John Mullane A black hoodie fits tight to broad shoulders, a knotted scarf of the same colour shifts from side to side as he talks. John Mullane appears to carry a burden, the weight of many thoughts or worries, both in conversation and on In-Flight Safety’s new album, We Are An Empire, My Dear. When […]
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Omon Ra channels space
Omon Ra has a firm grasp on the possibilities of space, both within the music they create and the vast solar system spread out above us. Their unique take on what could be described as blues-tinged folk hybrid—with a healthy dose of experimental bravery to boot—takes equal pleasure in letting spaces within the music breathe, […]
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Cuban Assassins, Gone Drinkin’, Hellacaust and Iron Giant
The announcement that The Marquee Club was closing was rather quickly followed up with a chaser of good news—The Paragon Theatre opening in its space for April 1. This still means the closure of Hell’s Kitchen. And that means the loss of a venue for a lot of local and touring bands, primarily those who […]
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Company calls on Ryan MacGrath
Ryan MacGrath doesn’t do anything half-assed. The night he released his EP, In My Own Company, he transformed the Seahorse into an opera house—heavy curtains hugged the stage, lanterns shone over mini-mirror balls hung like hot-air balloons and little white lights twinkled behind textured backdrops. The magical surroundings were mere accents, as he pulled out […]
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The First Aid Kit w/Rich Aucoin and The Stance
Coming from a sunny city like Los Angeles, you’d figure Darryl Smith would bemoan dealing with the Canadian winter he faces in Halifax. Don’t be fooled—the singer/guitarist/bassist for The First Aid Kit says he’d much rather be here in Halifax than in his self-described “paralyzing and strange” hometown. “I don’t like the winter, but LA […]
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Brent Randall hits a perfect harmony
More than two years back, The Heavy Blinkers were playing the Atlantic Film Festival’s street party on Argyle and they invited Brent Randall on stage to perform his song “This House,” the eighth of 13 tracks on his new—and first full-length—album, We Were Strangers in Paddington Green. Wearing loafers and clutching shakers, Randall delivered a […]
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Matt Mays & El Torpedo w/The Arkells
Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 at the
Marquee, 2037 Gottingen, 10pm, $25-$30, 1-888-311-9090, sonicconcerts.com.
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Jolie wanderer
Jolie Holland is in Brooklyn, New York, at her apartment south of Prospect Park, when she answers the phone, turns off some tinny-sounding music in the background and says hello. She sounds tired, and explains she is getting over a cold. Her speaking voice, with just a hint of a southern accent, is surprisingly quiet […]
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Ruby Jean’s house of rock
A night out dancing in Halifax used to be fairly generic. You could shake your rump along with loads of other loose-boozers at dollar-drink venues to the expected top-40 tunes rocked by unimaginative DJs. Then there’d be those cover bands knocking out covers of “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Sweet Caroline.” This is all fine, but […]
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Treasure island
Growing up in a small town can make connecting with music all the more special. While brothers Ryan and Aaron Crane didn’t come of age in a small town per se (Charlottetown’s population tops 32,000), you’d be hard pressed to find a more endearing introduction to indie-rock on the island. “It’s a typical big brother […]
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Music 2008: Full house
Two-thousand-eight: The Year of Unexpected Touring Bands. There was the influx of old-school hip-hop (Nas, KRS-One, ?uestlove, Naughty By Nature, Method Man, Redman and Raekwon) and oldsters that sold out in minutes (Neil Young, Elton John, Bob Dylan). The kids weren’t forgotten, either, with Deerhoof, dd/mm/yyyy, Summersonic, Antigonish’s mega coup with !!! and Battles coming […]
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North stars
In the post-Sloan Halifax of the late ’90s and early part of the present decade, it was a little tricky for some to pinpoint a band that defined the music scene. Old vanguards were moving to Toronto, while other acts like The Super Friendz, Plumtree and Thrush Hermit were disbanding. The days when music media […]
