The Coast Halifax Weekly

Shannon Park stadium dodges death, again

THIS WEEK P14

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Cocktail queen, Anne-Marie Bungay-Larose

THINGS TO DO

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H A L I FA X ’ S W E E K L Y E N C O R E •

VOLUME 27 NUMBER 22

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2019

plosion The venerable music festival HPX returns with a jewel-studded lineup, The venerable music festival HPX featuring 2019 Polaris winner returns with a jewel-studded lineup.

Haviah Mighty as the brightest The brightest diamond of all? diamond of all.

2019 Polaris winner

Haviah Mighty

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The Coast

2019-10-23 3:48 PM

SEEN ON INSTAGRAM

BEST OF TWITTER

DEFINITION

More like George Can’tyon amirite

Issue #1,125 VOLUME 27, NUMBER 22

ABC eh-bee-sea/cee noun “Anything But Conservative” a degenerative condition that overtook the residents of Halifax Regional Municipality in this year’s federal election. Weary of what would happen under the tiny hands of Andrew Scheer, Halifax voters took to the polls in the name of ABC.

@sack_vegas. Posted on October 21.

OCTOBER 24 - 30, 2019

THE NUMBER

On the cover: Hannah Emmett brought a photograph of Polaris prize winning Haviah Mighty (shot

by Yung Yemi) to life for this week’s cover.

The City Voice of the City Cover Story: HPX Guide Food+Drink Shoptalk

4 5 8 9 10

198,920 Arts 12 Entertainment listings 14 Love The Way We Bitch 16 The Comic 16 Free Will Astrology 17 Savage Love 18

Reply all NDP mistake In last week’s City article “Pushing beyond the glass ceilings of BIPOC political representation,” writer Julia-Simone Rutgers raises the good point: in all four Metro ridings, there has only ever been a “smattering” of racialized candidates, and none ran for the major parties in Monday’s federal election. But one recent incident was left out.

Rana Zaman emigrated from Pakistan when she was a child. A community activist who supports many worthwhile causes, Zaman won the federal NDP nomination in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. However, after her nomination the national headquarters of the NDP in Ottawa told her she had to resign. Her “crime” was she tweeted in favour of Palestinians’ human rights and condemned Israel for killing thousands of Palestinians in Israel’s recent deadly attacks on Gaza. Though she apologized publicly, it was not good enough for the NDP. What happened to Rana Zaman has been the subject of much negative commentary and has left some NDP supporters with a bad

SUREST THING Settle Elsewhere

The number of votes cast in Halifax regional municipality’s four federal ridings in this year’s election.

Live organ accompaniment to a 1919 Harold Lloyd film at Nocturne Halifax @CRITCHMARK

That means 66 percent of eligible voters voted—in line with the national rate, and just under the province’s rate of 69.4 percent.

Theatre du Poulet is back with Settle Elsewhere, a work of site-specific, documentary theatre that moves through the streets of Halifax and brings the audience face-to-face with stories of immigration. Oct 24-25, 5pm; Oct 26, 1:30pm, 5pm; Oct 27, 1:30pm, 5pm Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 1055 Marginal Road $10-$20.

See more on page 12

IAN SELIG

This week

The Coast welcomes your thoughts on all aspects of the paper’s performance and city life.

Deliver letters to the editor to 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 3T8 fax: 902-425-0013, email: letters@thecoast.ca. Post comments on any story at thecoast.ca

taste in their mouths. The treatment Zaman received must be examined and criticized— and never repeated. —Judy Haiven, Halifax-

Safety last As a walker, I was interested in your article on the three vigilantes who improved several pedestrian crossings, and how the city, spent time and money erasing their work (“Three sidewalk vigilantes who can’t wait for the city to figure out what to do about sidewalk safety,” City story by Fadila Chater, October 3 ). In repaving Allan Street last summer, the city constructed speed bumps on the road, gentle enough to glide up and over, but also high enough to slow down drivers to a decent speed. What a great idea for the whole city, where excessive speed is a constant problem. A couple weeks ago, as I was walking down Allan Street, I saw large road machines clawing up the new pavement, levelling the speed bumps. —Taiya Barss, Halifax Editor’s note: A spokesperson from Halifax Regional Municipality says the bumps were taken

down—and replaced at the contractor’s expense— for being too high on initial install.

I saw an item on Facebook in the last few months where the city was asking for citizen input into making crosswalks safer.

Therefore, I assumed we had turned a corner and that there would be more emphasis on pedestrian safety. How wrong I was.

This issue is about the failure of the patriarchy, as reflected by council and staff, that places less value on the safety of children and families than it does on keeping traffic moving.

—posted at thecoast.ca by Alice Brewer

Corrections

Last week in the Sure Thing capsule about Neptune’s Pleasureville play, we incorrectly described the cast as all-women, when it’s actually made up of people from across the gender spectrum. In the same issue, we put the wrong byline on the Nocturne story “Caroline Monnet knows History Shall Speak For Itself”—the author is Sam Fraser, not Sam Wilson. We sincerely regret these errors, and apologize to all who were misidentified.

Dead Letter Office Snippet from a recent letters to the editor submission we will not be publishing.

Our team will monitor Greta Thunberg’s statements closely, and report any suspected violations to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 3

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#ELXN43 is This story d te a d p u being es at lv vo e it s a .ca thecoast

EDITED BY CAORA MCKENNA / SEND TIPS TO NEWS@THECOAST.CA

PROHIBITION

HOUSING

Booze ban

Cracks in the housing crisis For those with unique housing needs, it’s about more than high rents and shitty landlords. BY FADILA CHATER

P

arents of children with autism say it’s time people looked at the housing crisis from another perspective.

Autism Nova Scotia has unveiled Building to Better, a white paper document with 29 callsto-action for government, community and society to create and improve housing options for people with developmental disabilities.

“Fewer people are receiving fewer services,” says Paula Hutchinson, senior associate with Horizons Community Development Associates and Building to Better co-author.

“Because we don’t have a mechanism for them to elevate their own voices—they are dependent on service providers, advocates, family members to speak for them—they are essentially silenced.”

According to Autism Nova Scotia, there are 23,986 adults in Nova Scotia with developmental disorders including autism. Of those adults, 96 percent need support or affordable housing. But there aren’t enough housing options available in the province.

Supported housing is any housing arrangement that combines brick-and-mortar infrastructure with individualized, flexible support services for people with developmental disabilities. Unlike care facilities, supported housing is catered to each individual based on their needs.

In many cases, a person with a developmental disorder may only need occasional assistance and can manage to live an independent life without 24-hour care. In this situation, a small group home or apartment may be the best fit for such a person.

Near Kentville, Susan Harvie is working to create a whole community of supported housing for people like her and her son, Ryan Mills.

Mills has severe autism and has been living at

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Barb Ewert (Left) and Susan Harvie (right) both have sons with autism, but they hope their co-housing development will change their quality of life. THE COAST

a Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre since he was 13 years old.

The project, named Ryan’s Park, will be made up of 18 townhouses, built in a circle, facing inward. The centre will be a safe place, free of traffic and outside noise and will house a common building where neighbours share a living space and kitchen.

Unlike institutionalised housing, Harvie hopes Ryan’s Park will reflect the diversity of the world around her; a place where people can learn from Ryan and where Ryan can learn from others. a Read the whole story online at thecoast.ca.

Drinking drama has taken over Dalhousie’s popular watering holes. BY KATIE INGRAM

T

he future of alcohol on Dalhousie’s Halifax campuses is on hold with the Dalhousie Student Union and the school both giving different reasons for the current alcohol suspension.

“The DSU is complying with the university’s request to cease the service of alcohol on campus, despite the DSU making every effort to follow the University Alcohol Policy and procedures above and beyond what is outlined,” said an October 16 press release from the union.

Further to this, the DSU clarified in its statement that the university had not lost if liquor license and the suspension applied to both on campus bars: the T-Room and the Grawood.

On October 18, Ivan Joseph, vice-provost of student affairs at Dalhousie, said the opposite.

“Unfortunately, the DSU has not been willing to follow the policies, procedures and expectations regarding the safe serving of alcohol, as outlined by the University’s liquor license designate, and endorsed by the university,” he said. He added the DSU issued a letter to the Board of Governors saying they would no longer be following the alcohol policy.

