PinkPink Mascara opens
“I’m so busy I’ve sold my Spring Garden location to my staff!” writes Joanne David in an email. Barb Israel, a longtime Joanne David Accessories employee has turned David’s 5640 Spring Garden location into Pink Mascara (407-PINK), opening June 1. It will continue offering women’s clothing and accessories, carrying some of the same clothing lines…
Pre-Full Circle Festival party this Friday gets you in the mood to camp
Grand Sass love to play outdoors, see? The Full Circle Festival (June 19-21), is “a weekend of camping on the farm, jamming around the campfire, collaborative songwriting, contra dancing, and celebrating the Summer Solstice” all at the Red Fox Farm (or, in the case of rain, the Community Hall across the street) in Centre Burlington,…
Sappyfest preliminary line-up launched
The fourth annual songs, sadness and superness Sackville festival Sappyfest has announced its preliminary line-up, and it’s NBD—if you hate things that are awesome! Welcome (almost) home, Wintersleep, you magnificent bastards! Who else will be sharing headlining duties with you? Oh, just Women, Destroyer, Eric’s Trip, Ladyhawk, Timber Timbre and Ohbijou. You won’t even remember…
Art gallery and studio represent local talent
The endeavour of economist Keegan Whelan and his artist mother Marilyn, art&jules will be having its launch this coming weekend, June 5 through 7, in the space once occupied by Taz Records at 2089 Gottingen (407-3390). “I’m handling the business and she’s making everything look pretty,” says Keegan. The gallery, now open, hosts the work…
Halifax council wipes $1.4 million in uncollectable debt off books
Tuesday night, Halifax council voted to write off nearly $1.4 million in uncollectible debt. The action has no real-world financial implications, but is merely acknowledging for accounting purposes that the money will likely never be collected. Some of the debt has been on the books for as long as 10 years. In some cases, companies…
Sandy Graham’s lighthouses picked as public art winner
A model of Sandy Graham’s lighthouses. On Friday night, a group of architects, politicians and other art-minded people gathered in the exhibition room of Dal’s Faculty of Architecture and Planning for the announcement of the Trillium Public Art Competition. Ironically, the first commission under the city’s new public art policy was initiated by a developer,…
An Accurate Tourism NS Slogan
Cheers from NS, please leave —Typical Bitch
Maritimes Whining about No “good” jobs on the East Coast
Seriously. If I have to hear one more person from the East Coast bitch about how there are no quality jobs for them…I’m gonna snap. I lived in Halifax for most of my life. Once I turned 22 I realized that the city DIDN’T have any great jobs. So I picked up my ass and…
British flat-mate!
My roommate is so British! All he does is drink tea and put mints into spaghetti! He put soap all over my door last night! —Nice Canadian
Love the way I love Halifax
I can’t wait to call Halifax home. Making the big move in September. I took my first trip to Halifax a few weekends ago, and fell in love at first sight. It was instant. —Soon to be Haligonian
Halifax council’s secret sewer fixes
The electronics used to run council meetings—microphones, the computer that queues up speakers, the overhead “Elmo” projector, etc.—haven’t worked properly for at least two years, and the system has been ridiculously broken over the past month or so, with some mics not working at all, councillors dropped on and off the speaker system randomly, etc.…
Atlantic Jazz Fest announces full line-up
This morning the Atlantic Jazz Festival (July 10-18) announced their complete line-up to a packed house at 1313 Hollis. (Jazzfest also gets props for the best media packages of the year: each one came slid into a used jazz record sleeve. Hello Cleo Laine.) This is the first year programmed by new artistic director Lulu…
Gypsophilia release Sa-ba-da-OW! at Whet Cafe
Gypsophila appear in sepia tones almost exclusively Gypsophilia release their new album Sa-ba-da-OW! at Whet Café on June 19 and 20 at 10pm ($13 at ticketpro.ca). Get there early to reserve your twirling spot near the front and ask them what the heck that album name means for me, ok? Here’s what I do know…
Oxygen for what??
Soooo for the last couple days I have noticed this older lady outside the hospital with her IVs in her arm and her oxygen tube up her nose, SMOKING. Now why in the hell are we letting her have oxygen if she is allowed to sit out there and smoke, she should be offered an…
Why does the 21st. century suck so much?
