Aaron Burke is fluent in the language of HIV. He’s done the research. He knows the terminology. He’s a 43-year-old senior manager at a prominent Halifax company and by god he’s managing this disease, too. He’s also managing not to really tell anyone he has it. “Once the fire is going, I think it can […]
longreads
Posted inNews + Opinion
Rodney MacDonald fights to stay on message
Rodney MacDonald looks more like the guy who’s just realized he’s landed smack in the can’t-get-out-of-the-way path of a runaway freight train than the dignified, in-control premier of Nova Scotia. His latest “important good news” press conference is barely five minutes old and, already, reporters have hijacked his sound-bite message track. That upbeat message was […]
Posted inArts + Music
The evolution of Tanya Davis
A year ago, 26-year-old Tanya Davis had no friends to hang out with. She had just moved to Halifax from PEI to pursue a career as a poet/writer/musician, but had no connections and no album to peddle. She spent her afternoons at Steve-O-Renos writing and thinking, and her nights at live shows hoping to connect […]
Posted inArts + Music
That new car sound
The Apex BeatWay cooler than John and Taupin The Apex Beat has big ambitions and they’re making sure they hone the skills and develop the knowledge to see their plans through. The plan is this: Take the time in studio to craft the sound, a rich, orchestral and musical border-crossing sound that harkens back to […]
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Hikin’ trail
It’s official. Classified is the biggest artist in east coast hip-hop. Hell, he might be one of the biggest acts on the east coast, period—up there with Matt Mays, Buck 65 and Joel Plaskett. In terms of reach and exposure, the 28-year-old man also known as Luke Boyd is now one of the most visible […]
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The wow of Steve
If you have been alive in Atlantic Canada in the past three decades, you know Steve Murphy. You know he anchors the six o’clock news five nights a week. You know he wears glasses and a dark jacket on the air. You know he co-hosts Christmas Daddies, the annual telethon that raises funds for disadvantaged […]
Posted inArts + Music
Rareplay
It’s the middle of Labour Day weekend and dawn has yet to crack. In a van crammed with gear and costume changes, the members of In-Flight Safety—bassist Brad Goodsell in the driver’s seat, keyboardist Daniel Ledwell in the passenger side, drummer Glen Nicholson in the middle and singer-guitarist John Mullane in the back—are headed from […]
Posted inArts + Music
Pony tale
Pony Up—it’s advice, it’s a threat, it’s a challenge. It’s a band. A band that played its first show in a Vermont pizza joint. A band whose first recorded track demanded “shut up and kiss me.” A band that was dragged along, into glossy magazines, by Montreal hype. And, most importantly, a band that followed […]
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Poppin’ off
Thursday Giselle Numba OneHot Springs leader goes hip-hop Giselle Numba One was born during the 2005 edition of Pop Montreal. The singer/MC hit the stage with “all these fools around town,” including SoCalled, members of Malajube on keys and percussion, and francophone MC Seba. She sang, rapped and played xylophone. “’Twas such a ball that […]
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Pole vault
Last February, as winter’s chill began to thaw, Cathy Busby took a short walk over to One World Cafe, minutes away from her home near the Common. She observed the posters on the wall promoting various shows and events. In particular, she thought one for Gypsophilia—a striking, swirling design on a black background—was nice. The […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hitting home
Debra Mann’s house is tidy. Not only tidy, either, but clean. She says she thought, “Oh my god,” just before I arrived at her Halifax condo, “there’s dust on the coffee table. I forgot to dust the coffee table.” But if there is dust there, it’s invisible to the naked eye, just like the human […]
Posted inArts + Music
Is Hollywood ready for Mike Clattenburg?
Trailer Park Boys is a certified phenomenon. From a low-budget film that premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1999 to a Showcase cable TV series featuring now-iconic characters, there’s something about Trailer Park Boys that gets people laughing, whether they live in trailers or towers. The show is so ubiquitous, it’s hard to imagine […]