The they-said they-said nature of this issue dates back to July when the responsibility of the liqour licence changed from a DSU position to one within the University. The DSU, in their release, said they have been “diligent” in ensuring all of their paperwork meets expectations and that both bars are following policy.

The Coast has reached out to both the DSU and Dalhousie for clarification as to what procedures were thought to have or have not been followed. As of press time, the information hasn’t been provided.

This suspension decision doesn’t affect the University Club, which operates separately from the DSU, though still on campus. Both the T-Room and Grawood remain open during this time, though neither are able to wet any whistles. a

The party’s over

A

fter a nearly too-close-for-comfort six-week campaign that did little more than expose how poorly educated Canadians are about the ins-and-outs of our governance system—and puff unearned wind into fringe party ideology—Halifax (and the country) gets another go at Liberal leadership.

All four Liberal incumbent MPs in Halifax Regional Municipality (Andy Fillmore, Geoff Regan, Darrell Samson and Darren Fisher) were re-elected by their constituents. NDP candidates took second place (and 25 percent of the popular vote) in all four as well.

At the the Halifax ridings results parties, the top three candidates thanked their teams and celebrated their efforts.

The Liberal Party won the majority of seats in

We shared the message of the future, of the progressive future that we want Halifax to have.

—Andy Fillmore

Atlantic Canada, but is down six seats from its 2015 sweep of the entire region. The party’s 157 seats across the country carried it to a minority government win, with the Conservatives winning 121.

The NDP party won 24 seats in the federal

I will continue to fight social and economic justice for living wages in our city and for environmental justice. I loved the city before, and I love it even more now.

—Christine Saulnier

election—and 16 percent of the popular vote—but only one seat in Atlantic Canada, which went to Jack Harris in Newfoundland’s St John’s East riding.

Though the Green Party got no seats in Nova Scotia,

We achieved more than anyone expected of us.

—Jo-Ann Roberts it made a breakthrough in Atlantic Canada, when Jenica Atwin from the Fredericton riding beat out her Liberal competition. Elizabeth May and Paul Manly were also re-elected for their ridings which gives the Greens three seats, a first for the party.

–TEAM COAST

The Coast

2019-10-23 5:02 PM

The City

Voice of The City WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU voice@thecoast.ca

LA CUCARACHA

Halifax’s CFL stadium dreams won’t die Halifax’s most resilient pest lives to see another day.

BY CAORA MCKENNA

C

ouncillor Sam Austin asked his colleagues this week to consider pulling the plug on the Shannon Park stadium plan from Schooner Sports and Entertainment before council hears back from staff about the proposal— originally requested by council a year ago.

Austin’s intent with the motion to rescind was to take what he and other councillors said was a bad proposal off the table, before pouring staff resources into sorting out its pros and cons.

The plan Austin is referring to was presented to the city in September (later than promised), and staff has already been digging into the details of what a recommendation to council on the issue would look like. It’s lacklustre in the finances department—both councillor Cleary and Zurawski told council if a student had passed it in as a business assignment, they’d give it a failing grade for it’s lack of concrete details—vague in details and puts a large amount of the financial risk and responsibility in the hands of the municipality.

Councillors went back and forth on whether or not to pull the plug early, or trudge forward with process and practice, ultimately defeating Austin’s motion and adding an amendment that will see a check-in from staff return to council in December. But a full critical analysis of the proposal is still months away.

Like a cockroach, you could say, the stadium keeps on living.

Councillor Lisa Blackburn told council that right now, this wasn’t a matter of being pro- or anti- stadium. It was about process, due diligence and informed decision making.

“This is the analysis that we need,” she said.

Austin urged that the plan, as many councillors noted, was a bad one.“I know it’s far easier to just let this drift along, let staff do an analysis...and then use that as the basis for your vote,” said Austin. But he asked councillors if they felt that any of the plan was workable, or if it was a priority, saying “if the answer to either of those is no, then we should end this now. Rather than sink six months worth of time into this.”

Councillor Bill Karsten argued in the name of process, saying he didn’t agree with killing the proposal on the staff. Councillor Cleary called the 40-page proposal a non starter.

“This ‘aint it,” he said. Matt Whitman, who has been a supporter of the stadium—and even bought pre-sale season tickets—said he’d started to cool on the idea. Councillor Lorelei Nicoll said she wouldn’t support a stadium in Shannon Park, but voted against Austin’s motion. Councillor Zurawski said staff had more important things to be working on—namely a plan for the declared climate change crisis— than a stadium plan.

Jay Bruce says men rarely report domestic violence when they are victims of spousal abuse. SCOTT BLACKBURN

Uncharted territory After leaving empty handed, I’m working for change. BY JAY BRUCE

I CAO Jacques Dube, who has been in talks with the folks from Schooners, said that if council dropped the proposal now, he assumes they’d walk away and would have to go back to the drawing board.

The size of the project, and all its moving pieces mean that though councillor Karsten’s amendment to get a check-in report to council for December passed, it’s not likely there will be any sort of final consensus on the project by then. There are big unknowns involving the province, transit—a study on which would have to come from SSE—costing, infrastructure, and ultimately, who is going to pony up what—if any—money.

The plan includes different possibilities for combined private and public spending, and wasn’t initially meant to be debated for its merit until staff had a chance to evaluate it and return to council with recommendations.

But Austin’s motion, he said, was made in part to give council a chance to check in on where they were at with the project and its proposal before six months of work by staff go by.

Councillors Steve Streatch, David Hendsbee, Bill Karsten, Lorelei Nicoll, Tony Mancini, Russell Walker, Stephen Adams, Lisa Blackburn and mayor Mike Savage all voted against pulling the plug on the proposal as it stands right now. Councillors Sam Austin, Waye Mason, Lindell Smith, Shawn Cleary, Richard Zurawski, Tim Outhit and newlyelected District 15 councillor Paul Russell all voted in favour of killing the project preemptively. The motion—which needed three quarters of the vote to pass—failed.

But that doesn’t mean that Halifax is getting a stadium. It means, for the zillionth time in Halifax Regional Municipality History On The Subject of Stadium Building, we’ll have to wait just a little bit longer to know either way. a

n 2016, I was a lost father. I had no idea what was to come, it was uncharted territory. I was a male victim of domestic abuse.

I quit my job of seven years to try and give my son stability when his mother went back to work after her maternity leave ended. I thought I was doing everything right, but with co-parenting, there is not always a right or a wrong.

I was told by crown attorneys there was a good chance my son’s mother would go to jail after her trial for the assault. She plead guilty, so there was no trial. But all of this happening made me know I had to act fast.

I made 38 calls or emails to shelters, family resource centres, abuse hotlines and public health agencies looking find help.

Childcare, counselling, housing assistance; I was willing to attend anything.

What I didn’t know is that there was nothing out there for me, literally no resources for fathers at all. Of the 38 people I reached out to, I got four responses. Three “we can’t or won’t help you” and one “here are two numbers to call, good luck.”

Upon calling the two numbers given to me by the IWK—the first, a men’s suicide hotline (which was no longer in existence, not that I even needed that resource) and the other, the North End Parent Resource Centre, had some parenting programs I could take.

I never would have guessed that three years after attending the Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Program at the Centre, I would now be an employee there trained to facilitate multiple parenting programs just like the one I took back in 2016.

As a program development staff, my main role is to design, implement and facilitate programs designed for fathers, especially ones who are in a similar situation to what I once was. According to StatsCan, there were 393 reported cases of domestic assault in 2017 on women considered to be a spouse or partner, and only 35 on men. Since early 2017, through

my work as a father’s rights activist, I have had over 345 men tell me they were abused in some capacity by their female partner. In my eyes, the stats are not accurate—men don’t tend to report their abuse.

Since January of this year, I have implemented the Daddy and Me program—to give dads a safe space to play and connect with their kids without any outside interference, the Dads Group—a peer support unit of fathers challenging the stereotypes that dads face on a daily basis, and my third creation—the Dads Matter Workshop series.

These monthly workshops are designed to get dads talking. Whether it’s mental health, family court reform or what resources are out there for fathers, our plan is to create a hub of dads who can help navigate things like parenting help, divorce issues, mental health and much more.

It is our hope that creating a space for these types of conversations can improve the development of the father and child relationship in Nova Scotia and beyond.

