Hype gripe
Maybe it’s me, maybe because of my rapidly advancing years, but I’m finding it hard to be excited about the new band from Montreal or Winnipeg or Moncton or New York. Is this what happens? First it gets too loud, then the shows get too late, and that’s it, you’re old. It’s not that I’m…
Word Up Halifax!
In a stunning upset, Halifax now has bragging rights as National Spoken Word Champions. The team of poets representing Halifax at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word rhymed their way past two Toronto teams, and team Vancouver (the reigning champs) in the slam finals tonight in front of a packed house at Coconut Grove. The…
Turn and Pivott
In Saturday’s Globe and Mail, statuesque ex-model (and new Project Runway Canada host) Iman says that her glammy rock star hubby David Bowie thinks that Toronto has the best modern dance in the world. Obviously Mr. Stardust hasn’t visited Halifax (I’d know), or he’d be singing the praises of Live Art. The contemporary dance presenters…
Really touching
C’mon play, in their own words, “real rock music—you know: dirty, loud, fast. All the stuff your parents warned you about—and it touches you in places that indie rock just can’t because it’s too busy trying to decide if it’s cool or not.” If you feel like getting touched in places that get neglected, Gus’…
Handmade heaven
Store-owners talk a good game about their stores being friendly and welcoming. But artisan Chara Kingston is working to make her new shop, the Love Me Boutique (1539 Birmingham), literally feel like home. “It’s set up like an apartment,” says Kingston. “People who come through our door…are our guests. They can come, they can sit…
Wealth of information
Council had the week off, but we did notice that Mayor Kelly took a moment to speak with the Chronicle-Herald on Saturday. Kelly told the Herald that council hadn’t received the detailed financial documents they were expecting to see regarding the Commonwealth Games bid process. Kelly effectively passed the buck to top city bureaucrat Dan…
An organic solution
What’s the definition of “organic?” If you’re like me, you think of “organic” as a series of sustainable agricultural practices—growing food without synthetic chemicals or genetically modified food, and in a way that takes account of the long-term health of the broader environment. But, I’ve discovered, when it comes to fertilizer use in Canada, “organic”…
Light the Fuse…
Is anyone else as stoked as I am about Pop Explosion this year? It’s like one massive build up to Eric’s Trip’s reunion gig on Saturday Night. And the Just Friends brunch that morning should be stellar as well. Now I just have to get up that early…but seriously the talent on that label is…
Ginger kid
Not yet a year old, Gingergrass has put down roots on Barrington.
Tonite, Tonite
Before we get on with the show permit me a short rant about show start times… Why is it that every gig at the Attic STARTS at 11 pm. The last three shows I’ve been to there (Pride Tiger, The Golden Dogs, last night’s pop explosion show) have gone way into the wee hours of…
In good company
“Given that I’m in a country where the popularity of the president is comparable to that of Nixon during Watergate, one would think there would be a general disdain for the administration here. You also have to factor in that 71 percent of the country now believes they’re in a war they shouldn’t be.” Matthew…
Savage Love
Q I’m a 21-year-old female, and I’ve been going out with my boyfriend for four years. He wants me to masturbate for him, but I don’t feel comfortable doing it. I love my boyfriend and plan on marrying him, but I cannot find a way to do this. I would like to do it. I…
Free Will Astrology
Judge not, Leo: It’s a surer way to be happy, says Rob Brezsny.
The Heartbreak Kid
The material has promise, but the movie should be much better. That was my instant reaction to The Heartbreak Kid. The Farrelly Brothers’ semi-remake of the Neil Simon-scripted 1972 film attempts to get back to the shock-gag approach that made them famous. The problem is this is no longer who the Farrellys are as filmmakers.…
Eyes on the prize
Downstairs at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, what you see in the Sobey Art Award exhibition is the work of five young artists from across the country. The five regional finalists in this year’s running—the first year of the annual iteration of the award—are as follows: Moncton-based Jean-Denis Boudreau (Atlantic), Michel de Broin (Quebec),…
State of confusion
Read a first-hand description of the Beddawi Refugee Camp in Tripoli, and you’ll understand why Mohammed El-Hassan wanted to stay in Halifax. Take this one, written by Tina Wolfe on the website yalibnan.com, describing the scene in June: The camp is mayhem: a mire of wires and hanging cables, dusty roads, narrow alleys, disheveled buildings,…
Double life
Twins. Dykes. Canucks. There hasn’t been an article published on Tegan and Sara where a variation of these labels isn’t present. Over the past decade, the 27-year-old Quin-kin have been constantly pigeonholed in some shape or form. But it’s their epic release The Con, that brings them to Halifax. The ex-pat Calgarians—now a Montrealer and…
Shifty work
Sarah Densmore stands up, fingers gripping the sides of a piece of fluorescent-pink bristol board. Thick black marker-printed letters command, “MAKE IT RIGHT 2 STAFF AT NIGHT.” She sets it down, and picks up another: “HONK FOR SAFER LABOUR STANDARDS.” “That one got the most response,” she says.These signs are remnants from a rally that…
Runaway power
It’s hard to believe the United States is sliding rapidly toward military dictatorship. But the latest list of under-reported news stories from Project Censored makes it clear that president Bush now has all the legal powers he needs to impose a police state. He can order mass arrests and imprison anyone indefinitely without charge or…
Pegging down
What’s the deal with Winnipeg? Statistically it’s the coldest city on earth, during the warm months the mosquitoes ravage bare skin, and it’s geographically isolated from other major cities by several hours. Yet the arts scene—chilly as the weather may be—is one of the hottest in the country. Think The Weakerthans. Vanity Fair-approved artist Marcel…
