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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.
Sitting at the back on 80, going to work. About a quarter of the trip, bus clears out. Two women sitting in the front, seemingly friendly enough, they don’t move as various people come on and sit by them and go off the bus. A black mother and what appears to be her adorable son,…
[Image-1] Nova Scotia is my hometown, as it is for a lot of us. The past few years I’ve come to grow protective of this beautiful place, despite all it’s ups and downs. Now it’s that time of year where student tourists are rushing back in to escape their boring middle-class lives in Ontario and…
Dear drivers of Halifax, Thanks to the four drivers on my morning commute who so helpfully stopped their cars and suggested I make an illegal left turn without a right of way. Three of you suggested I should run over three different pedestrians, while the fourth thought I should be happy to be run over…
It is so frustrating trying to find a seat in any Tims around here because they are ALL overrun with clusters of old-farts and retirees between 7- and 11:30 am taking up every seat in the place! Folks should not be allowed to take up all the seats for two hours at Tims sipping a…
Babysitter, one of Montreal’s gnarliest rock bands, will play in Halifax tonight and tomorrow night and you should almost definitely check them out. Do it for me. Originally from Victoria, B.C., the prolific trio of dudes relocated to the east last year and recently released a seven-inch split on Toronto’s Pleasance Records with Calgary’s Hagface (side note: last fall,…
[Image-1] We’ve had some great trips together in great cities—Montreal, Detroit (yeah rock on!), et cetera. But the last two weeks have reminded me how f-ing great Halifax is. I didn’t want to tell you the day you left for Italy I lost my job—why worry you? The weather has been great and made this…
[Image-1] Today was garbage day. The first garbage day since my partner of over 25 years passed away. We had so many family and friends gather at our home to support and join us in our grief. It was a wonderful celebration of his life. As I organized the garage this morning, I realized my…
The other night I was walking home (down a dimly-lit street) when a massive truck drives past. The driver (who we could assume is an original, thinking human being, who has complex ideas about human experience) leans out of the window and releases a blood curdling yell, the words inaudible. He was asserting his dominance…
Who’s *&^@ did you have to #^$! to get a shout out in the weekend edition? Way to snub a handful of notable local businesses. —No moon mist for you!
[Image-1] Oh poor, dear Halifax. You are lovely and it makes me sad that your streets at night run with the piss of students, tourists, revelers—bladder challenged people who spray a fine mist of urine on your walls, buildings, shrubs and trees. It’s not your fault, Halifax, that you reek like the most foul urinal…
[Image-1] Halifax wants to help. That was the message yesterday at Halifax Regional Council as mayor Mike Savage made an impassioned plea to support local aid efforts in settling refugees from the crisis in Syria. “There are hundreds of thousands—millions, perhaps—of refugees, migrants that are fleeing into Europe,” Savage said. “Everyone has been gripped by…
Shine up your silver-wear. Thanks to a funding boost, the Atlantic Fringe gala has been upgraded from tinfoil to pure sterling! As chair of Halifax’s Special Events Advisory Committee, Councillor Steve Craig led the charge to increase the city’s financial support to Fringe, which had been inexplicably cut by 40 per cent this year. Yesterday,…
The Centre for Art Tapes has been a generator of Halifax’s independent arts community for over 30 years, and tonight, CFAT presents an artist’s talk with multidisciplinary visual artist D’Arcy Wilson, CFAT’s 2015 Artist-in-Residence (6:30pm, free, Halifax Central Library). In practice, Wilson’s work often explores the complex interrelations between humanity and nature. Tonight’s talk includes…
Who was the genius who let this guy out of jail on 2000$ bail ? what were you thinking? tell him to go home and stay with your Dad and promise not to go near the Prof and her daughter ? WTF !!!! you found enough weapons and ammo to kill half the population of…
If you’re going to drive a giant suv but can’t see over the steering wheel feel the need to get your nose into traffic in order to see, perhaps you need a vehicle you can manage. Don’t snap at pedestrians annoyed because you’re on the crosswalk waiting for rush hour traffic to break for your…
