Hopscotch fest is leaping to new heights. The annual celebration of hip hop in Halifax has an absolutely stacked lineup for its 2021 event, happening this Thursday through Sunday, Sep 23-26. Most shows are free, open-air affairs at Grand Parade (1770 Barrington Street). And while there’s not a bad gig in the whole weekend, here’s […]
Polaris Prize
Jazz Fest: Bernice
Without jazz, there’d be no Bernice. All five members completed undergrad degrees in jazz performance at different schools, but ended up forming a band that leans more toward minimalistic pop. “After school, I didn’t quite feel like [jazz] was my path forward in music and started really focusing on writing my own songs,” says Robin […]
Jazz Fest: Daniel Caesar
Daniel Caesar w/Charlotte Day Wilson Sunday, July 15, 8:30pm Waterfront Stage $32-$38 Love, loss, faith, desire and determination—hear it all when Daniel Caesar takes to the Halifax Jazz Festival stage on July 15. Closing out a year which saw the release of his successful debut album Freudian, the singer will serenade audiences with the soulful […]
Jazz Fest: Charlotte Day Wilson
Charlotte Day Wilson w/Daniel Caesar Sunday, July 15, 8:30pm Waterfront Stage $32-$38 Charlotte Day Wilson wants you to feel something—but she also acknowledges just how hard it can be to feel anything at all. The self-made R&B singer and producer—now back in her native Toronto after a stint living, studying and fronting local smooth-talkers The […]
Lisa LeBlanc, the star
Lisa LeBlanc w/Quiet Parade Saturday November 4, 8pm The Seahorse Tavern, 2037 Gottingen Street $15 Lisa LeBlanc’s been thinking a lot about high school lately. After all, it is autumn, the season of nostalgia. Walking through curling fallen leaves back in her hometown, just last week, she found herself back in the garages of her […]
Lido Pimienta is lit
Lido Pimienta w/Charlotte Day Wilson, Ralph, Vogue Dots Thursday, October 19, 9:15pm The Marquee, 2037 Gottingen Street $25 Navigate the Industry or Die Trying Friday, October 20, 3:30pm Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road free If you’ve heard Lido Pimienta’s name recently, chances are it’s been in one of a handful […]
Tales from the Cryptorips & Viet Cong show tonight
Mark Mullane knows what’s up. The former frontman of Halifax’s ’90s phenomenon North of America got pals together last year and started Cryptorips, a semi-nostalgic return to the math-rock of his youth. After only a few shows, the band was exciting music nerds everywhere; in July, Cryptorips opened the Toronto reunion of ’90s indie-shoegaze legends, The Swirlies. Not […]
Wednesday’s 10 things you need to know
1 Two cannons were removed from Province House yesterday to restore their sandstone platforms. One, near the statue of Joseph Howe, was placed in 1829 and used to protect the Hollis Street entrance. The other, which was in storage, previously acted as Halifax’s noon and evening gun from 1882 to 1905. Some lucky communications worker […]
Polaris Music Prize long list announced
Announced this afternoon at the Carleton, the Polaris Music Prize long list is a varied one. Each artist on the list is now in an elite crew, fighting it out for this year’s increased cash prize of $50,000 for best album of the year. Selected by a jury from across Canada, the short list will […]
Polaris to Purity Ring
Because I can’t get through a single Pop Explosion without saying something silly into a microphone, I decided to be proactive and get it out of the way early by participating in the Polaris Record Salon yesterday at The Carleton. Hosted by Polaris founder Steve Jordan, The Chronicle Herald‘s Stephen Cooke, McNutt Against the Music‘s […]
Polaris Short List Announced
Austra The Polaris Prize Short List came out yesterday. Everyone on this list will receive $2,000 and the winner receives a grand prize of $30,000. Here it is. Arcade Fire — The SuburbsAustra — Feel It BreakBraids — Native SpeakerDestroyer — KaputtGalaxie — Tigre Et DieselHey Rosetta — SeedsRon Sexsmith — Long Player Late BloomerColin […]
Polaris Prize Shortlist Announced
tawny Besnard Lakes Canadian music nerds hovered by their computers/mobile devices today with slightly baited breath, waiting for the announcement of the Polaris Prize shortlist in Toronto. Sadly Amelia Curran’s Hunter, Hunter and Meaghan Smith’s The Cricket’s Orchestra didn’t make the cut. Still, THE SADIES. Also, there are TWO Francophone bands nominated this year (Radio […]

