Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E05


C'est l'Halloween. Hey!
What are your pre-Halloween rituals?

October 27, 2009
(right click, save as, email to the Great Pumpkin)

Track List
Cousins - Anxious
Said The Whale - The Magician (Camilo)
Hannah Georgas - The Beat Stuff
Mardeen - Lovers Out Of Love
Immaculate Machine - Numero de Telephone
The Superfantastics - Turn On Me
*interview* :: Rob Corrigan re: Studio A Cafe
The Prospector's Union - The Valley Neighbors
Windom Earle - Greg's Song
Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees - You Don't Miss Me
Big Game Hunt - Seeing Red
Myles Deck & The Fuzz - Police Cops
The Fantods - Yellow Pumpkin

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E04

POP EXPLOSION! POP EXPLOSION! POP EXPLOSION!

October 20, 2009
(right click, save...you know the drill)

Track List:
A History Of - Low Level
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Dinosaur Bones - N.Y.E
York Redoubt - Upside
Said The Whale - The Magician (Camilo)
Kestrels - Ridicule
The Weather Station - East
Old Folks Home - I Hate Dell
Mardeen - Ice Truck Killer
Ancestors - Supercycle
Pterodactyl - December
Oh No Forest Fires - It's Not Fun & Games Until Someone Loses and Eye
thomas/richard - That's No Way To Say Goodnight
Diemonds - Highway
Carpenter - You Can't Keep A Good Man Down
Zeus - Marching Through Your Head

HPX Giveaway! Kestrels Vinyl!

Want to win this sweet 12" vinyl?


Just respond in the comments sections with the answer to this question:

Kestrels have been making a huge appearance on CBC Radio 3's R3-30 Countdown. What song is on the countdown and what position does it hold right now?

The winner will be announced on the show tonight!

Kestrels are playing the Noyes Stage at the Toothy Moose, Wednesday October 21st @ 10:50pm with The Lodge, Said The Whale, & Hannah Georges.

HPX Preview: Q & A with Old Folks Home (Winnipeg, MB)


WHO: Shaun Gibson, drummer in Old Folks Home
WHAT: Adventurous Experimental Art-Pop
WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, 10:00pm @ The Paragon Theater

#1 - What are you most looking forward to, coming to Halifax for the Pop Explosion?
I'm really looking forward to seeing all my Halifax friends and seeing all the incredible music the festival has to offer. Both Ricardo and I have been wanting to play this festival for years, so we're very happy that it worked out this time.

#2 - What's the first thing you will do when you get to Halifax?
Practice, haha. Then drink some Keith's and wander around downtown.

#3 - On a scale of one to delicious, how would you rate your interest in eating a donair while you're here?
I'm sure Ricardo would put that near the top of his list. In fact, he'd probably mention donair in your previous question. I'll probably stick with falafel.

#4 - If Old Folks Home could cover one song by any Halifax band (past or present), what would it be?
Wow, there would probably be much debate within the band about this. I would love to try a popped out version on Wintersleep's "Seach Party" or anything in the Jenn Grant catalogue. We just spent some time with Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bee's when they were in Winnipeg, so maybe we'd take on one of their songs. Rebekkah Higgs sings on a song on our record, so that might be a nice treat.

#5 - Halifax artist and/or album you're most likely to listen to on your roadtrip out East?
This isn't fair, I'm on a huge Halifax kick right now. Jenn Grant and Brian Borcherdt are on constant Ipod rotation, but I can't get enough of the new In-Flight Safety album. Also, I constantly loop the last half of the song 'Run Run Run' on the first disc of Joel Plaskett's album "Three." What the hell, it's a long flight. I have time for it all!

DOWNLOAD: Old Folks Home - I Hate Dell

Old Folks Home takes the stage Thursday at The Paragon Theater with Jenocide, Think About Life & Cadence Weapon. $12 advance, $15 at the door.

FREE Crystal Antler Tickets!


Tune into Halifax is Burning tonight (6:30pm-7:30pm) to win FREE tickets to the Crystal Antlers/Red Mass/Dinosaur Bones/A History Of show which gets underway at 9:00pm tonight down at the Paragon Theater.