Let’s list all the shit that has happened in the last 8-9? years George W. Bush 911 Shuttle disaster 2 wars Afghansitan/Iraq plus a bunch of other small “skurmishes” (sp) alcelerating climate change Recession and or Depression more of the same fro the last century in the way of poverty, disease, and just general fun……
the airport shuttle must be invisible to us Muggles…
General warning: never EVER put your travel plans in the hands of a certain airport-downtown shuttle service. I was at the Public Gardens stop, sitting on a bench, under your sign, ten minutes early. And I waited half an hour. And when I called to find out where your goddam bus was, you told me…
Guy who walked into a pole
Around 8:15pm Tues, June 2nd.. by the corner of quinpool & robie. I was waiting for my bus and saw you smash your head off that pole.. & i look across the street and see 3 chicks walking, one with a skirt on. That totally ended my day with a BANG. I could not stop…
Ungrateful Bitch
You were new in our workplace and you were even new in town. You knew no one here and you were all alone. Everyone at work including me could tell that you were shy and lonely and that you were looking to make new friends. But *I* was the only one who made an effort…
Thank you
This is awesome !!! we all need a place to go and bitch and now we have one !! THANK YOU —Yours truely
Thanks a lot
I put up a bitch, and guess what…no post….thanks a lot for doing nothing…. —pissed off bitcher
Summer Roadwork
Why, oh, why do road crews start doing their shit before rush hour in the morning and at night? —Stop/Yield Sighs
Dear Drivers
A friendly reminder: Marked or unmarked, crosswalks exist at every intersection. Signs or no signs. Painted lines or no painted lines. —Crosser
Magz
Okay, this isn’t a pressing issue and I’m sure that many of you egulars here will tell me to get a life. But I just find it super annoying and rude how people in grocery and drug stores waiting in the line think that it’s perfectly acceptable to pick up a gossip magazine and READ…
PSST
Hey, Coast, fix your damn PSST page – it’s been a list of doubled broken links for four weeks now! Webmaster ftw! —The Only One Who’s Noticed
Wolfville’s Deep Roots Music Festival line-up announced
Jesus, Harry Manx! Throw a few more strings on that thing! Now in it’s sixth year, Wolfville’s Deep Roots Music Festival (September 24 to 27) has expanded to include over 25 acts in four days. Yow! Bring an extra thermos of go-go juice! The line-up includes Harry Manx, AJ Croce, Joel Plaskett and the Emergency…
bitches
You were the group of 9 girls talking extremely loudly at the corner table of the bar on Friday night. Did you get the hint on how your batshit inane rambling was driving everyone mad? 3 of your friends left very uncomfortably, and customers that sat near your table immediately got up and left! How…
Provincial election: Candidates detail arts and culture platforms
So far there’s been little mention of arts and culture in this yawnfest of a provincial election—-a disappointing (but sadly not unexpected) follow-up to the federal election’s vocal and exciting “Vote Arts” campaign. Umm, where did everybody go? The momentum built up and died as quickly as the rallies scattered. But that’s not to say…
Time
There’s not enough of it!!!! —Dino
Stupid Drug Stores
Fuck you to the authority who renovated a particular drug store and sacrificed common decency for fragrant perfumes and cosmetics! Obviously you don’t care about those with environmental sensitivities and/or mobility issues or else you wouldn’t have put your bloody pharmacy and necessities on the top floor while putting unnecessary and offensive perfumes and cosmetics…
Almost killed today. Thanks.
Thanks to the lunatic who almost ran her SUV over me this afternoon while I was legitimately crossing Summer Street via College. I hope your illegal cell phone conversation was very important, because you almost killed me on account of it. Perhaps someday the rest of the city will be so fortunate as to have…
Wheelchair Woes
So I’m wheeling down the street on a lovely evening, and what happens? Two punky kids shove a stick inbetween the wheels so they can’t go anymore. Nobody’s around. I’m stuck in the same spot for two hours without a phone until a random person helps me. Oh susanna! —I need a hug
HELP FIND AN ISP!!