[Image-1] To the dude living across from the blues bar on Barrington St on the top floor: Curtains are very cheap at Wal-Mart and even cheaper at Value Village. Failing that tacks are $1 and I know you have towels cause I watched you dry your ass with one. You may enjoy your penis but…
[Image-1] I cannot say this to you, because we work together; so have to express it here. I love how stars shoot out of your eyes. —Gutter Trash
The final piece of the Spring Garden/Doyle block’s re-development has fallen into place. After remaining mum on a new location through news of Tom’s Little Havana’s new digs and Rogues Roost’s closure, Locas Billiards (5430 Doyle Street) has found a home. “I think we landed the nicest room in the city,” says one of Locas’…
Water Choke This is the first production I’ve seen so far that I would say is a must see, but I can’t. There is no way around it, Water Choke is intense, difficult, and at times harrowing to watch. The production describes itself as “a collection of stories, moments, … concerning suicide, sexual abuse and…
Matthew Good, the king of early 2000s Can-rock, is coming to Halifax on his cross-country tour in support of his new album Chaotic Neutral. He will play on December 9 at The Marquee Club. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 11 (10am) via ticketpro.ca or by phone. From the press release: In his two…
[Image-1] Dear guy sitting in the aisle seat, protecting the single solitary fucking seat available on the entire bus: Seriously dude? There are five of us standing. Don’t pretend you don’t realize it. Just keep staring at your phone and tweeting off, and liking stories about mass murder and natural disasters and Justin Bieber. Clearly…
[Image-1] Shoutout to the petite woman with long brown hair helping an older, visually-impaired woman crossing the treacherous, torn-up Oxford and Quinpool intersection on Tuesday morning. I was watching from the other side of the street and when I first saw you crossing with your arm around her, I assumed she was a family member…
Hey, smartphone thief who failed to turn in the phone you found on Saturday at Strawberry Hill, good luck using it with no airtime, it’s not like I had just saved for 6 months to be able to load it with minutes this week so I could communicate again, or something; I’ll just take the…
To the individual who removed my ‘No flyers please’ notice: there are other activities you could be performing in your spare time besides scraping your fingernails against the metal surfaces of neighourhood post office boxes for the purpose of removing the small pieces of paper affixed with tape thereon, which contain helpful messages penned in…
Sit On My Face A school teacher recounts her difficulties with the sex education curriculum in an Ontario high school in director Sam Horak’s Sit On My Face. The anecdotes segue into monologues, by Horak and others, on subjects ranging from hooking up in a bar washroom to growing up bisexual in PEI. Like sex…
Dartmouth yogis have a new happy place. In late July the Dartmouth Yoga Centre quietly opened in in a prime location in the heart of downtown, above Dartmouth Yarns (122 Portland Street). Functioning as more of a cooperative than a studio, Dartmouth Yoga is brainchild of keen yoga teachers Jillana Burgess, Michele Banfield and Estelle…
Last night at Pro Skateboards & Surfboards, 90s-era Halifax band Rebecca West reunited for a sick set in anticipation of the band’s performance at Pop Montreal later this month. Fronted by Allison Outhit, with Lukas Pearse on bass and Dale Hussey on drums, Rebecca West played from both Cinnamon Toast Records albums, including the amazing jam “State of Grace,”…
This Sunday, 13 Halifax DJs and some special guests will ROCK YOUR FUCKING BODY all day and all night at The Argyle Bar & Grill ($10, 3pm to close). To celebrate this special event (and $3.75 drinks), we present The Okay Day Patio Party Playlist to start your weekend. Brought to you by OKAY TK, in partnership…
This evening at ViewPoint Gallery (1272 Barrington), four local emerging photographers present the exhibit 2015 Newlights Emerging Artists from now until October 4. The show officially opens tonight from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Then on Sunday, September 13 at 2:00pm, Nolan Drew, Kate Giffin, Jim Ross and Valentina Casalini will present their developing photographic styles during an artist’s talk. Go check it…
Since adopting internationally, [my family] also embraced a new culture,” says Lisa Scott, owner of Second Life Ethiopian Artisans. “But never did I imagine how deeply this culture would impact me.” Scott immediately felt a deep connection with the female artisans of Ethiopia, drawn to their passion for craftsmanship and the exquisite quality and uniqueness…
