Hopscotch Halifax is quickly becoming one of the city’s best annual music festivals. From live street art demos to the country’s champion battle rappers to American DJs and local dancers, this year’s Hopscotch pulls out the big guns with Orlando’s DJ Dallask and festival headliners Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs and Long Island MC Rakim. This year, […]
live music
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Country Christmas
Brett Kissel Wednesday, September 16, 8pm Casino Nova Scotia, 1983 Upper Water Street $25 Halifax turns into a gat-dang rodeo this weekend to host Canadian Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Awards, with performances by some of pop-country’s biggest stars—like Alberta’s own Brett Kissel. While Halifax seems like an unlikely place to celebrate […]
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Thrash and learn
“Every human being deserves the right to a safe environment in which to lay their head to rest,” says Dwayne Wright, musician and organizer of Headbangers Against Homelessness. On Saturday at the Oasis, the fundraiser features four Halifax metal bands—Aikia, Snap the Butterfly, Forward Unto Dawn and Oceans Will Rise—with all proceeds going to Shelter […]
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Going through the (e)motions at Fat Wrecked
I’ll be honest, Fat Wreck Chords predates me. But the legendary punk label’s artists were there when I needed them, stumbling into my lap in the form of the Warped Tour 2005 compilation CD. I wasn’t allowed to attend Warped Tour 2005, so I was just an angsty 12-year-old with a Discman and a long […]
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A Sight For Sewn Eyes, Halifax’s fresh princes
“We approached this record by finding a pocket where we can splice chaos and beauty together without it coming out as a messy batch of undercooked cupcakes,” says Andrew Benoit, guitarist for Halifax’s tech-metal hot-boys A Sight for Sewn Eyes. After a 2012 debut and some time off, the band is returning with a new, […]
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2015 Halifax Pop Explosion initial lineup announced
It might not feel like it, but October is a long way off. Even so, you can now spend the rest of your summer dreaming about Halifax Pop Explosion‘s stellar lineup. Some of the acts gracing your fave stages this fall include: Travi$ Scott, Dillinger Escape Plan, Purity Ring, Alvvays, Majical Cloudz, Andy Shauf, The […]
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Museum Pieces’ triumphant return
Troubadour rock-songwriter Tyler Messick wants you to know he’s back. After a 10-year break, his one-time Halifax band Museum Pieces features a new lineup and record on the way. Following a string of early- and mid-2000s releases like Philadelphia, and the departure of long-time creative partner Andy March (Crosss’), Messick moved to Montreal to keep […]
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SoHo Ghetto’s last hurrah
Local indie rock outfit SoHo Ghetto will be playing its last-ever show on Friday at the Seahorse, three days before frontman Marc-Antoine Robertson departs Halifax for Toronto. “It was just a natural kind of ending,” he says, almost apologetic for the lack of scandal. “I wish there was more dirt there.” With diverging career interests […]
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Love the ones you’re with
In the midst of an extensive North American tour, The Wooden Sky frontman Gavin Gardiner talks about a profound Halifax Pop Explosion experience and how to tour successfully.
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(Re)Introducing The Mankos
The Mankos don’t fuck around. Well, not when it comes to their music. The four-piece slut-punk act has existed since 2012 in different iterations, swapping out drummers in what frontperson Sam Horak calls “onenight stands.” Horak believes the revolving door of drummers is good luck, though: “Look at The Germs,” she says. “The Ramones, Spinal […]
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24 Hours at Evolve 2015
A quick rip out to Antigonish for one of the summer’s most anticipated events reminds us that Evolve Festival’s charm comes from its community.