These tickets are worth 18$. But you can have them for FREE!

Tune into tonight for details on how to win.
CKDU 88.1FM in Halifax
www.ckdu.ca streaming live on the web.

POP EXPLOSION IS HERE!

So excited.

What are you going to see? Did you download the blank Pop Explosion planner? You should have, even our friends at Herohill wrote about it.

Here's a comprehensive schedule of where I'll be this week:
Check it out. Come say HI!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Tuesday's Show = Pop Explosion Perfection with giveaways, interviews and awesome tunes!

Be sure to tune in Tuesday for my triumphant return to Halifax is Burning.

I'm going to be hosting an all-Pop Explosion show featuring tracks from Dinosaur Bones, Pterodactyl, Diemonds, Kestrels, Old Folks Home and more!

PLUS!

While I'm on the air, I'll be giving away tickets to the Crystal Antlers show that's happening Tuesday and some Kestrels vinyl records!

Tuesday, 6:30-7:30pm.

Free stuff is awesome.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Sleepless Nights King Diamond Tour :: Blog 2

On Thursday, we got to Guelph super early and had - as usual - nothing to do. We spent some time in coffee shops, eating Chinese buffet and watching TV on our computers in the van. Eventually, we loaded into the Jimmy Jazz and patiently awaited our friends, Cursed Arrows - who, by the way, just put out a great new record on Noyes Records.

Their set was awesome, unfortunately the people at the bar weren't psyched about not being able to listen to AC/DC on the jukebox, so by the time we took the stage there wasn't a whole wack of people around. However, being able to hang out with Cursed Arrows again, not to mention our friends Joe and Amber, was fun - so the night wasn't a total bust.

We got up early Friday morning to make the trek to Montreal. Things were looking up for this show. We were playing on a Friday night, plus we were playing with a really good band from Toronto - The Ghost Is Dancing, and a band from Finland called Rubik. Problem is, with a four band bill and an early curfew on the venue (midnight) we got stuck with an 8:00pm time slot, which means we played to literally - no more than 7 people - three of whom we knew. We did some math, and figured out that even if 75 people showed up, we wouldn't make more than $20 on the night - so in the end, we didn't even stick around for the headliners. We decided, instead, to drive all night through Quebec in order to make it to Fredericton by sun-rise. Karley stuck around for the rest of the show and said some more people showed up, and also said that Rubik were awesome. I don't doubt it.

Now we're in Fredericton - got in around 9am this morning - hanging out at our friend Corinne's apartment where we're watching loads of South Park, taking showers and sleeping for most of the day.

Tonight we are playing at The Capital - our home away from home - and our tour will no doubt be resurrected from the depths of despair from whence we've been traveling. You can always count on Freddy Beach for that. We're playing with a local band called She Roars! and a band from Toronto who will be playing at the Pop Explosion called Dinosaur Bones.

Tonight will be good. It better be.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Blog Action Day

While Halifax is Burning is predominantly a radio show & blog focused on music, I'm also going to take the time to promote other important causes too. Case in point: Blog Action Day:

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance.


So in honour of this event, I am going to dedicate this post to something that really shocked me this weekend re: an environmental cause.

On Sunday, October 10th, the front page article in the Chronicle Herald was titled: "Is Local Better?"

While I recommend you take the time to read that article in full, here's the jist of it: Buying is definitely not cheaper or healthier for you.

Listen, people who buy local aren't necessarily interested in those qualities when it comes to fruits and veggies. For most people (or at least for me), buying local comes down to two very important rationalizations:

1) Supporting local farmers and the local economy
2) Hopefully making some sort of minuscule environmental impact.

When I get my food box every week from a local food co-op or from the farmer's market on Saturday mornings, I am really not concerned about my calorie intake or the ramifications on my pocket book. I am interested in a) helping a local, worthwhile, community venture and b) doing something small, but hopefully important, for an environmental cause.

Now, like the article states: "'People like to say buying local has lower environmental impacts because it seems objective, even though it may be completely unsubstantiated,' says [Peter Tyedmers, a Dalhousie University professor who researches the environmental impacts of food systems]."