The next workshop will be held at the North End Parent Resource Centre (5475 Uniacke Street) on Thursday October 24, with a focus on community resources and family law issues. The next two will be November 21, talking about mental health and fatherhood and December 19, talking about how to navigate family law and family court issues. a Jay Bruce works as program development staff at the North End Parent Resource Centre. As someone who lived in the area at a young age, he is happy to help fathers and parents who live in marginalized situations. A former touring musician and award-winning rapper, Bruce has been using his status to reach more fathers. He is the co-founder of DADS Canada, a not-for-profit group helping dads with crisis issues. He is also the Nova Scotia representative for Dads Central, a network focused on promoting father involvement in Canada.

The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 5

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Stop, pop and roll COVER STORY

SUBMITTED

As Halifax Pop Explosion kicks off its 27th year, a lineup rife with Polaris Prize shortlisters, critical darlings and about-to-break acts hits venues around town. Meet your new favourite musicians from coast to coast.

HPX 2019 VENUES

Oct 24-26 halifaxpopexplosion.com

Bearly’s 1269 Barrington Street The Carleton 1685 Argyle Street Hopyard 2103 Gottingen Street The Marquee Ballroom 2037 Gottingen Street St. Matthew’s United Church 1479 Barrington Street Scotiabank Centre 1800 Argyle Street The Seahorse Tavern 2037 Gottingen Street

PUNK

Howling PUP The country’s hottest punk band returns to HPX to melt your face—if you can get a ticket. BY ALEC MARTIN PUP w/Weakened Friends, OUTTACONTROLLER

Fri Oct 25, 9pm The Marquee Ballroom 2037 Gottingen Street Sold out Haviah Mighty’s latest album explores themes of racism, sexism and violence. MATT BARNES

HIP HOP

Oh, how the Mighty rise The Polaris-winning rapper Haviah Mighty pushes boundaries with her every move. BY STEPHANIE JOHNS Haviah Mighty w/Just John x Dom Dias, Hua Li, Yohvn Blvck

Sat Oct 26 The Seahorse Tavern 2037 Gottingen Street, 9-11pm $15/$20

“T

he past year has been a bit of a blur,” says Brampton, Ontario’s Haviah Mighty—and if you’ve been paying attention to Canadian music in 2019, it’s abundantly clear why that might be the case. After winning the 2018-2019 Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class, Mighty’s evocative, gritty-yet-vulnerable 2019 album, 13th Floor, dominated radio and music media and won this year’s Polaris Prize.

Also a member of Toronto hip hop supergroup, The Sorority, Mighty has been doing double duty performing, touring, creating and moving audiences in what can arguably

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be called the biggest year of her career to date.

“I’ve been balancing a lot of new responsibilities that have arisen as a result of me winning the Polaris. It’s more prevalent how important it is for the standard to be at or above my personal best,” says Mighty.

“I’m growing and evolving, it’s critical for me right now to soak up information. I’ve been traveling more, trying to utilize this new experience as a catalyst for something bigger, trying to use that money to reinvest in myself and trampoline to something else. A lot of brainstorming.”

With her Polaris win this September, Mighty made history two times over, as the first Black woman to win, as well as the first hip hop album to be awarded the prize, which comes with a $50,000 cheque. Considering the Polaris Prize has been around for 14 years, it’s safe to say this win was a long time coming.

Mighty, who is at the forefront of this longawaited change in the music landscape, is noticing.

“I feel like even that shift is concurrent with my career; 2016 being a notable time in that shift. I recognized there was space and room for me to be doing something I hadn’t been doing,” she says. “A lot of people haven’t processed the fact that I won or understood that it’s important, but seeing someone on stage that doesn’t look what we’ve been used to, it challenges the way we think and know things. I’m starting to be considered for festivals that I never would have been considered for five years ago—it’s starting to happen. I’m not the only person doing this but I’m a representative of the change people seek.”

On 13th Floor, Mighty’s powerful, rapid-fire delivery of moving lyrics on racism, sexism and violence brings consciousness to the Canadian music industry. “It’s funny looking at a change and feeling like I’m a catalyst of that, it’s hard to look at because I am it. People feel like I am it, I feel like by the reaction I get, I think it’s a live performance experience that needs to be shared,” she says.

“We don’t need the same rock band with four white guys five times in a row. It’s outdated, it’s lazy booking. We’re seeing eclecticism in artists on bills and I am that eclecticism.” a

T

oronto four-piece punk outfit PUP is going to tear up the Marquee Ballroom at Halifax Pop Explosion, and we’re sorry you couldn’t get tickets.

This Halifax stop on the Morbid Stuff tour will be the band’s third time playing Pop Explosion. The group made its festival debut in 2013 touring its self-titled debut album, and returned in 2016 touring The Dream is Over.

“Both the shows we’ve played in Halifax have just been people front flipping off the stage,” says guitarist Steven Sladkowski. “It’s been fun every time we’ve played, and I’m sure the upcoming show will be no exception to that.”

Tickets went on sale April 19 and sold-out April 20—the same day that Morbid Stuff peaked at number two on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

“It was crazy. I think it was one of the first shows on this North American tour to sell out.

We were shocked,” says Sladkowski.

“We’re lucky to be able to do this for a living, and for a show to come together like this one in Halifax, and have people be so excited, it means a lot.”

PUP is playing Friday night with local punks Weakened Friends and Outtacontroller. It’s the band’s second last show in North America before heading to Amsterdam on November 6 to kick off the European leg of the Morbid Stuff tour. a

The Coast

2019-10-23 3:57 PM

HPX 2019 SUBMITTED

It’s showtime Thursday October 24 JAPANESE BREAKFAST W/CAVEBOY, BEAUTS, DOOMSQUAD The Marquee, 7:30pm …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF THE DEAD W/LIFE IN VACUUM, ZOON, DESIGNOSAUR The Seahorse, 9:30pm OWEN STEEL W/KATIE MATZELL The Carleton, 10pm BACKXWASH W/JANETTE KING The Carleton, 8:30pm RICH AUCOIN St. Matthew’s United Church, 7:30pm

Friday October 25 PUP W/WEAKENED FRIENDS, OUTTACONTROLLER The Marquee, 9pm

COUNTRY

Cassie Josephine is Only Half Blue, but all brilliant

DJ NDN W/WOLF SAGA The Seahorse, 12am SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS W/ALEX BENT & THE EMPTINESS, MOURAINE The Seahorse, 8:30pm WAANTS W/CAVEBOY, NICOLETTE & THE NOBODIES The Carleton, 11:30pm

Her supergroup explores the soft edges of country.

Driftwood People w/Alexandria Maillot, Cassie Josephine & The Cry If I Want To’s

Fri Oct 25, 8pm The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street $10

C

assie Josephine—the eponymous leader of Cassie Josephine & The Cry If I Want To’s—has a record both lovely and vulnerable in 2018’s Only Half Blue. Written in the months preceding her 40th birthday, Josephine parlayed her emotions into a delicate country album, now nominated for Country Recording of the Year at 2019’s Nova Scotia Music Week. While writing “Closer to You,” a song about missing her parents, Josephine found herself “contemplating more on that subject—time passing, ‘where am I in life?’ And, oh yeah, ‘I’m going to be 40 and what does this mean to me?’ Forty itself is not scary, aging is a trip. For me it’s about time running out before I can accomplish all that I want to.”

Of her supergroup band—her sister Krista MacDonald (former front person of The Whiskey Kisses), Gianna Lauren, Anna Wedlock, Erin Costelo (who played keys on the album) and Terra Spencer—Josephine says “I feel like pinching myself every time we perform together.”

And, there is something dream-like about Josephine’s music—she thanks Wedlock’s violin for helping the songs sound like “dark Disney dreams,” but the gauzy sound originates from Josephine’s gentle voice. Yet, as the songs have evolved, Josephine’s been playing with amping up the volume. “I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the depths of my feelings and now I want to explore the reaches of my voice. It’s gotten stronger over the years and often in performance another version of the quiet, lullaby songs of Only Half Blue comes out and I’m surprised and excited by it.

