As you should know by now, TLOBF and Oh! Canada have returned to the East Coast of Canada for the Annual Halifax Pop Explosion. And, as seems to happen every time we have a Canadian showcase - we have a number in Common - this time Oh! Canada's 19th Edition is a celebration of 19 Years of the Pop Explosion. It only seems fitting, then, that we should put together a compilation of 19 (see what we did there) tracks from bands playing the Pop Explosion this year, so those folks not at the event can get a [...]
So we're a couple days into HPX 2011 , and because we haven't been out yet, we'll quote our favorite uber-drunk Gus' patron "What's up with the music guys, IS IT AWESOME?" That's more of a rhetorical question really, we know most of the shows have probably been awesome. Not awesome: the rain. As per usual, the Ack and I are contemplating hitting a show or two tonight, and boom, we have a monsoon season in Halifax now. Sorry everyone. Let us make it up to you with a bunch of songs from some of the folks [...]
If, by chance, you're still thinking about your late night HPX plans for this eve, your best bet just might be clever Cali noise outfit Thee Oh Sees at Reflections at 1AM. MP3:: Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler WEB:: www.theeohsees.com
In the words of our old pal O'Shea Jackson: Once again it's on . The 2011 Halifax Pop Explosion begins today , and with an openning day lineup that is bigger than ever, Halifax's biggest annual music event is starting it's 19th year with a vengenace. Of course, in true hill-ian fashion, we're both busier than ever as we greet this year's festivities, and as such you likely won't find us out & about until Thursday night, but rest assured we'll HPX like the old-ass champs we are once [...]
To be completely transparent, I'll let you in on a secret: If our showcase wasn't on the same night, this is the HPX show I'd be most excited about. Growing up and loving pop punk, Chixdiggit and the Ghoulies were two of my favorite bands. The one-two punch of "Where's Your Mom" and "Henry Rollins is No Fun" and the familiar chug of " Tunnel of Love " are ingrained in my brain. In fact, after seeing the Ghoulies crush a set in Pittsburgh, I named my new cat Kepi. Flash forward [...]
GUYS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT! HPX 2011 is next week, and I'm afraid we've fallen short in our attempt to post a song from every aoutfit playing the fest this year, but we've made a pretty sizeable dent in the list (sorry to those we didn't get posted, our bad, we tried!). So here's one last kick at the can, another jumbo list of jams from bands playing in Halifax next week, so if you like something you hear below, check the schedule and go see them play! [...]
What's up friendo, you looking for some southern-fried garage rock during HPX '11? Well Kentucky's The Black Shades might have just what you're looking for, so check them out on Thursday, Oct. 20th either at the CKDU lobby for a 5:30 show, or later that night at The North Street church as the open things up for the Motorleague-headlining show there. Here's a little taste of what these young Kentuckians have to offer. MP3:: The Black Shades - Oh Oh Ah Ah WEB:: theblackshades.com
So far I've tried to highlight a few of the HPX '11 events that will satisfy those with a hip hop jones in their bones, but I've neglected to mention one particular evening dedicated to one of the 4 (traditionally, but now 5!) elements of hip hop: DJing. Thursday, October 20th you can hit the New Palace for the Red Bull Thr3Style DJ competition which will feature many of our city's finest DJs (and FYI, per-capita, we likely produce more excellent DJs than anywhere in Canada, nay, North America - that's just a fact, you can look it [...]
New Brunswick's The Nuclear play the Khyber on October 21st during HPX '11, and they also appeared on our NB mixtape from a few years ago . Here's the album version of the track we featured on our mix, Stations . MP3:: The Nuclear - Stations WEB:: thenuclear.com
Uh oh, we're some two weeks away from the 2011 Halifax Pop Explosion, and our mission to post a song from every act playing this years festivus looks to be in jeopardy of failing. But no, I will not let that happen! We made a promise to do this thing no one really cares about or even expects us to complete, yet complete it we will. Granted, we might have to do a bunch of posts like this to come close to getting every act actually featured, but we'll do whatever it takes! [...]
At festivals, it's usually the loudest chords, the whitest smiles and most charismatic, crowd consuming growls that get top billing. For HPX, it's no different. With endless venues and as much start-to-finish talent as I can remember seeing since the early 2000s, making your nightly choices often comes down to names you know and the buzz generated by those that yell the loudest. Very few bands want to move through the crowds as one of us; drawing from our strength, sharing our stories and encouraging our embrace. Even fewer ask politely to be [...]