Hey…I’m having a really hard time fiding an internet service provider that’s high speed but isn’t one of the “big boys”. Just moved here from Ontario and there I used a great “little” company that offered high speed for $30 with a 200gb up/download limit. Is there something similar around here? Help Rango out! —Rango
Maestro Fresh Wes and Choclair got the Northern touch
A good look. Even the biggest coward in the world is invited to let his non-existent backbone slide on Saturday June 6 at 9pm with the one, the only Maestro Fresh Wes and Choclair at The Paragon Theatre with DJs IV, PlaeBoi, Quake, AA and Ambition.
Gottingen Terrace moves forward
There are three housing developments in the works along Gottingen. The first is a horrendous looking apartment complex going up at the corner of Falkland (Hello! Street level parking garage?!), the second the more-promising Theatre Lofts project just to the north. But the third is the most interesting on the street. Gottingen Terrace is the…
Is the new service dog park next to Centennial Pool in the wrong location?
What’s wrong? Is the new service dog park next to Centennial Pool in the wrong location? Who’s responsible? Peter Bigelow, HRM’s manager of real properties, 490-6047. Remarks: We’ve received complaints about the new park—the adjoining six points intersection is a hazard for sighted people, never mind blind folks, and Cogswell and Rainnie Streets are crazy…
Jon Epworth opens up with a new record
A man and his piano. Since his 2006 release, Wet On Wet, Jon Epworth has been ensconced in a musical wonderland of composing, writing and recording. He’s been busy. His new album, Turn Off Your Name, takes a different approach than Wet On Wet in that the songs are more introspective, and, as it turns…
Thanks for taking my shit, asshole!
A couple of weeks ago I went to the bar, and I lost my jacket ticket from the coat check. Unfortunately I had to leave the bar because I got alcohol poisoning (which is entirely my fault), and my friends tried to get them to give them my jacket. They tell me to come back…
Little goes a long way
Working in a kitchen, by yourself, on a busy Sunday, doing brunch, full house. Hundreds of orders later a breathe of air outside. On your way through the restaurant, stopped by an older couple and thanked for delicious food which domino effect makes everyone else at other tables perk up and say thankyou. Makes one…
et engine at midnight
Thanks Street cleaners for waking up the entire family when you went by….four fucking times! —Tired Dad
OUCH!
When I was walking down the street today someone woman walking in the opposite direction plowed right into my shoulder and then kept walking didn’t even turn around to see if I was alright. It’s not like I was taking up the entire side walk or anything she had plenty of room to pass!!! I’ve…
Asshole family
So I get back from a 70 mile organized bike ride for diabetes today, mind you I’m only seventeen, and what am I welcomed to? My mother is practically apathetic to my exaustion, my brother chooses to go skateboarding instead of welcome me at the finishline, and when I get home and ask for a…
inconsiderate cheapskates.
hey “friend”, before you ask me, nay, demand, a donation towards a mutual friend’s retirement party, fucking ask me if I “would like to go in on it” before you decide to obligate everyone. Because, as a matter of fact, I would not like finance your present to aforementioned mutual friend as my own present…
Cry Foul
To the foul-mouthed softball playing wannabes on the Common…keep your filthy language in the dugout and chill the **** out! This ain’t the big leagues! —Soft Touch
Leave Our SandCastles ALONE
We are at the beach, building sandcastles under the sun, minding our own business. EVERY single fucking dog in HRM is curious as to what we are doing, and why, and how. They push their nasty wet black nose at us, while we squirm around politely and pretend to smile while screaming Fuck off! Fuck…
Yeah, I know, another bus bitch
Metro Transit seriously needs to update their schedule, on the booklets and online. In the past 2 weeks, I’ve noticed 3 unannounced changes in the bus routes. 1- On Sundays, the 61/14 continues on as usual (heads to Leiblin Park after arriving to Scotia Square)even after 9 pm, though it’s not stated in the schedule.…
Hey politicians…
…no you can’t count on my fucking vote at election time. You know who I’m going to vote for – whoever doesn’t fucking call me on my home phone every other god-damned day to ask for my support. Put down the receiver and do something useful, will you! —XXX
What the hell is going on South Park Street?
