It’s easy to forget, now, how long it took Sloan’s sophomore jinx-defying classic to find its audience. Before Napster—before Netscape version one, even—Sloan zigged when they were supposed to zag, and delivered the wrong record to their record-label masters. There was no World Wide Web to fall back on, no Plan B to end-run the […]
Halifax Pop Explosion
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax Pop Explosion on parade
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21 Tasseomancy The Company House, 10pm, $10 Sisters Sari and Romy Lightman play the Pop Explosion in mid-transformation. They’ve already changed their band name from Ghost Bees to Tasseomancy, the title of their excellent 2008 release. The changes are going deeper, explains Sari Lightman by email: “We’re focused on developing our skills as […]
Posted inArts + Music
Brunching with Just Friends
Yesterday’s gone, you’re hung over and in need of a refuel before the last Pop Explosion night—all signs point to the Just Friends brunch, which’ll fill you up with food prepared and served by the multi-talented musicians. Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts, Hymm and Brent Randall will all be doing their own sets, as […]
Posted inArts + Music
Amazing HPX ’94 Video
Rad Halifax local Mary posted this on halifaxlocals.com the other day. It’s a video of Muchmusic clips from Halifax Pop Explosion in 1994. Within lies footage of Sunny Day Real Estate, Stereolab, Treble Charger (good Treble Charger!) and a host of faces you may recognize. I was twelve when this was shot and watching it […]
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax Pop Explosion FULL LINE-UP!!!!!!!
halifax brain explosion (sorry, gross) This year’s lineup for Pop Explosion has confirmed what everyone already knows anyway: Music in and around Halifax is really really great right now. Pretty much every local band you love is on this list, rounding out the earlier announcements of heavy-hitters like the Hold Steady, New Pornos and Sloan […]
Posted inArts + Music
GWAR’s Quarter-Life Crisis
the handsome family The rumors are correct – GWAR is returning to Halifax for the Pop Explosion. The “intergalatic snuff-rockers” are embarking on a “Bloody Tour of Horror” to promote their latest album, “Bloody Pit of Horror” – natch. Apparently their tour schedule is quite punishing, considering these dudes have been “on Earth” for about […]
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax Pop Explosion Initial Lineup Announced
The lineup for the Halifax Pop Explosion was announced yesterday and you can see it here. So what do you people think? People are pretty stoked for the Hold Steady. I am going a little nutso for The New Pornographers FEATURING NEKO FRIGGIN CASE myself. Early bird passes, alas, have sold out, but if you’re […]
Posted inArts + Music
Basia Bulat to Play 2010 Halifax Pop Explosion
Last night, my husband called Basia Bulat “Bazeeah Boozah”, because he doesn’t know how to read, and now when I see her name, I can’t stop laughing. The folks at the Halifax Pop Explosion have announced their first show—-Basia Bulat with Symphony Nova Scotia. The SNS shows have become a pretty big highlight of the […]
Posted inArts + Music
Jonny Stevens is Executive Director of the Halifax Pop Explosion
Jonny Stevens has been named the new executive director of the Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX), taking over from the previous director, Waye Mason. (You can see our goodbye interview with Mason here.) From the Pigeon Row press release: Stevens has spent the past three years as the education and events coordinator with Music Nova Scotia. A self proclaimed music nerd, he has sailed around the world on a tall ship, toured throughout North America in a van with his band, and released five albums. Stevens is also an instructor at the Nova Scotia Community College Music Business program. “I
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Music Festival
When Halifax Pop Explosion won the ECMA for best festival, director Waye Mason was sure that they were going to lose and didn’t have a speech ready. Because this is his last festival, we’ll indulge him. Here’s the speech he wishes he had given: “The Halifax Pop Explosion is the collective effort of several hundred […]
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax cognoscenti talk about genres/bands they’re excited to see in Halifax these days
Secret Colours HOT MONEY RECORDS: Mike WrightI’ve been feeling really excited about bands from Halifax lately, there seem to be a lot of motivated people recording and releasing. Some bands I can’t wait to hear more from are Bloodhouse, Cold Warps, Bad Vibrations (Husband + Knife, Air/Fire), The Lodge, Gamma Gamma Rays, Cat Bag, Dog […]
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HPX: Saturday night is for hometown heros, ghosts and rocking out
Running between folk and rock and rainstorms on the last night of the 2009 Pop Explosion.
