6 Track Demo 2016 by Booji Boys Booji Boys, “I Dream of Booji” I also try not to hate but I hate anyway, Booji Boys really gets me. This is my dream band of 2008 but from 2016. Mountain God 山神仙 by Century Egg Century Egg, “Two Minutes” That high note! Getting shivers just thinking […]
Year in Review 2016
Posted inArts + Music
Five local must-reads
King Baby by Kate Beaton (Scholastic) The second children’s book from acclaimed Cape Breton cartoonist Kate Beaton is narrated by an egg-shaped baby who relegates demands with an overlord’s authority and facial expressions equally diabolical and cute. Featuring high repeat readability, this colourful, snappy tale will resonate with anyone who is, loves or has been […]
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How to be in 2017
Lately, I have found myself thinking about the big questions of life as though they were book titles. Specifically, as we head into a new year filled with both hope and uncertainty, I find myself thinking of Sheila Heti’s novel How Should a Person Be?. How should a person be in 2017? Let’s face it: […]
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Best local productions of 2016
Black Cop (feature film) White police officers mistreating black civilians—it’s a story we’re now too familiar with. But imagine the outrage if a black cop was mistreating white civilians! Cory Bowles sets up this premise in his short film Black Cop. It played at this year’s Atlantic Film Festival and it punched me in the gut. […]
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Top five local art happenings
Best new thing: Art Bar + Projects Since opening its doors in January 2016, Art Bar & Projects—operated by the Anna Leonowens Gallery with support from the Khyber—has hosted over 136 official events and welcomed over 3,500 visitors. Featuring everything from Dada soirees to artist talks to futuristic proms, Art Bar has quickly become an invaluable […]
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I remain hopeful: The year ahead in visual art
When I was asked to write my opinion and review the state of the arts community in Halifax, I immediately recoiled like a turtle into its hard protective shell. My first instinct was to decline and questioned what I possibly could say that wouldn’t shake the fragility of Halifax’s art scene—infiltrated for years with landscapes, […]
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Fuck This, I’m Out
Theatre in Nova Scotia has a serious problem and if something isn’t done about it, it will go the way of the cod fisheries. Theatre, like many arts disciplines in Nova Scotia, is dominated by white, straight, cis men. Desperate to attract audiences, theatre companies will go to any lengths except for honestly representing the […]
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Best local films of 2016
Fish Director Heather Young looks at the world in a sad but beautiful way. She’s one of Nova Scotia’s most unique and honest storytellers. Being a true East Coaster, she doesn’t like to brag so I’ll do it for her. Since its release in 2016, this film has been travelling the world and winning (well […]
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Stick to your guns, filmmakers
Of all the art forms, film requires the most people and the most money. You can start and end a single day and have a finished song or drawing or painting. But films need many more people and you have to feed those people and if some of them are in unions then you have […]
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Top 5 local theatre productions
The Weekend Healer By Bryden MacDonald KAZAN CO-OP A devastating family drama from Nova Scotian playwright Bryden MacDonald boasted potent performances from Stephanie MacDonald and Kathryn MacLellan as mother and daughter with a dark past, and even darker future. Let’s Try This Standing By Gillian Clark Keep Good Theatre Company Personal, funny solo show chronicling […]