So thanks for getting rid of the houses that all of those surfer/skate douches drank in front of all the time, while they scream hilarious family guy quotes, wear rad Billabong sweat bands, and play football awkwardly in front of (when there is a boundless, beautiful green park not 12 steps from their pile of…
I will slap your damn face!
To all those people who think they’re the ultimate parent…shut the fuck up. Unless you see me abuse or neglect my baby, keep your damn mouth shut. My baby is happy and healthy. That’s more than you need to know. For the next person that tells a stranger how to be a parent, be carefull…
Seriously? Don’t you have gardening to do or something?!
My friend was filming a movie for our final work term assignment for school, and one of the scenes had him filming one of the girls outside on his street, as she “hit” her head on the curb, with a little bit of fake blood for good measure. It was harmless, as the girl laughed…
Hating on Drew Barrymore
Enough with your shitty movie directing attempts! I’m so damn sick of actors turning directors, singers turning actors, vice versa, blar blar blar. I heard the other day she’s directing a movie called ”whip it” about a roller skating queen. WOW!!!! And supposedly our little Hali-friend Ellen Page is going to be in it. Is…
Get off the road!
To all those stunned drivers in Halifax that don’t know what the fuck they are doing. Driving is not hard it just takes a little bit of an attention span and knowledge of the rules. I think you all need to take a stop down at access Nova Scotia and pick yourself up a learning…
Noelle’s makes really good cookies
Noelle’s a local business, nestled in Waverley, though it doesn’t have a retail storefront that you’ll be able to find, and it ships across the country and to places as far flung as California and Germany. “We just do custom orders and we only do cookies,” says owner Noelle Milligan. The cookies have kept her…
Brewdebaker’s Part Deux
A second location of Brewdebakers—the first is at 612 Windmill in Dartmouth —has moved into 287 Lacewood Drive in Clayton Park, the former home of the Lone Star Texas Grill.
The Hub hubbub
On Friday June 5, The Hub (1673 Barrington St. 2nd floor, 482-4729) has its official launch from 8:30am to 6:30pm, offering the space for free to work in all day, including a series of in-house events; an ideas breakfast, a story-of-The-Hub lunch and live music and snacks at 4pm.
Halifax North Common, July 11th!
I just got my Paul McCartney ticket <3 —Brian
Fuck you small business we’re going to Walmart!
I thought it was a good idea to support local business so I went back to my local bike shop to buy my second used bike from them. I was assured that they would fix any shortcomings that the bike had, and shortcomings it has. And now I have been back 4 times- among other…
Provincial election temporarily impacts cultural grants
For some Nova Scotian cultural organizations, the upcoming election means short-term belt-tightening and long-term uncertainty over their programming schedules and budgets. “No one’s grant has been postponed,” explains Michael Noonan, communications for Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage. The usual jurying processes and panel assessments are taking place and grant payments are being made to…
Just in time for tourism season: floatables in Halifax Harbour again
CBC: First a sewage treatment plant failed, and now the Halifax Regional Municipality is giving up on attempts to screen out solids from flowing into the harbour. About 80 million litres of wastewater has been flowing into Halifax harbour every day since January, when a sewage treatment plant malfunctioned and flooded following a power outage.…
Theatre Review: Café Da Po Po
Tired of the same old thing? This Café will shake up your theatrical taste buds.
Ever hear of twins??
