Not buying it
To the editor, I recently read a story in The Daily News on Sunday shopping entitled “Because we could.” The point it made, if unintentional, was exactly mine: if you open it, they will come. I’m actually not sure what the intended message was, but the article was littered with quotes from mall patrons stating…
Sunday mourning
To the editor, I know the Sunday shopping issue has been beaten to death, literally, but I do think it is important that we take the time to acknowledge the changes in Nova Scotia. A week ago Sunday, the first real day of Sunday shopping, I woke up and followed my usual Sunday morning habit…
Malfunction junction
To the editor, Regarding Adria Young’s letter, (“Street patrol,” October 19) it must also seem odd that The Coast’s headquarters are located so conveniently close to the “municipal malfunction ticket” spots you list. Perhaps The Coast has a lack of emails regarding these “municipal malfunctions” and had to send a disenchanted intern on a search.…
M-o-n… s-t-e-r
If you don’t know picnicface, you’re not nothin’. As comedy troupes go, they’re the troupiest. And they’re from Halifax – just like us! Neat-o! Check out their blazin’ new single, Monster Rap. It’s crunk, dope, stupid-fly, hooked up, chopped, flipped, mashed, buzzed, clipped, plipped, glonked, hittin’ switches, and fun for the whole family. Bitches, gauze…
42 Ks in 42 Days
For some reason the words aren’t flowing freely tonight. It could be the lack of sleep – I went to bed at 3AM last night – or it could be the fact that I ran a mere 5 kilometers for my recovery run. Either way, I’m suffering from mental blockage. Hopefully if I keep writing…
Letters to the Editor
On Saturday, October 7, members of Animal Rights Collective of Halifax attended the Professional Bull Riding (PBR) event at Exhibition Park. They caught, on video, serious acts of animal abuse including electric prod shocking, tail twisting and pulling, genital crushing, and kicking. In a press conference last week, the PBR claimed that their bulls are…
Building doom
Nova Scotia’s Court of Appeal made its ruling on the Midtown Tower case today, siding with the Utility and Review Board and against the 17-storey building’s would-be developer. In short: Stick your skyscraper someplace else. (CBC has the story here.) The decision clears the way for the URB to go ahead with the hearing about…
42 Ks in 42 Days
So I was given a book in the hopes it would inspire me to marathon greatness, but instead it has made me feel like a chump. Ultra Marathon Man – Confessions Of An All-Night Runner basically makes my little blog look like an elementary school track meet. Think a marathon is tough? Try running 135…
42 Ks in 42 Days
It’s 10:52PM and I am watching Desperate Housewives while surfing the net. My legs are a mess from my last long run before the marathon (more on that tomorrow), and my brain isn’t working quite as well as it should. Therefore, putting together a blog about my activities on Friday and Saturday is turning out…
Oh My Soul, and also my aching feet
Thirty-nine artists in five days. And if I hadn’t been having so much fun at the zine fair, I had fully intended to add at least another five bands to that list. I’m especially sorry I missed The IMF, Geoff Berner, Old Man Luedecke, The Beginners, Laura Peek and Lil Andy over the course of…
42 Ks in 42 Days
This is the first time since I started writing this blog that I’ve written my thoughts in a notebook. It’s a little more work, but I am doing laundry right now and I don’t have room in my hands or on my back for any more large items. I probably need to practice my penmanship…
Joel with Symphony Nova Scotia
Here’s Joel Plaskett (man, I remember seeing him at a little club in Edmonton way back in ’93!) with Symphony Nova Scotia, performing the always beautiful “Non-Believer.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TyCPRck3cQ
From Punks to Plush Seats
Thursday night…12 bands…still processing. I’ll just say that I think the night started off spectacularly at the Bus Stop, where every act there–Giselle Numba One, Garbage!Violence!Enthusiasm!, Dollarama and A/V–made me smile, made me dance, made me glad people are still doing INTERESTING things as musical performers. A neat little venue too. I headed up to…
New topic!
OK, seriously, I just saw 12 acts in one evening. Some of them were especially amazing and some of them were not. But right now I need to lie down for a long, long time. Also, the pizza delivery system in Hell was so ridiculous tonight, it bordered on the sublime. If sublime meant “making…
G!V!E!
I pity those who did not attend this show at the Bus Stop.
What do we want? GARBAGE!VIOLENCE!ENTHUSIASM!
Give it to me, baby.
More Garbage!Violence!Enthusiasm!
Because one just isn’t enough.
I am enthusiastic about Garbage!Violence!Enthusiasm!
I love you, Garbage!Violence!Enthusiasm! You made my whole night. My whole day, week, month, year. Please keep fucking shit up the way you do, you are awesome. You are everything I wish I was, and more.