I want to try to put that into the songs from the beginning for the next album,” she says. “I also want to get myself an electric guitar and see what happens.” –SJ

Justin Murphy (left) says he was in a weird place when he wrote Cool To Who—but he’s out of it now. SUBMITTED

DRIFTWOOD PEOPLE W/ALEXANDIRA MAILLOT, CASSIE JOSEPHINE & THE CRY IF I WANT TO’S The Carleton, 8pm

FUZZ ROCK

SORREY W/CALM BARRETTA, LITTLE CITIES, VINCE THE MESSENGER The Carleton, 4:30pm

Walrus works it out

KAIA KATER W/JENNAH BARRY, LYDIA PERSAUD St. Matthew’s United Church, 8pm

The Halifax heavyweight returns with a new album that sounds like rock from a distant planet. BY MATT WILLIAMS Diet Cig w/Walrus, Luna Li, Diamondtown

Sat Oct 26, 9:15pm The Marquee Ballroom 2037 Gottingen Street

C

ool To Who, the latest full-length album from local band Walrus, opens with a soft, electronic beat that blossoms into warm synths that recall Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips in their simple spaciness.

“Feels good to breathe again,” frontman Justin Murphy sings over and over as guitar lines appear out of nowhere and then disappear just as quickly, like shooting stars.

Despite the palpable relief of the chorus, its uplifting tilt, Murphy still sounds as isolated as a distant planet—and like he’s just come out the other side of something that has left a permanent mark.

“I was definitely in a weary and restless place,” Murphy says from the patio of a north end pub. “I’m in a new relationship now, and I was just in a weird spot when I wrote this album. Now I’m coming out the other side of that, in a much happier place, for sure. But it was tough, for sure. I just wasn’t the best version of myself when I wrote it, living anxiously all the time.”

If the song titles—“Bored to Death,” “Mr. Insecure,” and “Played Out”—weren’t enough to tip you off, the lyrics will.

Walrus manage to sound bright and brash while Murphy sings and sighs his way through existential dilemmas, letting dreamy pop melodies and a heavy dose of jangle mask frustration, confusion, and anxiety.

RYAN COOK & SUNNY ACRES Bearly’s, 9:30pm

Sometimes, as on the explosive “Played Out,” with his voice crunched by distortion and surrounded by buzzsaw guitars, it almost sounds like Murphy might wash away into the uproar.

“When I wrote a lot of the songs, I’d write them when we were back from being on tour for like a month,” Murphy says. “That’d be a good time to write songs. And I was just so far removed from my relationships with my friends. When you go away on tour, the life you have here doesn’t stop. You come back and you’re trying to reconnect with people you’re used to seeing—‘Oh yeah, I was just gone for two months. I’m back now!’ You just feel so lost from your friends, because everything is still happening while you’re gone.”

Home sounds like a place fraught with uneasiness most notably on “Bored to Death,” a bit of a kiss-off to certain Halifax bands, which features Cool To Who’s funniest, most cutting line: “Throw me off the bridge before I start to sing about it.”

But Walrus’ relentless touring—they’re banned from Avis Rental Car for being a “high-kilometre risk”—might’ve been the greater of two evils. The dizzying gait of “Half Smoke” gets to the heart of the matter, laying out tour life in stark and exhausted terms. So home, for now, is proving to be rejuvenating. Life here keeps going, but Murphy is keeping up.

“Oh, I’m in a great place,” Murphy says about his current situation. “I’ve got a new girlfriend. I’m super happy. I’ve gotta go take our dog to the vet for a check-up.” a

MAURA WHITMAN W/KATIE MATZELL Hopyard, 7pm

Saturday October 2 DIET CIG W/WALRUS, LUNA LI, DIAMONDTOWN The Marquee, 9:15pm HAVIAH MIGHTY W/JUST JOHN X DOM DIAS, HUA LI, YOHVN BLVCK The Seahorse Tavern, 9pm THE ARKELLS W/MOTHER MOTHER, HAVIAH MIGHTY Scotiabank Centre, 7pm ZOON W/JUICE GIRLS, ALEXIA AVINA The Carleton, 11:30pm VILLAGES, COMMON HOLLY, DEANNA PETCOFF The Carleton, 8pm ELISAPIE W/LEANNE HOFFMAN St. Matthew’s United Church, 8:30pm SPENCER KING W/CHARLOTTE CORNFIELD St. Matthew’s United Church, 5:30pm THE HYPOCHONDRIACS Bearly’s, 9:30pm ALAN JEFFERIES BAND Bearly’s, 4:30pm CHILLTEENS W/MARIAN, JERRY FAYE Hopyard, 7pm For more Halifax Pop Explosion listings, see thecoast.ca.

The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 7

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HPX 2019

HIP HOP

BACKXWASH won’t back off The MC rose through the battle-rap ranks of Montreal to take on her biggest opponent yet: the white patriarchy. BY MORGAN MULLIN BACKXWASH w/Janette King

Thu Oct 24, 8:30pm The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street free

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shanti Mutinta—AKA the rapper BACKXWASH—fills the phone line with incandescent laugher, ready to soften the moment and appreciate a joke. She fills her songs with audio snippets from Mean Girls and Britney Spears samples, a cotton candy cloud foundation for infectious ear worms. Simply put, she’s as bubbly as a glass of Coca-Cola.

Until the rapper picks up the mic. Then, her rhymes let rip, lacerating your eardrums with a rawness that channels the likes of Chuck D or DMX. “The ancestors and spirits take over anytime I’m rapping, sometimes it feels like a different person as well,” she explains of the stark transition, molded by her come-up through the ranks of battle rapping in Montreal. “Creating a space for oppressed people to freely express their rage: I think that would describe it.”

Her music imagines a world where colonialism’s long shadow didn’t stunt the gender spectrum into a binary, where western missionaries didn’t attempt to contain African spiritualism and culture as witchcraft—basically, a world where she could be her self—all while throwing up a midd le fin-

ger: “Deuteronomy, chapter two verse five, says a man shall not wear women’s clothes/ and I’m reading this with a dress on/I’m kinda like Jesus, I’m teflon,” she raps on the scorched-earth “HETERONOMY,” channelling Illmatic-era Nas in her raspy tone.

“I like to say sometimes anger is a very underrated emotion, I think we should embrace it and not stay away from it. We spend so many years and such a long time of people telling you to turn the other cheek and hug them and just like, no,” Mutinta adds. “Some of these oppressive structures need to be stepped on and punched in the face.”

“I ask myself where would I have gone with my identity if my Christian parents hadn’t been like ‘Hey, stop that’—because when I was growing up, I was very fluid in my gender expression until people noticed and were like ‘Nope, we don’t want that’,” she continues.

“And I always ask myself: If it was open and it went back to the time when tribes in Africa had gender expression—I think I would have expressed myself very differently.”

But, “I’m not just taking up space but I’m also having fun: I always intended for the music to sound, you know, fun,” she says, before the line erupts in her laugh again.

“Going back to Chuck D saying ‘Fight the power’ or NWA saying ‘Fuck the police’: Those songs are so, like, there’s a total message here, but they’re fun.”

Both legendary protest MCs clearly influence Mutinta, an obsessive study of her genre. When it comes to crafting a song, speed is essential—another old-school hip hop holdover she carries: “The first thing I like to figure out is the hook and if I can’t figure out the hook in like, five minutes, then I’m probably not gonna write the song, I’m probably gonna scrap it,” she says.

“When I used to listen to 50 Cent growing up, 50 Cent said the hook is the most important part when you’re writing the song, because it comes in a lot and you need to make sure it is the catchiest part. I used to wonder why 50 Cent songs left such lasting impressions and it’s because of the hook thing,” she adds. “And the hook will make it more fun as well, so I try to put that element in so it’ll be not too heavy but aggressive and fun,” she says, making her own twist on the combo that made Mean Girls so great: Glitter and gall. a

Ashanti Mutinta (BACKXWASH) says she draws inspiration from the forebarers of activist hip hop. SUBMITTED

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Emilee Sorrey (right) says guitar-playing band members branch out with other instruments. SUBMITTED

DREAM POP

Sorrey season is In Full Bloom The band hits its stride with a new album and a new city to call home. BY JONATHAN BRIGGINS Sorrey w/Calm Baretta, Little Cities, Vince The Messenger

Fri Oct 25, 4:30pm The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street $10

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all may be nature’s brilliant and prolonged sendoff before winter, but this year it’s also the start of Sorrey season.

“I do feel like we’re blooming. I feel like we’re taking advantage of all these opportunities and people are really supportive of us right now,” says Emilee Sorrey, who recently moved to Halifax from Charlottetown.

Recordings for the songs on the debut fulllength Sorrey album In Full Bloom, which came out on October 18, started in late 2016— but it wasn’t until this time last year that the recording process really went through a growth spurt.

