Some people don’t just make music, they make movements. For 19-year-old Alex “Cunny” Ross, R&B helps him take positive steps in his world. “I’m from Uniacke Square, born and raised,” he says. Last year, Ross sold all 50 copies of his first mixtape Young Coming Up in less than 48 hours. Encouraged, he started Family […]
New Music Issue 2016
Devarrow (New Music 2016)
Last fall, Fleet-Foxy folk singer Devarrow (Graham Ereaux) moved to Halifax from Vancouver after a six-month tour. Originally from Moncton, he says the Halifax community is one of the main reasons he came back east, and it’s been an inspiration to his music ever since. While he was away, he chronicled his adventures on a […]
Eddy (New Music 2016)
“It was like, why don’t we just get two drum kits and beat the shit out of them?” says Nick Dourado (XXVII, Century Egg) on the formation of EDDY. With drummer Nathan Doucet (Heaven for Real), EDDY is an experimental drum duo that pummels listeners with continuous, spontaneous and completely uninhibited music. In December, the […]
Electric Spoonful (New Music 2016)
Here’s the scoop on Electric Spoonful: “Rudy [Pace] and I began playing music together after recognizing our mutual love of ’60s and ’70s styles of rock and roll,” says guitarist Brently Campbell. “We have been described as a scrappy rock quartet,” says Pace, guitarist-vocalist. The Halifax-via-Cape Breton band, also with C.J. Hill (bass) and Jesse […]
Future Girls (New Music 2016)
After his longtime Halifax three-piece pop-punk band The Fat Stupids split last year, guitarist Matt Grace (Outtacontroller) still had songs kicking around that he wanted to play. He asked his partner Heather Grant to start a new band, and then they added her Crossed Wire bandmate Dewayne Shanks, plus good buddy Coleman Johnson (The Scoop […]
Maura Whitman (New Music 2016)
Growing up singing jazz and performing in church with her musical family, Maura Whitman realized that—along with being a competitive cyclist and 2015’s provincial champion mountain biker—the 15-year-old from Herring Cove wanted to be a soul-based pop-singer. A fan of Adele, Alicia Keys and Coldplay, her latest release, “Survivors,” has been spinning on CBC Radio, […]
Glitterclit (New Music 2016)
“I think we’ve all always had these feelings about smashing the patriarchy, critical sex-positivity and frustrations with being treated differently, especially in certain scenes like music, because we’re women,” says Jess MacDonald (guitar). In January, MacDonald, Camila Salcedo (drums) and Grace Stratton (bass) created Glitterclit, a feminist-punk band inspired by riot grrls, Bikini Kill, Spray […]
Municipality (New Music 2016)
You may have already seen biological twins and songwriters Peter and Will Fordham jamming around Halifax at some point in the last few years. But last year they put together their six-piece band Municipality with Seamus Erskine (The Brood), Daniel Crowther, Pete Gillis and Billy Habib Taylor and started making tracks of very modern-sounding indie […]
James Bradley Band (New Music 2016)
“I would say my biggest influences are the Foo Fighters and Jet,” says Brad Long, the lead guitarist and singer of his first rock project, James Bradley Band. “I listen to a lot of different styles, but rock bands like those, The Sheepdogs, The Trews and Sam Roberts Band are definitely my favourites.” A student […]
Nightbummerz (New Music 2016)
What does Nightbummerz like about playing loud? “It drowns out the booing,” says Grace Stratton, one-third of the gloomy post-punk band Nightbummerz. With lifelong friends Cameron Evans (guitar/vocals) and Alex Seminick (drums), both of whom Stratton met at a Freak Heat Waves show last year, Nightbummerz released a self-titled debut in April with tracks titled […]
Latin Drama (New Music 2016)
Are you feelin’ hot, hot, hot? You will once you hear Halifax’s newest six-piece Latin American music ensemble. “We’re four Cubans, one Colombian and one Mexican,” says Marcel Nazabal (flutes, gaita, vocals), boasting the only Latin American band in the city with all originally Latin American members. “We’re bringing 100 percent Latin flavour to Halifax,” […]
No Problem (New Music 2016)
“Our biggest problem is that I’m too funny, it’s hard for everyone to concentrate,” says Daniel Crowther, songwriter and singer of Halifax four-piece No Problem, which just finished a tour to Ontario, played Flourish Festival and put out a first full-length, The Honestly Hour. “My biggest problem is listening to other people chew,” says Mitchell […]