Wait, have we gotten to this point, a mere two weeks before the 2011 Halifax Pop Explosion , uhhhhh, explodes out of the gate without posting on the almighty Herohill showcase? It appears that we have, but that's a wrong we're obviously righting at this very moment. But we can't talk about the showcase without mentioning the very exciting fact that we are involved with something else very exciting this year: The Saved By Vinyl, Kelp Records & Herohill BBQ being held at the amazing Company House on the afternoon [...]
That haircut right there is enough on its own to make me want to discard my long-held biases and hit the New Palace to see Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis Jr., headline an HPX show there on Friday, Oct. 21st. Lewis released the much buzzed-about Forget last year, and even a cursory listen to the melancholy melange of influences he coerces into some rather beautiful tracks makes me think this will be a rather buzzed about show. So go see him, biases be damned! MP3:: Twin Shadow - Changes [...]
NFLD's Repartee switch it up Dave Silver style on me: the jam starts out soft & dreamy, but a riotous dance jam broke out when I wasn't looking. Well played Repartee, well played. You can see Repartee (fun band name to say!) when they play HPX on Wed. Oct. 21st as the opener at the Olympic Community Hall show headlined by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. MP3:: Repartee - I Used To Dance WEB:: reparteemusic.ca
Here's a fact: the Church shows during HPX are always a lot of fun. Thanks to the untimely closing of yet another bar here in Halifax, the North Street church will make its debut as an HPX venue (I think? I can't recall any shows taking place there during a recent festival). I don't think anyone will mind the change of venue, and if you're thinking of heading to one of the shows there, the Friday night one featuring a headlining set from The Darcys might be a good bet. [...]
It's no secret that we love the Aaron Mangle-helmed outfit Cousins here at the hill, but I'm pretty sure we're not alone in this - pretty much anyone who has heard them seems to feel the same way. Well, if you're attending HPX, you'll have 2 chances to join the Cousins fan-fam by checking them out as they play right before Thee Oh Sees at Reflections on Wednesday, Oct. 19th or on Saturday (Oct. 22nd) during the CKDU brunch at Gus'. MP3:: cousins - Nans WEB:: [...]
Saturday night feels like the perfect time to continue our HPX posting series with a song from basketball enthusiast Graham Van Pelt, aka Miracle Fortress. I say it's a perfect fit because not only is MF's latest album, Was I The Wave? filled with electronic pop gems that are perfect weekend enhancers, but Graham & Co are also going to be apart of a show on Saturday, Oct. 22nd that should be more off the hook than your rowdiest Sat night. The Meligrove Band, Suuns, Miracle Fortress and Chad VanGaalen at the Olympic Community Hall? Fairly amazing I'd [...]
You can't have HPX without Halifax mainstays Dog Day now can you? DD might have refactored themselves into the husband and wife duo of Nancy and Seth Smith, but they are still one of our fair city's best bands. If you have yet to check out their latest album, Deformer , you can check out the Ack's review for a bit of insight on how the band has arrived at this point. You'd also be wise to check out Dog Day during HPX as they headline the Pigeon Row Showcase on Friday, Oct. 21st. [...]
The summer slate of festivals can surely get a little overwhelming, as year after year, more and more events are added to an already-saturated calendar. That growth, given the fact that most of these concert events are totally cleaning up from a bottom line perspective, probably won't change in 2012 (although lingering issues associated with last year's spate of stage collapses may escalate insurance or other associated costs). But, as the pileup of summer is now in the rear-view mirror, autumn offers its share of enticing festivals, and there's a little more differentiation and niche interests represented, in [...]
Other than casually seeing their name around, I knew nothing about Tennessee's JEFF The Brotherhood before hearing they were playing HPX '11. Turns out Jake and Jamin Orrall are another one of those loud, bluesy, garage rock duos we've seen fairly frequently over the last few years. I've only checked out a few of their songs tonight, but based on that small body of evidence I'm going to assume they will be pretty damn good live, so check them out at Reflections on Thursday, Oct. 20th. MP3:: JEFF The Brotherhood - Diamond Way [...]
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