The combination of a stable lineup of band members and having them all based in PEI at the same time helped Sorrey hit what she describes as a “sweet spot” with the band.

“We found a really comfortable pocket of playing shows and not necessarily thinking about all the other things like album cycles,” says Sorrey. “I feel like if members kept coming and going, I feel like we would just forever be in the purgatory of being an East Coast touring band.”

The writing sessions for In Full Bloom were a new element for Sorrey. Up until that point, the band mostly performed songs that Emilee Sorrey wrote for the Thick As Thieves EP released in 2015. Now, the group had a clean slate—and the input pushes the band out of the dream pop realm into multi-genre reality.

“The deviations from a true dream pop sound is 100 percent the people in the band, what they bring to it,” says Sorrey.

Keys from former band member Willow Bell (Whaleskin) bring in dance elements on the track “Fast Chunk.” Bruce Rooney plays keys for Sorrey—but guitar with other bands, including PEI’s indie rock Coyote—and Sorrey describes him as a dad-rocker at heart. Bassist Colin Buchanan, meanwhile, also plays guitar for Paper Lions.

“It’s like actually we’re five guitar players.

Me and Andrew (Murray) get to play guitar but everyone else has to play a different instrument,” says Sorrey, whose band is rounded out by Luke Pound on drums.

The new album’s title track is one Sorrey hasn’t played live but is looking forward to taking on the road. While the importance of “In Full Bloom” is clear from its use as an album name and the accompanying artwork, it also gave the band that same sense of blooming.

“I loved how that song came together and I love the direction it gave the album. It just really felt right. I can sense when the rest of the band is super on board—they’re always on board—but sometimes they’re more on board with things. It was a palpable sort of feeling,” she says of the track that came together in Montreal.

All the conditions were right for a new Sorrey and there’s a positive energy and excitement to see what comes next as the band continues to flourish.

“We decided to release our record now.

It’s just kind of on our watch. It feels like we’re blooming a little out of season, but people still want to watch and they want to support it.” a

Check thecoast.ca daily during HPX for bonus interviews, concert reviews and more

The Coast

2019-10-23 4:05 PM

EDITED BY ALLISON SAUNDERS SEND TIPS TO ALLISONS@THECOAST.CA

Anne-Marie Bungay-Larose says Halifax is home to a supportive bartending scene. LENNY MULLINS

A fine balance Rising Halifax bartender Anne-Marie Bungay-Larose has an appetite for competition and creativity. BY HALEIGH ATWOOD Spirited Away Oct 25-27 various locations, Lunenburg nsspiritsfestival.com

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nne-Marie Bungay-Larose was out for a drive one night when she noticed—while the air was cool and crisp—the smell of fresh flowers wafting on the breeze. In that moment, it felt as if winter and summer collided.

“I wrote that feeling down,” BungayLarose (a Halifax bartender who also goes by Anne-Marie BL) says, “and decided to create a cocktail about it.”

Her cocktail, called Divergence, combined opposing ingredients, harmonizing them into one experience. For the sour, there was sweet. For the warmth, there was cooling. She served the cocktail in a dainty teacup, and then smoked it to infuse the rugged outdoors.

Divergence placed first at Patrón Perfectionists’ competition in Montreal last year, propelling her to nationals in Vancouver.

This weekend, Bungay-Larose will be sharing her love of cocktails at Spirited Away, the fifth annual Nova Scotia craft spirits festival in Lunenburg. Her workshop will feature all the odd ingredients she has discovered while tending the bar.

“I’ve been so lucky to be involved with the festival from the beginning,” Bungay-Larose says. “They’ve had a great rotation of people, and this year they’re flying in a bartender from Calgary.”

Spirited Away is an opportunity for local distillers to promote their products and for mixologists to share their creativity.

It’s similar to the bartending competitions Bungay-Larose has participated in over the years. She says competitions allow her to express her creativity, play with complex ingredients and dig deep into a singular concept.

However, she is quick to point out that you don’t need to compete to be a good bartender.

While proud of her competitive experience, Bungay-Larose is most proud of learning how to be a supportive, considerate co-worker.

“Take it seriously, but not too seriously,” she says about the craft. “Over time, I realized that there’s a balance to be had. I will never let go of high standards, but I can also give people the freedom to be themselves and channel their own creativity.”

Bungay-Larose got her start in bartending more than eight years ago at The Middle Spoon. Bar Kismet co-owner Jenner Cormier was the head bartender at the time, and he often travelled to participate in bartending competitions. Seeing that, Bungay-Larose realized crafting cocktails could be a life-long profession.

“I became pretty obsessed,” she says of bartending. “It aligns with a lot of my characteristics. People ask if I’m ever going to switch careers or go back to school. My answer is always, ‘No, I’m in this for the long run.’”

While at The Middle Spoon, Bungay-Larose also bartended at Noble, the speakeasyinspired bar downstairs where the cocktail menu takes slightly more creative liberties.

“The cocktails at Noble had more depth,” she says. “It gave us room to explore.”

After six years, Bungay-Larose felt the itch to shake things up. She worked at The Watch That Ends The Night in Dartmouth until it closed in July, and for the past few months she has been at The Carleton.

Bungay-Larose has found endless support and camaraderie in the Halifax bartending scene. She has seen more women enter the industry since she started behind the bar, and she encourages new bartenders not to shy away from the local cocktail community. “If you’re new, don’t be afraid,” she says. “We’re all fiercely supportive and we love to share our passion. There’s that one line that’s quoted at almost every event I participate in: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’ It’s cheesy, but it’s true!” a The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 9

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ShopTalk S M A L L B U S I N E S S N E W S C O M P I L E D BY ALLISON SAUNDERS Send tips to shoptalk@thecoast.ca INDIGENOUS ART

Charity Doucette rises and shines How learning traditional Mi’kmaq beadwork helped an artist see the beauty in her own culture. BY FADILA CHATER

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himmering opals, oceanic blues, cream white pearls; pacing that’s Charity. Fresh sweetgrass, shapely moose antler, textured birchbark; that’s Mi’kma’ki.

Charity Doucette, of Potlotek First Nation, combines the dazzle of trendy jewellery with the meaningful beauty of Indigenous beadwork to create show-stopping pieces that represent a restored pride in her heritage.

“Know your worth—because that was the thing I struggled with,” Doucette says, via FaceTime. “But, now I can see my worth.”

In February, after years of selling to friends and family, Doucette created @beads_bychar, an Instagram account that showcases and sells her Mi’kmaq beadwork jewellery. In eight short months, the 20-year-old amassed over 1,000 followers. Her designs have been worn by Indigenous and non-Indigenous folk all over Canada and the US. What sets her apart from her contemporaries is how she incorporates symbols of Mi’kmaq culture—like hand-harvested and braided sweetgrass, real moose antler and artificial sinew—in a way that reflects her personal expression of beauty. Though her beads aren’t locally made, they’re bought from an Indigenous entrepreneur in Eskasoni. Doucette ensures every aspect of her creations are locally sourced and supportive of her community.

“I like to take from the earth because Native people protect the earth,” she explains. “I put that touch into my work because that’s what I find is important, and that’s what our people look towards.”

Doucette’s eyes sparkle brighter than her shiniest jewels as she reveals handfuls of braided sweetgrass and thumb-sized gems.

It’s hard to imagine she was once embarrassed to call Potlotek home.

“I always had such an ugly concept of my culture,” she says. “We were always centred out as the ‘white kids.’ We got bullied because we were ‘white’ and not as dark as other Natives.” She learned to defend her mixed identity on and off reserve—especially at her predominantly white school.

“I never wanted to say I was from the reserve.”

In 2008, Doucette’s mother, Jeannie Marshall, took her kids to live at a hotel until Potlotek’s habitually unsafe water was clean enough to boil and drink again.

“We don’t even make our dogs drink our water,” Doucette says.

One day, all Indigenous students from Potlotek were called into the school gym.

Doucette remembers the humiliation as she and her peers were rounded up and told they were allowed showers at school if they brought their own soap.

“It was so embarrassing,” Doucette says.

She recalls shamefully explaining to classmates the reason for her absence. “They’re really grossed out by you because you live somewhere where you can’t even drink or do anything with your water.”

Water conditions at Potlotek improved, but that didn’t stop kids at school from targeting Doucette and her friend. “They were always on her back,” she says. “‘Oh, is the water

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Charity Doucette beads for hours. COREY ISENOR

making your skin that brown?’ they would say. ‘Shouldn’t Charity be darkening up too?’”