Tyedmers argues that "When it comes to the greenhouse gas emissions, transporting food is one part of the environmental equation. But he says it can be easily outweighed by other factors, such as how much electricity is used to produce and process the crop and whether that electricity comes from coal or wind, for example."

OK, maybe there hasn't been sufficient and/or substantial research done on the balance of factors that Tyedmers is talking about, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that the amount of energy and emissions it takes a local farmer to grow and sell a few bunches of carrots at the farmer's market is probably considerably, most likely exponentially, less than buying a bunch of carrots from California.

Yes, there may be some grey areas - but holy cow. Isn't at least trying to buy local a better start and a better initiative for motivating some positive change than continuing to buy strawberries from Ecuador in the middle of January.

And of course, if you buy strictly local you will be committed to dealing with the fruits and veggies you can get that are in season. But is that so bad? I know we're accustomed to being able to buy whatever we want, whenever we want (thanks capitalism!), but to affect change there has to be some give and take. I'm OK with only eating the best apples from the Annapolis Valley in the fall and leaving the peaches from South America behind. Change takes sacrifice, you can't expect this to come easy. If it was easy, we would have done something a long time ago I presume.

The worst part about this article is that is was on the front page of the only provincial daily. If this article convinces even one person who is on the fence about buying local to not buy local, the Chronicle-Herald has committed a grave injustice and has successfully hindered the progress us locavores (as the article says) are trying to enact in our very own, very small, very personal way.

Sleepless Nights King Diamond Tour :: Blog 1


I was hoping to upload some sweet video content, but a certain drummer of mine forgot the firewire card at home, so you'll only be getting video blogs once we get back. Highlights will include the funnest time I've ever had with Share, Pinky teaching an interesting lady how to play the rock n roll and us generally being bored in vans and parking lots.

Well we're on tour for six days to promote our newest release, King Diamond, which you can procure at no cost from our WEBSITE.

It hasn't been the best of times, but it hasn't been the blurst of times either.

On Monday morning, after a 10:30am rehearsal in our parking garage practice spot, we started heading West. It was definitely a long day as we drove all the way from Halifax to Ottawa, arriving at our dear friend Chris' house around the 2:00am mark.

Tuesday we drove to Peterborough where we met up with our partners in crime and musical boyfriends, Share, who are also on the road promoting their radical new album Slumping In Your Murals. I can't say I've ever really had the best of times in Peterborough - I've played to a total of maybe 20 people there combined in my touring history with Sleepless Nights. I added a total of 5 to that this time around. By the end of our set, we were playing to Share, the bartender and the soundguy. Awesome.

All that being said though, it was a really fun X1000% due to the fact that we were hanging out with Share and all engaged in the never-dull game of trying to make each other laugh during our respective sets. For example, Pinky and I stared down Andrew for an entire song. No blinks. No smiles. Right at the front of the stage. Then, we proceeded to sing the Jenn Grant back-up part on the song "Broader" horribly off key, yet noticeably loud.
Share won the competition, however, when Dennis took his shirt off, and played the meanest most aggressive banjo-tawngin' I have ever seen during "Got Caught." Share 1, Sleepless Nights not 1.

We ended up sleeping in a room in a boarding house above the bar which also doubled as the band room. Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant night's rest as we were indeed kept sleepless by the sounds of people puking, banging on doors, and breaking up. Toronto couldn't come soon enough.

On Wednesday morning, we drove over to the motel where the fancy pants' in Share were staying because they were sweet enough to invite us over to take showers in their hotel room once they had gotten ready. Showering is a luxury on the road, so we relished the opportunity.

After some eats, we drove to Toronto where we took a stroll through Kensington Market before we picked up our swank new tshirts and hoodies. The shirts feature the design in the image above. Here is our good friend Keith Hamilton providing modeling duties:


We played at The Boat in the heart of the market with Share again, and an amazing band called Ford Pier, whose guitar player/singer - by the way - has an impressive history.

The show was considerably better than the previous night, and we got to see some old friends (Jo, Kendall, Keith!) and make some new ones. Because people were actually there to see the show, there was a more serious tone to the night, and all the bands played ripping sets.

