There was a girl at our show in Newfoundland who told me ‘You guys sound like a lot of drugs on a rocking chair underwater,'” says Vulva Culture drummer Bianca Palmer. “I was like ‘Shut up, that’s…
[Image-1] In terms of the province’s shale gas development agenda, 2013 would turn very nasty. With billions of dollars in hypothetical royalties at stake, two years of false starts, and the likely threat of Southwestern Energy (SWN) suing the province for tens of millions of dollars if the company was forced to default on its…
Adam Duritz reckons you have a 50 to 60 percent chance of hearing “Round Here” or “Mr. Jones” at tonight’s show. The Counting Crows leader reveals the seven-piece has nearly 90 songs in rotation on its cross-Canada tour, ending this weekend in St. John’s, so deep cuts are just as likely as the hits to…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gemini (May 21-July 1) “Endings to be useful must be inconclusive,” wrote science fiction novelist Samuel R. Delany. I endorse that theory for your use in the coming weeks. Interweave it with this advice from playwright Sam Shepard: “The temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap.…
Pour out a little donair sauce for Billie Dre and the Poor Boys this weekend—the Halifax rock trio is calling it quits. After releasing Garlic Fingers and following their friends TWRP and We’re Doomed! to Toronto last year, the high-energy outfit—singer-guitarist William Dray, bassist Corey Henderson and drummer Dylan Ryan—is slowing to a natural stop.…
Fuck you, Nova Scotia I’m sick of it. I’m a 27-year-old Haligonian, north ender, diploma graduate of the Human Service: Disability Supports and Services Program at NSCC, currently enrolled in online courses via Cape Breton University to obtain a Bachelor in arts and community studies and overall a fucking steal of a human that you should…
Tasseomancy, Gift From God Sunday, May 24, 2pm Halifax Music Co-op 2107 Brunswick Street $10 Born from an intuitive sense of harmony between its members, Gift from God is a collaboration rooted in improvisation. At their OBEY show, Lindsay Dobbin (drums), Kira Daube (vocals) and Elizabeth Johnson (keyboards) will feed off of both a shared musical…
Container, RAMZi, JFM, DJ Doris, DJ A.S. Pearson Friday, May 22, 10pm Menz & Mollyz Bar, 2182 Gottingen Street $15 As RAMZi, Phoebé Guillemont creates electronic music with tropical and psychedelic flashes that bridges the gap between her solo bedroom studio and dance floor wild parties. Guillemont packs layers and influences into her songs, her…
Tonja Gunvaldsen Klaasen, Laxmi Adhikari Sunday, May 24, 4:30-6pm Common Roots Urban Farm free Before Laxmi Adhikari and his wife Raj Adhikari moved to Halifax in 2011 from Nepal, they had over three decades of playing music under their belts—Laxmi on the harmonium and Raj on the Madal drum—their son also performs music, but he’s…
In the history of free jazz, a form of jazz from the mid-20th century that reacted to increasingly standardized jazz styles, few musicians are as renowned around the world as Peter Brötzmann. In his career spanning 50 years, Brötzmann has been at the forefront of the European jazz movement to radicalize the concept of prescribed…
A far cry from the high-octane experience of the Seaport, the new Halifax Forum Farmers’ Market is a much more relaxed and intimate affair. A mere three weeks old, the market takes place from 8 am to 1 pm every Saturday. While it’s still working out the kinks, there’s a quaint as all get-out atmosphere,…
Somewhere in a basement, two sisters have fallen asleep with the television on. A dirty VCR distorts voices. These banal vignettes set the stage for video artist Emily Pelstring’s solo exhibition Standard Play at the Khyber, a narrative multimedia show that looks at ideas of gender, media history and technical processes. A Montreal-based artist and…
Moss Lime, Bonnie Doon, Vulva Culture Saturday, May 23, 12pm The Bus Stop Theatre 2203 Gottingen Street $10 It’s been a whirlwind year for Montreal band Moss Lime. It recorded its first handful of songs last July and swiftly caught the attention of Fixture Records, who released the sharp, post-punk EP July First in November. “In…
Q Yesterday, I found my five-year-old son putting things up his butt in the bath. This isn’t the first time—and it’s not just a “Hey! There’s a hole here! Let’s put things in there!” kind of thing. The little dude was rocking quite the stiffy while he did it. I’m well aware of how sexual…
Peter Brötzmann, Last Lizard Friday, May 22, 7:30pm Fort Massey United Church 5303 Tobin Street $25 “I like spontaneous collaborations without too much thinking involved,” says Montreal’s Alex Zhang Hungtai AKA Last Lizard, formerly KA Dirty Beaches. The experimental tenor saxophonist was last in town for the 2013 Halifax Pop Explosion. He did an improv set…
[Image-1] Once upon a time, I visited a government building with a couple female colleagues. Between us, we had six degrees and worked for almost every major print and broadcast chain in the country. We were all under 30. The security guard didn’t believe us when we identified as media. He laughed and said he…
The Art In Fest festival brings a visual arts component to the Obey Convention underground music festival, adding five sound and media-based projects to the festival (including Emily Pelstring’s Khyber exhibition and performance as The Powers). All projects are new work created specifically for the festival—Khyber director and Art In Fest director Hannah Guinan has…
“I think the numbers are difficult to understand,” said finance minister Diana Whalen when asked by reporters to confirm figures from the department’s press release. “Twenty-five percent of 50 percent, of this, of that.” Over the past several weeks, the Liberals have done a remarkable job of passing a budget with very drastic cuts, all…
Now in its eighth year, the OBEY Convention proudly waves the flag of the underground, the avant-garde, the experimental and all contemporary noise and art for four full days in May. It’s a chance to shine spring sun on the deep corners of the subterrestrial. Let’s hear it for the weird ones. In the jungle…