These experiences, Charity says, soiled her Mi’kmaq pride. Then she was introduced to beadwork.

As a child, Doucette found comfort in drawing; a talent her mother recognized—and hoped to preserve—in her late grandfather, who was a chief. When Doucette was 13 years old, the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games were hosted at Potlotek. For her worried mother, the games meant boys from all over Mi’kma’ki would be eyeing her teenage daughter. Marshall called her close friend, Marcia Johnson, and asked her to teach her daughter how to bead. A hobby supposed to distract Doucette from boys soon became an obsession.

“When I started beading, I saw the beautiful things in my culture, my reserve and traditions, instead of looking at the bad things that happen,” she says.

Today, Doucette is more proud of her heritage than ever before. The young entrepreneur is currently studying hairdressing at Elevate Beauty Institute of Cosmetology in New Minas, and dreams of opening her own full-service, Indigenous owned-andoperated salon.

“I want to be able to have a safe place for people to go,” she says.

Doucette hopes her beadwork inspires other Indigenous women to find pride in their traditions and pursue them.

“Traditions that we’ve always held onto are still beautiful,” she says, “even though our living conditions aren’t.” a

The Coast

2019-10-23 3:59 PM

ShopTalk OPENINGS

Fiends 5775 Charles Street, second floor Opens Thursday, October 31

Keep your Fiends close

A magical space for self care, tarot and shopping comes to Agricola Street. BY STEPHANIE JOHNS

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orest Eden Greenwell’s new shop, Fiends, is a one-stop shop for folks interested in leading an intentional lifestyle. Linking self care to our own unique rituals, whatever those might be, Greenwell wants to elevate the little moments we give ourselves. A poet and a tarot reader, she co-hosts new moon gatherings with The Circle Womxns Society, where attendees can get their cards read, journal and discuss astrology and related topics. With Fiends—which opens on Halloween—Greenwell can put all these pursuits (and more) under one roof and create a community around it.

“We want to create a real space in the community for rituals and how we perceive them,” says Greenwell. That includes regular workshops and meetings, thrifted clothing and jewellery, house plants curated

by House Full of Plants, essential oils (including a custom blend just for the shop) and “a free library and available resources on spirituality and occultism and good books that teach you about life, as well as yoni eggs, sex toys, crystal wands—pleasure relates to

Forest Eden Greenwell says any moment can be special—with the right tools. CAROLINA ANDRADE

3

ritual as well.”

Greenwell explains small intentional pieces—like brass lighter holders—can help turn something as simple as lighting a candle while you unwind before bed into a special little moment. Even if you don’t believe in astrology, tarot, crystals or the like, Fiends will be a place to support local makers and buy special thrifted items.

She also plans to offer $45-a month tarot memberships that include one monthly workshop and reading, plus 10 percent off in the shop. Greenwell hopes regular memberships will help clients “keep [their] spiritual selves accountable.” Fiends will also offer tarot readings on a PWYC basis on Wednesdays.

Fiends aims to be a place for everyone to find a little something special to make the everyday a little more magical. “Small rituals enhance every day life, whether that’s wearing power colours, carrying rocks or diffusing essential oils,” says Greenwell. “We all make up our own belief systems in our lives and we don’t always relate to the same things.” a

The number of locations Propeller Brewing Co. will have, once it opens on Quinpool Road. The OG indie brewery announced this week it’d be debuting a retail shop, brewing system and little tap room in The Keep (6112 Quinpool Road)—neighbouring The Trail Shop and Move East—in early 2020.

The horror of student night at the Superstore just got a little less horrifying.

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The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 11

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STOO METZ

MUSIC AND ARTS NEWS EDITED BY MORGAN MULLIN SEND TIPS TO ARTS@THECOAST.CA

THEATRE

Zomblet apocalypse A Halloween-y take on Hamlet means something is rotting in the state of Denmark. BY ANDREA MCGUIRE Zomblet Oct 24-25, 8pm; Oct 26-27, 2pm & 8pm The Bus Stop Theatre 2203 Gottingen Street $15-$30

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Theatre du Poulet’s biggest production yet sees the company planting roots in Halifax. IAN SELIG

THEATRE

Settle Elsewhere belongs right here A roving play that shares the newcomer experience and challenges audience perceptions. BY MICHAEL LAKE Settle Elsewhere Oct 24-25, 5pm; Oct 26, 1:30pm, 5pm; Oct 27, 1:30pm, 5pm Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road $10-$20

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heatre du Poulet came onto the local scene in 2017 with The Extinction of Hong Kongers, a puppet show that tells a story of Hong Kong’s fraught past and uncertain future. Under the helm of creative duo Chun Shing Au (Roland) and Carmen Lee, the company is back with Settle Elsewhere, a work of site-specific, documentary theatre that moves through the streets of Halifax and brings the audience face-to-face with stories of immigration.

“The first show we did was as newcomers,” says Lee. “We arrived from Hong Kong and talked about where we are from. The second show is the next chapter. We’ve settled elsewhere, we’re immigrants now.”

Lee laments that most Canadians do not have a good understanding of the newcomer experience in Canada. The show aims to uncover this hidden story of our country.

“We don’t really have a platform, or time, or opportunity to talk about the experience,”

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says Lee. “I think this is the right time to talk about it.”

Last March, Au and Lee conducted over 50 interviews with newcomers to gather the material for their new creation. They also spent a week as residents of Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning where they worked with Ann-Marie Kerr to develop movement and mask techniques.

For its first production, Settle Elsewhere gathers a cast of six, all with different newcomer experiences. The performers are from Syria, Australia, Hong Kong, Norway, Germany and Malaysia. The creators are careful to include as wide a variety as possible, understanding the scope of what it means to be an newcomer and to settle in a new place.

The performance begins fittingly at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. The company is secretive about where and how the audience will move between locations. But they hope the experience uncovers some of the hidden lives of newcomers and makes us more aware of the people we share our home with.

“It’s kind of a secret inside our hearts,” says Lee. “We don’t get to talk a lot about our private lives. You never really know what we are facing.” a

en years ago, when Dan Bray and Colleen MacIsaac began helming Villain’s Theatre (then known as Vile Passéist), they mainly aimed at stage plays by Shakespeare’s unsung peers.

But, after mounting many a show by Marlowe, Middleton and other playwrights in Shakespeare’s shadow, their mandate gradually shifted.

Now, this Halloween season, the Villains are really letting their hair down with Zomblet—Bray’s “75 percent hilarious, 25 percent spooky” zombie-fied adaptation of Hamlet.

“It draws a lot on the ’80s horror movie vibe, but it’s also just kind of a fun and cheeky version of Hamlet,” says Bray.

“There’s lots of Hamlet jokes, there’s lots of references that the eagle-eyed Shakespeare fan will observe, but really it’s for people who just love Halloween and comedies, too.”

MacIsaac says Zomblet’s large ensemble cast is key to the piece.

“When there’s zombies attacking you, you have to get a lot more involved with the people around you. I think it takes all the characters out of their own heads and allows them to really play with each other.”

A co-production with Terra Novella Theatre, the Zomblet team also includes “an actual magician,” Vincenzo Ravina and choreographer Rebecca Wolfe, who helped the cast nail their zombie gait.

Citing The Simpsons and The Muppets as inspiration, Bray says the show is “the most fun” he’s had in rehearsals.

And anyone fearful of Shakespeare-speak needn’t worry—while some of the Bard’s text remains (sometimes in an updated iteration), Bray and MacIsaac say the language of Zomblet is very contemporary.

“I think if people are familiar with Hamlet, they’ll be thinking about the play in a new way and have some new thoughts about it,” says MacIsaac. “And if they aren’t, I think this is a really wonderful introduction. It’s going to be quite the spectacle.” a

The Coast

2019-10-23 4:01 PM

Arts FILM

Willem Dafoe (left) and Robert Pattinson (right) star in what critics are calling an “elevated horror.” SUBMITTED

Robert Eggers keeps it weird The buzzy filmmaker’s Nova Scotian-shot flick, The Lighthouse, hits theatres this weekend, farts and intrigue included.

BY ERIN CHRISTIE The Lighthouse Oct 25-30 Scotiabank Cineplex 190 Chain Lake Drive cineplex.ca

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hen Robert Eggers unveiled The Witch in 2015, he was so convinced it wouldn’t succeed that he sought a back up project “just in case.” After learning that his brother, Max, was working on a story about two men living in a lighthouse at the turn of the century, Eggers suggested they collaborate. His “plan B” became The Lighthouse.

