No matter how many times Rita MacNeil left Cape Breton (her Wikipedia page has her bouncing back and forth from God’s Country to Toronto six times), she always came back. Maybe it’s because her songs were as dramatic and arching as the waves of the Atlantic. Maybe it’s because the people there were a constant […]
Cape Breton
Posted inNews + Opinion
DRINK THIS: Eileanan Brèagha’s rosé
Nothing decorates a deck party better than glasses of pink wine glinting in the sunlight. And no wine checks all the boxes of refreshment, food-friendliness and affordability like Nova Scotian rosé. Rosé suffers the unfortunate misconception that it is cheap, sweet wine, a rap left over from the ’80s when white wine was more fashionable […]
Posted inLifestyle
What to do in Ingonish, Cape Breton
W inding roads hugging the coastline, cute accommodations, beaches, waterfalls, incredible look offs—Cape Breton has it all. And while you could spend a couple of weeks exploring everything Cape Breton has to offer, it’s possible to fit a bit of everything in a single weekend without driving the entire circumference of the island (although I’d […]
Posted inArts + Music
Goldilox, just right
“In 2018, Goldilox found herself thrown back into time—into a far-out and colourful world where disco was in the air and everyone was getting high,” reads an old-school radio announcer’s voice in the singer’s Instagram story. “Recorded at Studio 108 in Paris, France, this new album witnesses Goldi’s path to Very Best. With her frequent […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Believe in Nova Scotia, not coal-fired billionaires
Last week the owners of the Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton laid off 49 workers, or just over 35 percent of the mine’s workforce. The bad news was delivered to the workers without warning from Kameron Coal, a subsidiary of the Cline Group, which is owned by US billionaire Chris Cline. Although the mine […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Thinking outside the vines
T he Annapolis, Gaspereau and Avon River valleys and their concentrated cluster of wineries contribute undeniable richness to Nova Scotia’s wine landscape. But flanking this heartland, smaller sub-regions spice up the wine scene, presenting new flavours and textures for our kitchen tables. This diversity in wine is owed not only to Nova Scotia’s varied geography, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Catching up with Kate Beaton
Kate Beaton has a lot on her plate. Within the past eight months, she moved home to Mabou, Cape Breton from Toronto; received a prestigious Eisner award for her book Step Aside, Pops! A Hark! A Vagrant Collection; and decided to devote full-time work to a new graphic novel based on her experience working in […]
Posted inArts + Music
Cape Breton feature Werewolf to premiere at TIFF
A feature film by Cape Breton filmmaker Ashley McKenzie, and producer Nelson MacDonald will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the fest announced this morning. Werewolf, is McKenzie’s first feature and was shot entirely in and around New Waterford, the filmmakers’ hometown. MacDonald, Werewolf’s producer says he and McKenzie wanted […]
Posted inArts + Music
Watch Dave Sampson’s new video for “Rumours & The Truth”
Today at The Coast, you can watch the new video for Dave Sampson‘s “Rumours & The Truth,” a song from his album, which will be released in the fall. Unlike his last video, “Fireflies,” there isn’t a cute kitty in this one, but it does feature the Holy Angels High School gym. The video was shot by Matt […]
Posted inArts + Music
Songs to celebrate the life and music of Jay Smith
While on tour with Matt Mays in Edmonton, struggling with depression and addictions, Cape Breton songwriter and legendary Rock Ranger James ‘Jay’ Smith took his own life on March 27, 2013. Musical communities across Canada collectively mourned the loss of one of Nova Scotia’s greatest rock musicians, known as the lead of Sydney’s Rock Ranger, as […]
Posted inArts + Music
Meet Halifax’s newest “lazy pop” band Strongboy
Since last July, Halifax’s Strongboy has been releasing what they call “lazy pop jams” and playing here and there. Last week, the foursome released a new video for the track, “Maybe,” from the two-song EP of the same name. Between Brett Jarrett (vocals, guitar), Seamus O’Neill (drums), Tyler Popwell (guitar) and Alex Sheppard (bass), all Cape […]
Posted inArts + Music
Watch: Dave Sampson’s new video (there’s a kitty in it)
Cape Breton singer-songwriter Dave Sampson just dropped a new video for his acoustic howler, “Fireflies,” and there’s a sweet little kitty in it. That’s really all I need to say. But I will add that Sampson has been coming up in the last couple years with his heartfelt pop jams, working with Gordie Sampson, Steven MacDougall (Slowcoaster) […]