Guess what, not everyone knows who you are and after our little run in, I’d bet not a whole lot of people would readily admit knowing you either. You have a passing (like you pass her in the hall at work) acquaintance with my sister, my identical twin sister. You may have heard of them…
Comments Closed
I just sent this letter off to the editor of the Globe and Mail and thought to share it with you bitches. Blog on! ———– I just finished reading your story, Club’s security practices at issue after ejected teen found dead (ANTHONY REINHART, From Friday’s Globe and Mail, Friday, May. 29, 2009 05:19AM EDT) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/clubs-security-practices-at-issue-after-ejected-teen-found-dead/article1159027/…
Hats Backward
Hey to all you guys with backward hats. When some guy driving by in a car informs you your hat is on backward, that’s me. I love you guys! —F. Booth
Victoria Park Princess
To the grumpy bitch on Friday night who demanded I tell her what I was doing with my Camera in Victoria Park… a) only a Haligonian could be so thick as to ask such a dumbass question (hint: it’s a camera). b) getting the Cover Shot for my Ugliest Girls of Halifax calendar. c) do…
Soundbytes festival kicks off this weekend
Marla Hlady’s Playing Piano. Photo courtesy of the artist. Last night the Soundbytes festival kicked off with a performance at Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery and an opening of Resounding, at Dalhousie Art Gallery. The Dal staff are such a class act, you’d never know it’s been a tough week at the arts centre—a bronze…
Halifax Bike Week rolls
If you ride your bike to the following restaurants and cafes in the coming week, expect discounts as follows: Mid-East Food Centre (2595 Agricola) is offering 10 percent off everything in the place, Just Us! locations at 5896 Spring Garden and 1678 Barrington are giving 20 percent off drinks, and The Daily Grind (5686 Spring…
May move to Halifax
I know this isn’t a ‘bitch’, but I really need some good honest opinions here. I visited this town once last year. Some good, some bad, some downright shithole locations, but I thought the people were friendly, it’s right by the ocean, and it had great atmosphere. I could be wrong, so I need ya…
love lovers
i can’t think of anything specifically right now to express love for, except that i love reading the positive messages from other love the way we lovers! its refreshing that you’re not succuming to the cool trend of being angry. —me
Everyday normal guy Jon Lajoie coming to Halifax
Quebec-born comedian Jon Lajoie is touring his new album You Want Some of This, and will be making a stop in Halifax on September 10. Lajoie is one of those internet stories you read about and don’t believe, but this one’s for reals. A regular on Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s funnyordie.com, the two are…
Sure Thing?
In-Flight Safety and Dimitri from Paris (?) get the “Sure Thing” tags in the live musice section for tonight but Joel Plaskett playing at the Cohn doesn’t? What’s wrong with this picture? —Who the hell is Dimitri!?
Do your job
It is Thursday is it not? I just wasted 15mins of my lunch hour walking to 3 different racks looking for today’s issue of your wonderful, enlightening paper. I couldn’t find one fucking rack with a copy (one had last week’s). Get off your asses and hit your stupid deadlines you bastards, I had to…
Seal hunts yes, Paul McCartney no
To the editor, Put aside your ignorant thoughts if you care about your fellow Canadians, and I will tell you why I don’t want to see Paul McCartney on the Common this summer. McCartney announced that he is boycotting seal products, and expects others to do the same. He is wrong, and a person is…
No Liberal Party parking problems
To Tim Bousquet, If you looked closer into your “Liberal Party van blocks handicap parking spaces” post in the Reality Bites blog (May 25), you would’ve realized those spaces are only reserved for the disabled during bingo. That is also why they are located so close to the doors to the bingo hall. There is…
My lost bitch
My bitch is that my bitch that took me 10 minutes to create yesterday wasn’t posted. I thought it was a respectable bitch. —Giggi
“Smart” traffic lights are STOOPID!
You know the ones – the lights that are supposed to be triggered by sensing a car waiting. Not a bad idea in itself, but if you’re on a motorcycle at the light, shut the bike off and have a snooze because the light will never fucking change! Even two bikes side by side won’t…
Cold Hard Bitch
To the cashier at a certain pharmacy. Yesterday an elderly lady asked for help with her bags as the pharmacy no longer has a back entrance. Sure you are tired of standing on you feet…its obvious why, but when an old lady asks for help with her bags, and all you can do is offer…
Rhymes with ScareView
Why are people in a certain part of ScareView such pigs? Why is there constantly bags of garbage and other crap sitting right out in plain view in the parking lot (when the bin is maybe 20 feet away). Why are people in Scare View such degenrate scum? Why do I stick around? — too…
To The Sweet Lady with A Bloody Nose
I wanted to give you a hug! You were so scared since you hadn’t had a bloody nose before, and the paramedic that brought you in was so sweet to you to (kudos!) TO hear you say you didn’t have anyone for your emergency contact broke my heart. I hope you read this, because I…
Not helping the local drug problem!