We stayed with good ol' Keith, and went out for breakfast at Sneaky Dees where we got to meet up with ex-Sleepless Nights drummer, current Best Man member, Mary.

Right now we're hanging out in a Guelph coffee shop and patiently awaiting load in at the Jimmy Jazz where we're playing a show with our friends, Cursed Arrows.

PS - It's super cold in Ontario and its giving snow tonight. Balls.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

No Show tonight!

Hey faithful listeners,

Halifax is Burning will NOT be airing on CKDU tonight as I am in Peterborough, Ontario playing some rock n roll songs with my band Sleepless Nights.

In lieu of the show, CKDU's David Parker will be playing some sweet metal! So tune in anyways.

I'll be back on the air next week, fresh off tour with a special all-Halifax Pop Explosion edition of the show!

See you in a week!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

FREE CDs & Vinyls!

Well folks, the CKDU funding drive is coming to an end for another year, but there's still that last minute push to raise as much money as we can for the city's only campus-based, community radio station.

Halifax is Burning is giving away some awesome prize packs if you choose to donate.

Here's the breakdown:

- A $5.00 donation will get you a copy of The Establishment's Economy Radio CD OR a copy of The Establishment's 7" vinyl split with Windsor, Ontario's Orphan Choir. No questions asked.

- A $10.00 donation qualifies you to win one of two No Scene Records prize packs which includes the following CDs:
- The Establishment: Economy Radio
- thomas/richard: The Promises We Make
- Jon McKiel: The Nature of Things
- Joyless Streets: Carrots & Sticks
- Murder She Wrote: Self Titled
- Measured In Angles: History of the Engine

- A $15.00 donation qualifies you to win a Noyes Records prize pack which includes the following CDs:
- The Memories Attack: LP2
- The Medium Mood: New Alarm
- The Got To Get Got: Sahalee
- The Got To Get Got: Canadian Arts Collective Blues/Huge Zig Zag

- A $20.00 donation qualifies you to win a Noyes Record vinyl prize pack which includes the following records:
- VKNGS: VKNGS (12" CLEAR Vinyl)
- Kestrels: Primary Colours (12")
- The Got To Get Got: Rattle Off (7")
- Kestrels: Seaside (7")

Donations are being accepted via PayPal at the bottom of this post, or - if you'd rather - come out to Gus' on Sunday night to check out Sleepless Nights and Rah Rah, and you can make your pledge there. I'll be announcing the winner of each pack that night before the Sleepless Nights set, and contacting each winner (if you're not at the show) by email.

Thanks for your support!
And don't forget to tune into Halifax is Burning, Tuesday nights from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on CKDU 88.1FM in Halifax, and streaming live on the internet at CKDU.ca.






Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E03

This week's show was a very special Funding Drive episode. We had my good friend Pinky in to countdown his Top 10 haligonian drummers.

October 5, 2009
(right click, save as and email it to your best bud who's teaching English in Korea)

Track List:

The Establishment - Lifeboat & Captain
Windom Earle - Greg's Song
Be Bad - Dead Head
VKNGS - Daves of Thunder
Ermine - Dura Mater
The Burdocks - Icicle Knife
Thrush Hermit - Headin' South
The Dean Malenkos - Dance Bitch
Heavy Meadows - Without Strings
North of America - Voting "No" On the Warming of Antartica
Contrived - Get To Your Stations
Rich Aucoin - Alive!

Visit Bloody Drum Knuckles' to voice your opinion...or, just leave your comments here!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Special Funding Drive Episode of Halifax is Burning, with special guest, Pinky!



Drummer, and blogger extraordinaire Josh "Pinky" Pothier will be my special guest on Halifax is Burning this week.

Not only will he be talking about his sweet blog, Bloody Drum Knuckles, but he'll be counting down his top ten list of local drummers. Tune in to hear his picks, this Tuesday @ 6:30pm. 88.1FM in Halifax, CKDU.ca streaming live online.

Oh, and don't forget, it's funding drive week at CKDU, so call in (49-HAPPY) and make your pledges to support the only campus-based community radio station in Halifax. If you call in a donation during Halifax is Burning, you'll be entered in a draw to win an awesome prize package from Noyes Records!