The European Pantry Cheese, bread, olive oil, chocolate, deli meats—y’know, the things they do better in Europe—plus loads of other groceries, and prepared take-away foods. 6516 Chebucto Road Ca-Hoa Grocery For 40-plus years this huge, family-run Asian grocery has been providing dishes, fresh veg and hard-to-find packaged goods and sauces. 5483 Victoria Road The Carrot…
[Image-1] A young woman walks through campus at night. She cuts across a parking lot and behind the Howe Hall residence at Dalhousie. There, she sees a group of male students—about five, or maybe six. She’s a student at King’s, adjacent to Dal, but these men are not familiar to her. One locks his eyes…
Room 152 (152 Portland Street) Some of the stock is second-hand, but they also have a lot of never worn sample sizes. Plenty of brand names at brand name prices. A summery Philip 3.1 silk dress is $200, Marc Jacobs leather bag is $250. Women’s only. Good for: Those who love designer labels, but at…
[Image-1] College life has more than earned its widely purported reputation. There’s the top-notch education it instills in the leaders of tomorrow, and also all that wonderful, selfish lust-filled living provided alongside the overpriced academia, dingy dorms and calorically ignorant meal plans. It makes sense that any 18-year-old who’s living away from their parents’ place…
From inside its ivory gates, university feels endless. Life, however, will move on. For better or worse, today’s first-year students will tomorrow be looking back on the days that were. Feeling nostalgic, The Coast asked several prominent and respected local figures what they remembered from school years past. What did they most miss? What real…
[Image-1] When it comes to applying to medical school, an applied sciences or biochemistry degree might seem natural as an undergrad choice. However, that’s not the case for everyone. What a student might need is a sharp mind—articulate and creative, but critical of the facts. For Adam Cameron, the edge he needs to get into…
[Image-1] Schools in the real world aren’t filled with floating staircases and talking paintings like Hogwarts in Harry Potter. But that doesn’t mean Halifax’s universities don’t have their fair share of unique traditions and odd facts. Dalhousie University does have a quidditch team, after all. Just like Hogwarts, at Dalhousie students can add their names…
[Image-1] When the Jaguar’s roar echoes down the painted block of Argyle Street, a mother yanks her kid away from the edge of the curb. Moe Basha laughs. Basha is used to the attention by now—he has been driving the red Jaguar F-Type since last October. Basha is a student at Saint Mary’s University. He…
Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not a winner. Whether you’ve been cut from the varsity squad, are more of a beer league player or enjoy the happy medium of competitive fun, there are loads of outlets for your athletic abilities outside of the intramural world. No bench-warming, no gruelling punishments, just a whole whack…
[Image-1] Every year thousands of new students descend on this city with no clue where to find an apartment. The largest concentration inevitably ends up in the south end because it’s so close to Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s. That’s dumb. Halifax is pretty tiny, geographically speaking. We’re an easy city to walk and bike across…
Last year’s Back to School guide featured the best local Twitter accounts for new students in Halifax to follow. But Twitter is so 2014. This year, we’ve regrammed some fascinating local Instagram accounts that showcase the fashion, food and kittens which make Halifax so great. Go give these people a follow, and we’ll see you…
[Image-1] The biggest academic curveball for new university students is often learning to buckle down and study hard. Thankfully, the educational experts from the cast of CBC’s Mr. D have got you covered. The comedy program just finished filming its fifth season at Citadel High, and with recent changes to the province’s film tax credit…
Happy Hobo in Moonland At a time when many children lack the opportunities to play unstructured games and the freedom to use their imaginations both at school and at home comes a beautiful show for children from Rhys Bevan-John called Happy Hobo in Moonland. Bevan-John, with the help of beautiful masks and puppets, plays a…
Theatre Brouhaha’s Punch Up Is comedy something engrained into us at birth? Is it derived from observational wit? Finding light in tragedy? Is it The Funniest Man Alive taken as a comedic prisoner by the Most Pathetic Man Who Ever Existed? I’m inclined to think the latter. As of now, the comedy bar has been…
Whether your post-secondary experience is more Animal House or Legally Blonde, you’ll need a local soundtrack to set the scene. Consider this your primer on some Halifax artists that will help get you through the year. Running to your 8am Monday class “Boo Boo Down,” Gypsophilia (jazz) No one looks cool running while wearing a…
