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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.
Is ignorance bliss? Not a lack of knowledge, not stupidity, but choosing to ignore. Does it bring bliss? I’m thinking it might. I think about this a lot because the BS of politicians, war mongerers, racists, haters of all types, polluters, animal abusers, people abusers and various offerings by assholes of all types doesn’t bring…
I am tired of hearing about Omar Khadr as theb”victim”. He is in no way a victim of any sort. He fought in a war and killed a US serviceman. The true victims are the family and friends of the soldier that was killed. Khadr did his time at Gitmo and his alleged mistreatment is…
[Image-1] Dear Folks of Halifax, For the love of logic and reason, Please stop the amateur directing of traffic! If you are a pedestrian about to cross, please do not motion for a car to “go ahead”. You have the right of way and the car waits for you. You might have pipe dreams of…
To the tall, handsome man with the hole in his pant leg. I was able to see you twice today when I joined my friends to go get their Amiibos. The first time we all chatted and had fun talking about Game Systems and said Amiibos. then we met a second time an hour later…
The rain is a drag, but it isn’t stopping bands from convening for kick-ass shows all over the city. Let this be your guide as you navigate the damp city in search of good tunes.
[IMage-1] I celebrated two years of sobriety last week. Two years! I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be where I am now two years ago. I drank more than I can remember. I drank more than I can forget. Thank you to all my friends. I love you all so much. Thank…
Please just sit down. I know you don’t want to sit next to a stranger (gasp!), or maybe you think you’re being polite by leaving empty seats for other passengers, but really you’re just in the way—usually of the back door. Just sit the fuck down please. —Seated Fury
[Image-1] To the snob who doesn’t understand wine: you have no taste. Screw-top wine is no worse nor better than corked wine. Screw-tops in fact are better for the endangered cork trees, but you don’t care about that cause you’re a tasteless snob. Also, a lot of table wines (e.g. Jackson Triggs) come in boxes…
Do you ever think that MAYBE you should teach your little hooligans to NOT play on the road where cars drive? You know, you fancy shmancy parents do have wonderful huge yards which is plenty of space for them to play. By you condoning that they play frogger with the cars that drive up and…
A surprisingly lovely bit of counter-programming arrives ahead of the dinosaurs in the form of I’ll See You In My Dreams. Carol Petersen (the wonderful Blythe Danner), an ex-musician and teacher, has been on pause since her husband passed 20 years ago. When her dog dies (this happens onscreen, it’s not gory but brace yourself)…
Roxy and the Underground Soul Sound release their new album, Don’t You Know, Thursday, June 4 at the Carleton (9pm, $10, with Jacob Strang & The High Class Hussies) before their Canadian spring tour. Here are some of their favourite songs to get you in the mood to party. 1. “Keep On Pushing,” The Impressions…
This morning, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Sobey Art Foundation announced the five shortlisted artists for this year’s Sobey Art Award, a coveted prize for Canada’s contemporary artists under age 40. A curatorial panel whittled down the longlist of 25 artists to come up with five, one from each region. The selected…
[Image-1] It’s a different perspective on some everyday Halifax sights. The dropping costs and improved quality of HD cameras and aerial drones increasingly offer a new way to view some common landmarks. For example, when was the last time you flew across the harbour to Georges Island? “I think it’s a really interesting perspective,” says…
It’s a cape escape every weekend from June 26 to August 21. Instead of focusing on an actor or director, The Atlantic Film Festival’s Outdoor Film Experience is going broad with a genre: superheroes. Costumes encouraged, but I doubt you needed any encouraging, really. Now in Bedford and Dartmouth as well as on that big…
[Image-1] 1 Everything’s going to be OK. Tom’s Little Havana and The Fireside have found a new home that’s just a block away from their respective stomping grounds. 2 And yet more food news…The Halifax Food Policy Alliance is releasing a report this morning on the current state of food in Halifax. The “Food Counts”…
After six years of bringing great meals, cocktails and jazz to downtown Dartmouth, Nectar Restaurant & Wine Bar (62 Ochterloney Street) announced this morning that it would serve its last customers on Sunday, June 21. The doors won’t be closed for too long, though—the restaurant has been sold and the unnamed new owners will reveal…
[Image-1] Although I tend to date men my own age, I don’t discriminate when it comes to friendships and networking; I have friends young and old, male and female. Yet, I’m beginning to see a pattern among my older (50+) male friends to which they are oblivious. Three of these men are divorced, unhappy and…
I am going to stay in this job for as long as I can, so you can give up bullying me now. —Not going anywhere
[Image-1] To the cop who spontaneously had to direct traffic at rush hour on North/Windsor today—you totally killed it. Nice work. —First Time I’ve Ever Enjoyed Waiting at a Bus Stop
1 It’s gloomy enough that a chill electronic track from local musician Wyon will make you feel just enough like you’re in a Sofia Coppola film. We just happen to have one right here. 2 Though gloomy weather has its upsides (cinematic atmosphere) the crocheted playable sculptures of Bridgetown, Nova Scotia’s Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam will…