Two evenings ago I went to the ER at a major local hospital because I was having some problems breathing. They took me right in and ran me through a series of tests, in such a way that (for the first time ever) the ER seemed competent. And for that I want to say THANK-YOU.…
Toilet woes.
My office has one washroom. It’s one of those single stalled jobs, which can be pretty nice when nature calls and you have to drop trow and pinch an afternoon loaf. It’s also nice not to have to make stupid chit chat with the lady in accounting while i’m mid-stream. I’m a huge fan of…
Find another job
You are disorganised. You are uninformed. You lack the ability to understand your department’s dependency and inter-connectivity to the rest of us that pick up the slack and do damage control for your mistakes. You make us look bad to clients – clients have little contact with or knowledge of. Until they come to us…
Buy art, support 4 Rwanda this Sunday
Bill (Coco) Ruterana’s umugwegwe fashion. This Sunday night, at FRED from 7-9pm, there’s an art auction that shouldn’t be missed. Kevin Lewis, Michael Lewis, Melanie Colosimo, Laura Dawe, Andrea Dorfman, Michael Fuller and the list goes on and on, are all donating work in support of 4 Rwanda, an exhibition of four Rwandan artists coming…
Collector’s version of the Joel Plaskett cover
Soon after today’s 16th anniversary issue of the paper started hitting the street, we realized there’s something kinda amiss with the cover. While it probably won’t hit the Inverted Jenny level of fame, it’s a pretty inauspicious way to start our 17th year of publishing. We’re printing the right cover now, and will be delivering…
Review: Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria
The adjectives that jump to mind when describing Cirque du Soeil’s Alegría (words like magical, breathtaking, spectacular) really don’t capture the essence of what makes this show so spell-binding. It has all the expected hallmarks —dazzling costumes, an innovative set and acrobatics that will make your heart race. But it says something about a show…
HRM By Design goes to Halifax council for approval
“Halifax was unique, before we got into this, in not having an urban design plan—urban design has been emerging as a serious discipline in the last 20 or so years,” says Andy Filmore, manager of the $405,000 HRM By Design planning initiative. This Tuesday, June 2, culminating three years of highly charged debate, dozens of…
Sweetheart Sebastian
Nothing beats French punk, or to quote their website, “new wave punk français.” I was sold from the first note of this Quebecois garage-rock band’s CD. Just under 25 minutes of hooky, jeans-and-t-shirts punk rock, the sludgy, lo-fi French vocals take a few listens to make out and then don’t require much more than an…
Students protest against military recruitment at local schools.
Need a job? Need money for school? Want to do something meaningful with your life? Military recruiters, working the HRM high school circuit, say the Armed Forces can offer young people all that and more, but a group from Citadel High is calling for the removal of all “armed forces propaganda” and recruiting personnel from…
Expedyte
This full-length from local hip-hop artist Expedyte might shock the rock department, but won’t come as a surprise for Three Sheet fans. Life delivers essential lounge hip-hop plus upbeat hooks on tracks “Sunny Daze” and “Trendz,” an analysis of ’80s and ’90s trends: “You never notice them until the past tense.” But the up-and-coming vocalist…
Premier Rodney MacDonald’s demise
Is it too soon to say, “So long, Rodney?” The final outcome is still far from a done deal, of course. Forget those public opinion polls predicting an NDP victory in next month’s elections. Those numbers reflect mostly province-wide aggregates of voting intentions; real-life elections in Nova Scotia are usually won and lost in the…
Joel Plaskett through the eyes of The Coast
All Dressed Up, May 19, 1994 Earliest known photo of Joel “the fairview ninja” Plaskett, in a fashion layout. Plaskett sports “kicking shoes (great for kicking!)”. Thrush Hermit Cover, April 4, 1996 Joel Plaskett in his first band, Thrush Hermit, talking about getting signed to Elektra and their album The Great Pacific Ocean. By James…
Gay is like Cats, Heroin is like Twitter
Q: I have a problem with my happiness; he is a wonderful man who has a beauty that overwhelms me; we have a beautiful home; I am monogamous for the first time in a decade. But I just learned that I am the spitting image of a man in jail for raping my boyfriend. He…
Erin Costelo
Fire & Fuss presents a classic pop musician at work. This is music aligned with soul, R&B and jazz, like the pop of the mid-’60s to the early ’70s. “Weak Like Us” has to be Costelo’s signature song: “Oh light, you betrayer/Oh night, you instigator,” she sings on the chorus; two short, smart lines illustrating…
Halifax Tales: Winners from our postcard fiction contest
The Winner Olden Times by Sarah Mian Great-Granny took lovers when Great Gramps went off to war. People use that expression, “take a lover,” but she really did. She took them from the streetcar and barstools and skating rinks and tucked them into her bed all in a row, like dolls. When her husband returned,…