Until November 8, the MSVU Art Gallery is showing 116 framed photos taken by 1950s American Beat poet, Shambhala Buddhist and cultural visionary Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997). Gallery director Ingrid Jenkner explains that, along with his poetics, Ginsberg practiced photography on a daily basis while he traveled the world. Many photos are candid shots of his…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22) “I stand up next to a mountain, and I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” So sang Jimi Hendrix in his raucous psychedelic tune “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).” We could view his statement as an example of delusional grandiosity, and dismiss it as meaningless. Or we…
The new school year is just beginning, but some are already graduating. In August, international students at the Canadian Language Learning Centre College’s Citadel campus graduated with a certificate in English as a second language. Aissata Diallo was one of those students accepting her diploma amid a flurry of applause and tears. “I’m going to…
Travel is a luxury for students entering their first semester of post-secondary education. It becomes less justifiable to be spending funds on a couple weeks down south when tuition is so steep. A company known as HigherEdPoints is helping to kill two birds with one stone by letting students pay for their tuition using Aeroplan…
Last time this country voted for a new government, barely 39 percent of voters between 18 and 24 cast a ballot. This election, the newly enacted Fair Elections Act makes it more complicated than ever to vote. Luckily, there are still plenty of ways to make your voice heard. The first thing to do is…
There are many perks to being a student in Halifax, not the least of which is cheaper access to this city’s colourful palate of artistic offerings. Why not further benefit from that hefty tuition cost by using your student status to save some cash while experiencing a vibrant arts and culture scene? If you find…
When Kevin started work at a fast food restaurant chain in Halifax at the age of 18, he was surprised to find out how much he’d get paid. Transferring from the same restaurant in North Sydney, he was set to make 50 cents less per hour while doing the same work. “When I inquired about…
Ugh, Burnside. If Dartmouth’s industrial park were to have a slogan, it could easily be something along the lines of “Want to feel like a rat in a maze? Come to Burnside!” A labyrinth of streets walled with a series of squat warehouses and industrial-commercial buildings that have all the charm of a knocked-over stack…
“It’s such an intersectional topic,” says Alanah Correia, the curator of Our Bodies, Our Blood, a menstrual-themed art show opening at Plan B on Tuesday. “It’s not just about femininity and gender issues but it’s also environmental, political, religious and so on.” After attending a fertility workshop with a pal last January, Correia realized that…
Atlantic Fringe is celebrating its 25th birthday, and you’re invited. Take in some, or all, of the 50 shows offered over the next 11 days. To help you make your choices, The Coast has assembled a crackerjack team of reviewers: Meghan Hubley – Meghan Hubley is a poet, playwright and arts writer from Halifax, and a…
Until November 8, the MSVU Art Gallery is showing 116 framed photos taken by 1950s American Beat poet, Shambhala Buddhist and cultural visionary Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997). MSVU Gallery director Ingrid Jenkner explains that, along with his poetics, Ginsberg practiced photography on a daily basis while he traveled the world. Many photos are candid shots of…
In late July, Halifax’s Vadell Gabriel (Seth Glasgow) released 27 of his own instrumental tracks in a collection called Timbits. The title is a shout-out to the 2006 masterpiece Donuts, the final album by Detroit’s posthumous instrumental king, J. Dilla. On his third release in a year, Gabriel enacts the same new jack swing style…
Q I’m confused about my sexuality. For many years, I thought I preferred hetero-romantic asexual relationships. Exposure to select reading material—thanks to my gender-studies classes—has me convinced I’m an asexual t-type (“top,” but I prefer not to use such connotative terms) female who is attracted to slight and feminine men. I do not want to…
It’s not fair, but… I have expressed something via Facebook that I would love to share with your paper, to raise awareness with a wider audience. Recently one of the best people I know and love was subjected to outright violence for being perceived as gay at the exhibition in Middle Musquodoboit. Furthermore, the police…