[Image-1] We work on the seventh floor of a rather depressing building and I used to hate coming to work every day until you walked on in about five years ago. Every morning when I open the door to the office to drop off your coffee you greet me with a million-watt smile and make me…
This isn’t survival of the fittest or smartest. Halifax is a dump that I apparently can’t afford to live in. My own fucking hometown. Guys are douchebags. Girls are bitches. The adults have no respect. I have nowhere else to go. Thanks Halifax for ruining my life one asshole at a time. Btw-no one knows…
[IMage-1] Were you taught the history of Confederation? Our glorious country, from sea to shining see? Sorry, that’s that Other Place – that place of mottoes, Of Live Free or Die, of Resist Much, Obey Little… Our place is ancient, pomp, powder wigged – Right Honorable, but God Forbid Sir’d or Lorded. Change, Change! the…
Regulars of both Tom’s Little Havana (5428 Doyle Street) and The Fireside (1500 Brunswick Street) have been losing sleep lately knowing that both bars would be uprooted come this fall. After years of rumours, the construction of a new development on the Spring Garden/Queen/Doyle/Brunswick block is finally coming to fruition, meaning all of its businesses…
Best of Halifax 2015 has landed. Our new and improved version of the 21st annual survey combines our Best of Halifax Food, Music and City awards into one super survey, in which you can vote in over 200 categories —from restaurants to bars to bands to shops, and so on. Here are some quick tidbits…
Freedom of speech means the right to criticize what other people are saying. But it might not always be the best use of your time. Over the weekend, three threads were started on the Halifax subreddit (two now with the author’s account deleted), all regarding the same paranoid ravings that anarchist feminists are destroying free…
Major metal fan and vonfrostrecords owner John Frost makes the leap from online store to irl this Saturday, June 6 with the grand opening of Forged in Vinyl. The store is Halifax’s newest (and only) record store dedicated to underground and extreme metal vinyl and cassettes. Located above Pro Skateboards (6451 Quinpool Road), Saturday’s launch…
1 Best of Halifax 2015 has landed. This year’s mega-survey has compiled our Best of Halifax Food, Music and City awards into one super ballot—and you can vote for your favourites starting today. Right now. Do it. PRO TIP: you don’t have to fill this whole thing out in one sitting—our voting site saves your…
[IMage-1] Fall isn’t the same without the Canadian Surf Film Festival. What the heck happened to it? It just fell off the face of social media. You can’t just start up an amazing film festival, run it for a few years, and then just disappear! That is just cruel and unusual! At least pass it…
[Image-1] In a crisis situation, you were unflappable, unstoppable, unsinkable and moved me and all my stuff from a home filled with the rage of a mentally ill room mate to a calm and peaceful place where dinner was waiting. You were my protective shield. A million Thanks, I love yuz. p.s. – To any…
There are two entirely unrelated things, which I see in Halifax on a daily basis, that I am confused about. 1. What’s the point in wearing a bike helmet if you’re not going to do it up? 2. If scrubs are supposed to be worn in order to ensure that your clothing is uncontaminated, why…
The tangibility of music, and its uncanny power to move us, was made manifest last night in Speaking in Ligeti, a production by choreographer Martha Carter, presented by Live Art Dance as part of the Scotia Festival of Music. Set to the music of Hungarian composer György Ligeti, the work brought the musicians of Microcosmos…
[Image-1] As the seasons change from wintery hell to blistering heat, so too do causes of pedestrian injuries morph from unsafe sidewalks to traffic collisions. It must be summer. Yesterday, a 40-year-old woman was hit in a crosswalk at the intersection of Hollis and Morris. The police say she received minor injuries to her hand…
I think I died and lived again during the eighth OBEY Convention in Halifax last weekend. The annual meeting of contemporary music and art is one of the most thoughtfully curated festivals in the country, and it’s never been more inspiring or influential. Programmer Andrew Patterson told an audience that OBEY is designed to offer…
Though it was recorded in the thick of a wild Nova Scotia winter in a cabin in the woods, two-time JUNO Award winning Old Man Luedecke’s new album, Domestic Eccentric will be your backyard bonfire soundtrack. Recorded with multi-Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien, Domestic Eccentric will be released July 24 on True North Records and…
1 At last, Peter MacKay is leaving politics. At least that’s what the Nova Scotian justice minister is expected to announce today at 5pm. But then the chronically sexist fan of helicopters isn’t known for doing what he says he’s going to. 2 Speaking of the former defence minister, the Irving shipyard is finally getting…
After a few years of running her curated thrift shop Makenew (2468 Agricola Street), local designer Anna Gilkerson knows what the people want. And not just when it comes to design and the fabric, but the price too. Her second line, Älskling (which means Swedish for “darling”), combines all three of those considerations in a…
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia’s most bad ass textile artist and dreamweaver Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam’s latest work, Harmonic Motion is on display a little closer to home than usual for the internationally beloved artist, this time at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio as part of an exhibition that seems tailor made to Horiuchi MacAdam, Play…