“The fact that The Witch was made was a miracle,” he recalls.

“I thought it was good enough to get some kind of distribution on a streaming platform or something, and that would have been a success for me. But I thought I needed to have something in my back pocket.”

The Witch turned out to be a bit of a sleeper, earning Eggers critical kudos and a slew of prestigious awards. The Lighthouse, which hits theatres in Halifax on October 25, appears to be on a similar trajectory, earning rave reviews at TIFF and the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.

Shot primarily on location at Cape Forchu in Yarmouth, the black-and-white nautical fable stars Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) and Robert Pattinson (Cosmopolis) as Thomas Wake and Ephraim Winslow, two salty sea dogs who drive each other mad while staffing and maintaining an offshore lighthouse on a mysterious North Atlantic island in the late 1890s.

It’s a gripping fever dream of a film that’s already generating Oscar buzz for Dafoe and Pattinson—while drawing comparisons to Bela Tarr, Ingmar Bergman, David Lynch and Andrei Tarkovsky for Eggers.

“It feels nice...but a little embarrassing,” Eggers admits of his salt-sprayed nightmare.

“But also, Tarkovsky would also hate this movie. I’m proud of it though.”

For Eggers, the greatest joy in The Lighthouse going to wide release is delivering something that audiences aren’t entirely expecting.

“I like the idea that you go in to the theatre and you think ‘Oh no, I’m in for a really boring film that’s too influenced by boring Hungarian cinema’ and then five minutes in to the film, Willem Dafoe starts farting and you [hopefully] think maybe something else starts going on.”

Something else indeed.

The cacophony of bodily functions serve a dual purpose; they’re funny, but they are also a way in which Dafoe’s character, Thomas Wake, taunts and bullies Ephraim Winslow. They are the first of the boozy old codger’s many attempts to get under his soft-spoken underling’s skin. As the tale unfolds, Winslow is mocked by menacing seagulls, haunted by bizarre dreams and seduced by screeching mermaids.

Surrounded by the elements and consumed by invisible forces, Thomas and Ephraim soon find themselves locked in a suspensful battle of wills.

“When you trap two men in a giant phallus, it’s always interesting to see what happens,” Eggers notes.

For marketing purposes, Egger’s film is being described as “elevated horror” along the lines of Jordan Peele’s Us, Ari Aster’s Hereditary or Luca Guadagnino‘s remake of Suspiria.

“I don’t think it’s a horror movie,” he explains. “I don’t think it’s scary, for one thing. But if it has to be put in a category or given a genre I would put it into the category of a literary weird tale. My brother and I made a lot of big choices,” Eggers continues.

“I don’t know if they were good but they were certainly big, and we stuck to our guns.” a The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 13

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Entertainment Listings

Visual Arts

Music You’re here!

Events 14 Visual Arts Look right!

Send event listings to listings@thecoast.ca. Print deadline Thursday, 5pm SURE THINGS

Music

SEE OUR LOSION POP EXP ON LISTINGS PAGE 7

Thursday October 24

Saturday October 26

Monday October 28

DJ + Dancing

Big Ticket Shows

DJ + Dancing

90S NIGHT W/DJ REWIND Toothy Moose, 12am DJ IV W/DJ OKAY TK Vinyl Retro Lounge, 12am DJ RANDY Montes, 10pm, Free THIRSTDAYZ Menz, 10pm

STÉPHANE TÉTREAULT & LORRAINE DESMARAIS IN HALIFAX: CELLO & PIANO See photo, below. Cecilia Concerts, Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts Building, 6199 Chebucto Road, 7:30pm SYMPHONY NS PRESENTS THE BEATLES: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD DAL Arts Centre 6101 University Avenue, 7:30pm

DJ TONY HAZE Bitter End, 10pm MOOSE MONDAYS Toothy Moose, Free

THE MELLOTONES Bearly’s, 10pm OUTER ROOMS W/SORE LOSER, CHAD MCCOY RadStorm, 7pm SYMPHONY NS PRESENTS: STRAUSS AND SIBELIUS Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue, 7:30pm $35-$95

Friday October 25 DJ + Dancing ALL REQUEST DJ NIGHT Big Leagues Pub, 9:30pm, Free DJ RANDY Montes, 10pm, Free DJ TONY HAZE Bitter End, 10pm

Live Music GREG MITCHELL The Celtic Corner, 9p-midnight SYMPHONY NS PRESENTS: JIM WITTER’S THE BEATLES: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD DAL Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue, 7:30pm, $35-$95 Sure Thing

LAYNE GREENE The Bus Stop Theatre Co-Op, 7pm UPSTREAM’S OPEN COMPANY Art Bar + Projects, 8pm, Free

Galleries

DJ FROST Red Stag, 10pm DJ RANDY Montes, 10pm, Free HALLOWEEN VIDEO DANCE PARTY Menz & Mollyz, 11:30pm

Tuesday October 29

14 BELLS FINE ART GALLERY Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-4pm, 5523 Young Street New Work: Tylor McNeil Vancouver-based artist Tylor McNeil showcases large, frothy florals painted on birch panels.

To Nov 2

Live Music

DJ + Dancing

CHRISTINE CAMPBELL & BLAKE JOHNSTON Stayner’s Wharf, 9pm HALLOWEEN PUNK SHOW + HAUNTED HOUSE RadStorm, 8pm

AMATEUR DJ NIGHT W/DJ MASTER Menz, 10pm

DJ + Dancing

Sunday October 27 Big Ticket Shows PIGS Spatz Theatre 1855 Trollope Street, 7:30pm, $45 SYMPHONY NS PRESENTS: THE BEATLES’ THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue, 2pm, $35 - $95

STÉPHANE TÉTREAULT & LORRAINE DESMARAIS IN HALIFAX: CELLO & PIANO Two stars of the classical music world—that’s Stéphane Tétreault and Lorraine Desmarais (pictured)—come together in a dazzling constellation to perform classical, tango, and jazz standards as well as original compositions. Sat Oct 26, Cecilia Concerts, Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts Building, 6199 Chebucto Road, 7:30pm

14 • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 •

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Live Music

Live Music MIKE BIGGAR & MANITOBA HAL 18 Wildwood Boulevard.

Dartmouth, 2pm HMC PRESENTS: PIANO RECITAL The Halifax Music Co-op, 2pm

Live Music TYLER & SCOTT Durty Nelly’s, 10pm, Free FOR THE LOVE OF THE CLARINET Inner Space Concerts, 7:30pm, $20-$43 GARRETT MASON Bearly’s, 8:30pm GOTTIJAM Menz, 10:30pm, $3 NEW MUSIC TUESDAYS Sniggily Wiggily’s, 8:30pm

Wednesday October 30 Live Music BLUES NIGHT The Loose Cannon AN EVENING OF JAZZ IN SUPPORT OF LUNG HEALTH Halifax Distilling Co., 7:30pm CHLOE DANCES IN TWILIGHT W/REAMER Gus’, 8pm GEOFF KENNEDY The Carleton MANOUCHE-SWING W/DONALD MACLENNAN Obladee, 8pm

SUBMITTED

Live Music

Age of Aquarius The Craft Nova Scotia Annual Member’s Exhibition highlights works in a swath of mediums.

Mary E. Black Gallery, to Nov 3

AL HATTIE

› ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS PICKS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY MORGAN MULLIN

Sure Thing

ARGYLE FINE ART Sun-Mon closed or by appointment, Tue-Sat 10am5:30pm, 1559 Barrington Street A show about heroes A trio of shows by women artists arrives at Argyle Fine Art: Mindy Harris’ newest body of work, Wonder Women, features delicate and detailed embroidery of important women, from Frida Kahlo to Jane Goodall. Big Shoes to Fill by Kim Danio includes sculptures made from repurposed shoes depicting heroes such as Amelia Earhart.

Local illustrator Hannah Emmet, best known for her depictions of rockstars like Patti Smith and Mick Jagger, will also join the heroes’ team in the lower gallery with new original work.

To Oct 31 ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am9pm, 1723 Hollis Street Salvador Dali, a suite of prints The dandy of dadaism and sultan of surrealism, there is no comparison to Dali. Here, his later work—widely influenced by the Italian Renaissance and the Catholic Church—provides a rare glimpse into the post-melting-clock years.