42 Ks in 42 Days
I am a terrible friend. I called Jamie about running together yesterday, but I couldn’t manage my schedule properly and had to ditch on him. It happens way too often, and it drives me crazy. Sorry Jamie! Then there’s Adam Guimond. Adam and I talked ages ago about hooking up for a run, and then…
Go with Flow
Every surfing screening we’ve ever attended—like, four, if Blue Crush counts—has been packed to the gills with beautiful long-haired people in toques and flip-flops. This week should be no different with the Canadian premiere of Flow, Thursdsay, October 26 at Empire Park Lane. Narrated by Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Flow tells the story of “Channel…
Room with a view
Construction may have already started, but Tuesday marked the official unveiling of the design for the new Nova Scotia College of Art and Design building, being built on the waterfront near Pier 21. The project is part of the Halifax Port Authority’s Seawall Redevelopment project. “The building is a work of art in itself,” says…
Happiness is magic
And you thought your job was hard? Imagine being suspended in a straitjacket 20 metres above a bed of flaming spikes as the ropes to your trapeze are set on fire. That’s all in a day’s work for Don Faith, owner, operator and one of the magicians whose illusions are on display at The Magic…
The Weakerthans, Care of youtube
If you’d like to watch a little of The Weakerthans, I can totally hook you up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRB3y071QWk
The Weakerthans, Live
This pose reminds me of that Chad guy from Nickelback. Not that The Weakerthans are anything like Nickelback. It’s just the pose.
The Best Sound in the Room
If you ever wonder where the show will sound best, try standing behind the sound board. At least, that’s what someone told me.
Christine Fellows of Winnipeg, Manitoba
She plays music. Music that some people like.
Chr!s Sm!th is EVERYWHERE
Look at the lens on this guy.
Dog Day at the McInnis Room, part two
Crystal from Dog Day also makes good music. She likes to take pictures while she plays keyboards too.
Dog Day at the McInnis Room
Seth from Dog Day makes good music.
Now Look What You’ve Done
I’m really sorry. I suspect there are people who enjoyed themselves last night at the McInnis Room, and if you’re one of them, you should probably stop reading at the end of this paragraph. I’m glad you had a good time. I did not. I haven’t seen The Weakerthans before, and was really looking forward…
Pony tale
Pony Up—it’s advice, it’s a threat, it’s a challenge. It’s a band. A band that played its first show in a Vermont pizza joint. A band whose first recorded track demanded “shut up and kiss me.” A band that was dragged along, into glossy magazines, by Montreal hype. And, most importantly, a band that followed…
The Luxx life
Location, location, location is the real-estate mantra and it holds true, especially for restaurants. Sitting on the second floor of Park Lane Mall, overlooking Spring Garden, the newly opened Luxx has moved into the former home of long-time resident the Birmingham Bar and Grill. Luxx has more than location going for it—it’s co-owned by original…
Man of the Year
In many screenplays, a movie’s entire progression becomes evident after its first third. Some don’t even need that much time. If Man of the Year and The Marine barely register on the pop climate it’s because they aren’t actually new movies. These autumn regurgitations foresake surprise (and interest)—begging the question of why their makers think…
Neptune squad
Practically any evening of channel-surfing will reveal an abundance of forensic crime dramas. But before CSI (in any city), before Bones, certainly before Cold Case, there was CTV’s Cold Squad, helmed by the spunky Sgt. Ali McCormick, AKA Julie Stewart. Stewart—the only cast member to work all of the show’s seven seasons—has been looking for…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
This week, Cancer, ask yourself if dog exists, says Rob Brezsny.
SAVAGE LOVE
Dan Savage says don’t date jealous assholes, dump them.
Savage Love Wextra
Just as you can say things such as “pansy-assed,” Dan, and it’s funny, your boyfriend can shop and cook for you and it’s charming. But cooking and cleaning for a boyfriend when you’re a woman is not so picturesque. It’s just old and tired. I understand where your reply to Just That Into Him is…
Face off
Most competitive males will admit to taking part in a ridiculous challenge at one point in their lives. Who can shotgun a beer faster? Been there. Face slapping contests? Done that. Most contests of this nature involve alcohol or poor judgment (sometimes both), and usually result in physical injuries and terrible hangovers—perfect entertainment for close…
Poppin’ off
Thursday Giselle Numba OneHot Springs leader goes hip-hop Giselle Numba One was born during the 2005 edition of Pop Montreal. The singer/MC hit the stage with “all these fools around town,” including SoCalled, members of Malajube on keys and percussion, and francophone MC Seba. She sang, rapped and played xylophone. “’Twas such a ball that…
Pole vault
Last February, as winter’s chill began to thaw, Cathy Busby took a short walk over to One World Cafe, minutes away from her home near the Common. She observed the posters on the wall promoting various shows and events. In particular, she thought one for Gypsophilia—a striking, swirling design on a black background—was nice. The…
Dance lessons
Downing a half-and-half mixture of lemon gin and Strawberry Passion Awareness Fruitopia siphoned into an empty Coke can and stumbling to the high-school dance? It’s now a thing of the past for students at four Halifax high schools where administrators have cancelled casual dances for the rest of the year. And thank christ for that.…
Halifax Pop Explosion* bits and bites
* Stats do not include September’s launch party. Margin of error depends on unpredictable border guards, weather, double bookings, theft and any other catastrophe than can befall a band and make it miss a show. Total bands playing: 112 Local representation: 39 (Be Bad, The Beginners, Broken Deer, Caledonia, Die Brucke, Dog Day, Double A,…
Playing with propaganda
Military recruiting ads have come a long way from those First World War posters showing a stern Uncle Sam pointing a bony finger and yelling, “I WANT YOU for the US ARMY.” Nowadays, the US military has created an action-packed video game called America’s Army to entice young adults to sign up for the bloody,…
Body double
Among other messages, the media reminds us that the population is aging. A critical mass is bearing down upon all of us, its full weight yet to settle and make its full impact. From medical professionals to automakers, corporations are reacting to the generational juggernaut in their own way—how to make better medicines and cars…