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the abysmal sequel to the already lugubrious Night at the Museum, received some interesting competition in gross-out comedy Dance Flick last weekend. While the films play to different portions of the under-30 market—Museum to the kiddies, Dance Flick to the teens—the films can be compared in their…
Joel Plaskett: Three for the road
Joined by a cast of musical characters, Joel Plaskett’s ambitious new triple album travels through modern rock and Maritime folk, reflecting on a life of “going away, being alone and coming home.” photos Riley Smith
Liz Feltham finally blows her deep cover
Restaurant reviewers like to be anonymous. It’s their thing. But even for a reviewer, Liz Feltham guarded her anonymity to legendary lengths. When Liz started writing for The Coast in 2001, little did I guess it would be eight years before I’d meet her face-to-face. I hired her as an untested reviewer based exclusively on…
Liz Feltham retires as The Coast’s restaurant critic
I’m full. The meal has been great, but the table’s been cleared and it’s time to push the chair back, get up and walk away. Eight years of reviewing restaurants and writing about food for this paper has been an incredible experience, but now it’s time to move on, revitalize my jaded palate and see…
Air India 182
In theory, documentary reenactments exist to make stories lacking footage more vivid; in practice, they tend to be cheesy and distracting. (I still laugh at an E! True Hollywood Story that paired audio about a stormy night with nondescript footage of wet road and puddles, emblazoned with a “this is a reenactment” disclaimer.) But the…
Jason Shipley’s killer trip
Jason Shipley has a friend who’s got a cabin in New Brunswick. Two springs back, that friend, Pierre Huard, told Shipley of a film idea he had about two men who go on a fishing trip—with bloody results. Huard wanted to act and direct; Shipley told him he should pick one. And the actor, as…
Musquodoboit choir’s small wonders
The show’s set-list reads more like a college radio chart than typical choral fare. There’s no “In the Jungle” or “This Land is Our Land.” (Sorry, Pete.) There are a few special guest performers from the local music scene—Rich Aucoin and former Haligonian Mike Evin. And all 80 singers will be covering locals Aucoin, Joel…
Raising awareness of the local bird populations
In Fort Needham Memorial Park in north end Halifax, Noel Taussig’s ears perk at the staccato tweet of what he thinks might be a magnolia warbler, a gorgeous little yellow-breasted bird. “Weep, weep, weep, eeeep! Eep-eep-eep-eep-eep.” We tread lightly to the patch of trees where the sound originates and hear it again, this time behind…
Caledonia release new full-length CD, We Are America
Zac Crouse is spending his rainy Sunday hand-screening t-shirts. “It’s fun, it just takes a lot longer,” the Caledonia bassist-singer-songwriter reports. “And it’s cheaper.” The DIY ethic extends beyond merch to every part of Caledonia—the Halifax quintet’s new LP, We Are America, was funded in full by the band. Recorded at Echo Chamber last summer,…
K-os
The mantle of “favourite rapper among those who could live without rap” weighs heavily upon the bearer. k-os’s 2006 offering, Atlantis, rocked the mainstream so hard, he became the personal jingle-meister at As It Happens for a while. As if to avoid being called a sellout, he’s devised the remix project and “karma donation” scheme…
Art by domestic violence victims too offensive for Province House
Citing offensive language, an official at Province House refused to allow several banners created as part of a therapeutic art project by victims of domestic violence to be displayed in the building. “Some of the wording, considering we are a mixed venue, would probably be inappropriate for the age—you have kids come in, you don’t…
NOFX
While Coaster may not rival the seminal White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean, it does manage to offer virtually all of the great idiosyncrasies that have made NOFX famous over the years. Disrespect for disrespect’s sake? Check. Glorification of the underdog? Check. Clunky, sometimes surprisingly complicated arrangements, anthemic choruses and fun horn-driven songs? It’s…
Dance Flick does what it needs to do
Dance Flick is the latest offering from the Wayans brothers’ lowbrow comedy grindhouse. Aping the story of Save the Last Dance and filling out the middle with about-to-be-dated spoofs of Little Miss Sunshine, Twilight, Hairspray and High School Musical, the movie is all business in its execution: fill a loose, 90-minute story with lewd jokes,…
Spring/Summer Guidelines 2009
Well, spring is here and summer will be shortly upon us. Seeing that, the office of Haligonians For Common Sense has published a short lost of guidelines for the spring/summer seasons. Allow me to share three tips that I find that need to be reviewed year over year. Tip 1: This is directed to all…
Stop making fun of my taste in music!!