Last week, The Coast and the PLANifax design group released a video about Halifax’s crush on roundabouts. It was pretty popular, but the video’s calling out of one driver for not knowing the rules of the road got criticism. Some people thought that black truck was driving exactly the way it’s supposed to. But our…
Local electronic artist Wyon gives a sneak peek of “Electric Boots,” a track from the upcoming Equal at Night, released Tuesday, June 2. Wyon (AKA composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Lawrence Curry) conceptualized this downtempo, atmospheric album after reading Charles Dickens’ 1860 essay, Night Walks. Get into some historically inspired electronic music on a grey…
[Image-1] Stellarton just became the hottest spot to be tonight in Canada. According to reports, justice minister and longtime Conservative superhero Peter MacKay will announce his resignation from federal politics in less than an hour, at a 5pm press conference in Stellarton. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to attend. Sources suggest to the National…
Violinist Giora Schmidt kicked off the Scotia Festival of Music this Monday with a performance of Bach’s Chaconne. It was a gutsy way to get things going. Bach’s Chaconne for solo violin is widely praised as one of the greatest tests in music, demanding not only virtuosic skill but serious emotional depth. Giora strutted onstage…
Lily Dijkland has a serious love for pre-loved clothing. The Holland native has always wanted to open her own boutique, she spent years working in a vintage shop in in Europe before moving to Canada in 14 years ago, since then she’s been selling her collection of collected second-hand pieces online. That is until Formerly…
Merging historical anniversary with a reason to drink, next week marks the launch of the Good Cheer Trail. With over 30 stops at breweries, wineries, and distilleries, the trail was created by the province to promote discovery of lesser-known regions of Nova Scotia, while building awareness of the gastronomic explosion happening from one end to…
Editor’s note: Last week’s “Fuck you, Nova Scotia” letter inspired a massive conversation in the comments section at our website. The following tiny sample is from responses that received the most likes. For loads more, just search “fuck you nova scotia” at thecoast.ca.. We are with you The guy who wrote the letter isn’t saying…
In 2005, Chad Peck (Kestrels, We Need Secrets) founded Noyes Records, now based just outside of Truro. Since then, Noyes has released music from some of the best indie bands of all genres, from Montreal’s Play Guitar to Austin’s Ringo Deathstarr. Peck celebrates the anniversary with greatest hits tape, Come on Feel the Noyes, and…
“Crapshoot” is a pretty fair and diplomatic way of describing work in the service industry, especially so when there’s a strong possibility your boss will leaf through the local alt-weekly and read an article about your band. “You have those days,” says Bonesaw guitarist Sam Beeley, “where you just want to come home and sit…
Last March, Martez Wiggins, AKA Woozy Blanks, looked around the cozy space of Alteregos on Gottingen Street and realized it was the perfect spot to bring together HRM’s hip-hop communities through freestyle rap events known as cyphers. With DJ and producer Lindell Smith, an engineer at Centreline Studio in Uniacke Square, the duo’s monthly R.A.W.…
Tomorrowland opens with a classic Disney fanfare and font that are supposed to make you think it’s already a classic, or will be soon enough, but director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and co-screenwriter Damon Lindelof (that guy, co-creator of Lost, knows from disappointing people) never quite match the hope they clearly want to inspire. At…
[Image-1] It’s a condo conundrum. Do you go downstairs to use the indoor pool or get some exercise on the full-size indoor track? Actually, maybe a brisk stroll through the shops below is considered cardio. But don’t forget there’s also cocktails on the sixth-floor terrace with the neighbours later. Or maybe you’ll just grab a…
[Image-1] Living in the city has its upsides: lots of people, public transportation and plenty of things to do. But the hustle and bustle can be tiring after awhile. That’s one of a few reasons why Aaron Beck and Jillian Moran decided to walk from Halifax to Toronto this summer, tenting all the way. Well,…
[Image-1] The Canadian branch of international human-rights organization Amnesty International will gather this weekend in Halifax for its annual general meeting. Secretary general Alex Neve spoke about the never-ending battle for human rights. What will members of Amnesty International Canada be doing in Halifax? The simple answer is we will be gathering for our annual…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gemini (May 21-July 1) You have successfully made the transition from brooding caterpillar to social butterfly. Soon you will be in your full, fluttery glory, never lingering too long with one thought, one friend or one identity. Some heavy-duty, level-headed stalwarts might wish you would be more earthy and anchored, but I don’t…
Q You often mention asexual people. I believe I may be one. I’m a 51-year-old woman. I’ve been separated from my opposite-sex partner for nearly nine years. I’ve been approached by a variety of men, each one interested in becoming “more than friends.” I haunt Craigslist’s “platonic m4w” section, but each time I reach out…
Last week, north end vintage partywear provider Honeybee Vintage Bridal (2130 Gottingen Street) announced that unfortunately it’d be closing up shop come the end of May. After nearly a year in business—and much more time spent hunting down pieces from across the province—owner Melanie Peters has a sizeable, and stunning, collection of not just wedding…