Yeah I like the Jonas brothers. Deal with it. You don’t have to change the lyrics and sing to me: “Sos, i like to suck on steve!” Just go back to listening to your idiotic motorhead or something. gosh. —ANGER!
Had to get this off my chest…
I’m so sick of people deleting me off Facebook! Every week, I will check my friend list and it just keeps getting shorter and shorter! Why the fuck did you add or confirm me in the first place if you were just going to delete me eventually? You know who I am so why bother…
Go local in the Hydrostone
The big news in the tony Hydrostone Market is that the delightful Rogi Orazio Pasta & World Cucina has closed. Hamachi Kita, now at 5543 Young, will be moving into the Rogi Orazio space at 5537 Young this week. Hamachi Kita will move one door over and a casual bistro, called Little Europe, will be…
dear goofball
to the parking cop working sgr this morning, you, sir, are a giant turd-burglar. no, i didn’t get a ticket. i just observed our turd-burglaring friend and was thouroghly disgusted by his behaviour —the wall that has ears
No more Metro Transit bus idling, please!
To the editor, I would like to hear—yet again—what Metro Transit has to say about the persistent problem with bus idling amongst its drivers. Walking home from work, I noted six Metro Transit buses parked along Trollope Street, all of them idling. As I recall, the last time this issue came up in The Coast,…
Councillor Peter Lund deserves more than a C+
Hi Tim, Just a note in response to councillor Peter Lund’s C+ rating from a resident of his district of St. Margaret’s Bay. Yes, councillor Lund is new and unproven in council. But from our viewpoint, he has been a refreshing champion in helping the community bring the surge of new commercial development under control…
Learning from the old country
To the editor, We heard of the proposed building developments near Citadel Hill with dismay. Having visited twice already from “Old Scotia” we feel it would destroy a wonderful view of the harbour. It would also be out of keeping with the surrounding architecture. It is possible to restore the original buildings to good modern…
Why do we need a new trade and convention centre?
To the editor, Up until now, the World Trade Convention Centre was owned and operated by the province. But HRM will be directly involved in the new one. Why? With all the work we need done on the sewers, roads and the sewage treatment plant, why are they getting involved in this venture? I read…
Helmets, part 2
To the editor, Julian Young, the coordinator of injury prevention and control at the NS Department of Health Promotion and Protection, had the following reasoning for the helmet law against skateboarders: “…it’s not about controlling their behaviour…it’s about saying, as a society, we can’t afford to bear the cost of that person’s brain injury.” I…
Helmet coverage
To the editor, I was glad to see Lezlie Lowe’s honest look at skateboard helmet law enforcement last week in “Skate free and/or die.” I think it’s worth noting that almost all of the conclusions in the article can be directly transferred to cycling: The effect of enforcing the same law among cyclists has the…
Canada World Youth benefit with No Flyers Please
No Flyers Please always have time to help others Further highlighting how lovely and generous Halifax bands are is the Canada World Youth benefit show on Friday, May 29 with No Flyers Please, Hoop Dreams, The Fat Stupids, The Numbered Head and The Fool (Gus’ Pub, 10pm, $5). Proceeds from the door will benefit volunteer…