To Oct 27 Celebrating Mary Pratt At this year’s FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, the flick It was All so Wonderful: The Everyday Magic of Mary Pratt debuted. The AGNS joins in on celebrating one of Canada’s most beloved artists by displaying her piece Artifacts on Astroturf in the gallery’s main lobby.

To Oct 27 Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art A stereotype-challenging, narrativereshaping exploration of Blackness in Canada, with works by artists Sandra Brewster, Chantal Gibson, Sylvia D. Hamilton, Bushra

Junaid, Charmaine Lurch, Esmaa Mohamoud, Michèle Pearson Clarke and Gordon Shadrach.

To Oct 27 DALHOUSIE ART GALLERY Tue-Fri 11am-5pm; Sat-Sun 12-5pm 6101 University Avenue Atmospheric Events The university gallery’s contribution to this year’s RESPONSIVE Light Art Festival sees the brutalist building in a whole new light.

To Nov 24 KHYBER CENTRE FOR THE ARTS Tue-Sat 12-5pm, 1880 Hollis Street 21 days to make or break a habit For the first 21 days of November 2018, artist Maddie Alexander embarked on a performance piece that concluded the day after Trans Day of Remembrance. Each day during the performance, Alexander would document whether or not they were misgendered, marking this with self-tattooing on their hands. A year later, the resulting photographs—as well as 21 needles, written notes, and an empty container of ink—will be displayed in the Khyber’s window gallery.

To Nov 30 MARY E. BLACK GALLERY Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am4pm, 1061 Marginal Road Age of Aquarius See photo, above. To Nov 3 MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 124pm, 166 Bedford Highway Africville: A Spirit that Lives On reflection project A 30th anniversary celebration of the groundbreaking, collaborative 1989 exhibition of the same name, this showcase sees the MSVU Art Gallery, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia and the Africville Genealogical Society combine forces with the Africville Museum to reflect on the community’s legacy.

To Nov 10 New work by Letitia Fraser The African Nova Scotian painter continues her stride from emerging artist to heavyweight: Since her first solo exhibition, Mommay’s Patches landed her on the cover of The Coast’s 2019 New Art issue in February, she graduated from

NSCAD, continued to slay, and now, returns with a new exhibit at the MSVU Art Gallery. Expect the same emotive portraits she’s becoming beloved for to be on deck—as well as the rich textile backgrounds she’s quickly made her signature.

To Nov 3 SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY Loyola Building 5865 Gorsebrook Avenue Tom Hammick: Lunar Voyage In a series of woodcut prints, Tom Hammick explores an “existential road journey taken through space,” while playfully examining the “outsiderness of being an artist” and a sort of nostalgia for the mid20th century’s space speculations.

To Nov 17

Museums CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21 1055 Marginal Road Family Bonds & Belonging An exploration and meditation on what family means, this exhibition promises to “celebrate Canadian identity by exploring families and family history, linking past to present and province to nation.”

To Nov 3

Other Spaces LOST & FOUND 12-8pm, everyday but Monday, 2383 Agricola Street Bits Emily Ross’ starburst paper art will be familiar to anyone who remembers the days of Big Pony (which Ross co-ran with Lindsay Stewart) and the prints she displayed there—but Lost & Found hosts Ross’ first ever exhibition. In Bits, Ross has cut colourful, patterned, metallic paper into triangular shapes that create dynamic fireworks across the shop’s walls. Oct 27-19 For more listings, see thecoast.ca.

The Coast

2019-10-23 5:00 PM

Events SUBMITTED

Sunday October 27

Trivia night at Rockbottom Rockbottom BrewPub, 5686 Spring Garden Road, 8pm

2019 CSAM Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water Street, 8am

When the Dust Settles: How Do We Hold People to Account After Disasters?

Room 1020, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building, 6100 University Avenue, 12pm

All Levels Karma Yoga Class Lolë Halifax, 5639 Spring Garden Road, 5pm, PWYC

Sure Thing

Classic Film Friday: Night of the Living Dead The 1968 mother of all zombie flicks—which traces the tale of a house full of strangers stranded in a Pennsylvania farmhouse, fending off undead intruders—helps you kick off your Halloween celebrations on the perfect, hair-raising note.

Fri Oct 25, Oasis Pub 5661 Spring Garden Road 8-10pm

Epic Let’s Roam’s Scavenger Hunt Halifax: Halifax’s Hopping Harbour!

1209 Marginal Road, 10am Hal-Con See photo, right. Oct 25-27, Halifax Convention Centre Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street Maritime Artisans Fall Craft Fair Cole Harbour Place, 51 Forest Hills Parkway, Old Time Radio Hour Yuk Yuk’s Theatre, 1181 Hollis St, 7pm Start Your Life Sunday Young Street, 6:30pm Wine Yoga With Véro!

Obladee Wine Bar, 1600 Barrington Street 12pm

Thursday October 24 2019 CSAM Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water Street, 8am Big Leagues Trivia Night Big Leagues Pub 920 Cole Harbour Road, 8pm, Free Fall Restoration Cole Harbour Place 51 Forest Hills Parkway, 9am Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street NS Craft Spirits Festival Bartender’s Challenge The Port by the NSLC 5485 Clyde Street, 5pm The Open Smoke Comedy Show High Life Social Club, 5982 Spring Garden Road, 9pm, Free for High Life members, $8 Resources for Dads in Metro area Read more on page 5. North End Parent Resource Centre, 5475 Uniacke Street, 6pm Scary Stories at Shirreff Hall Shirreff Hall, 6385 South Street, 7-9pm The Halifax Dharma Study Group sitting and walking meditation Saint Andrew’s United Church, 6036 Coburg Road (enter through side doors on Coburg) 5:30pm,

Friday October 25

7th Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Medieval and Early Modern Group University of King’s College, 3:30-8pm

Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos Halifax Central Library 5440 Spring Garden Road, 10am

Classic Film Friday: Night of the Living Dead See photo, above. Oasis Pub, 5661 Spring Garden Road, 8-10pm

Diwali Gala Night Dalhousie Student Union 6136 University Avenue, 6pm

Film Screening Voice. Choice. Change: The Lives of Midwives The Westin Nova Scotian, 1181 Hollis Street, 7pm David Crosby: Remember My Name screening Carbon Arc Cinema 1747 Summer Street, 7pm, $8 Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street Hal-Con See photo, right. Oct 25-27, Halifax Convention Centre

Drop Dead Gorgeous Menz & Mollyz Bar, 2182 Gottingen Street 9:30pm Epic Let’s Roam’s Scavenger Hunt Halifax: Halifax’s Hopping Harbour!

1209 Marginal Road, 10am Hal-Con See photo, right.

Oct 25-27, Halifax Convention Centre Halloween Boo Bash! Adult Dance Terence Bay Community Hall 80 Sandy Cove Road, 9pm

New Scotland Comedy w/ Eric Johnston New Scotland Brewing Co., 91 Alderney Drive, 8pm

Halloween Howler The Lower Deck Bar & Grill 278 Lacewood Drive, 7:30pm

Newcomers Conversation Club Captain William Spry Community Centre 10 Kidston Road, 1pm, Free

Halloween Punk Show + Haunted House RadStorm, 2177 Gottingen Street, 8pm

Red Rose Ball Atlantica Hotel Halifax, 1980 Robie Street, 6:30pm

Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties 1869 Upper Water Street

Trivia Night at the T-Room T-Room 1360 Barrington St, J Building, 12am

Saturday October 26 2019 CSAM Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water Street, 8am

16th Annual Progress Girls Night Out - Eat, Drink and be Scary!

5171 George Street, 7pm

7th Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Medieval and Early Modern Group University of King’s College, 8:30am6:30pm

2019 CSAM Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water Street

Being, Together: LGBTQ+ mid-life discussion group Glitter Bean Cafe, 5896 Spring Garden Road, 11am-12:30pm

Laing House Masquerade Ball, Venezia: A Night of Romance Cunard Centre 961 Marginal Road, 6:30pm Magic Garden Maid Cafe’s Fall Festival Hotel Halifax, 1990 Barrington Street 1:30pm Maritime Artisans Fall Craft Fair Cole Harbour Place, 51 Forest Hills Parkway, Oct 26 & 27, 9am Nightshade - Kinky Halloween & Dead Sexy Costume Party!

Menz & Mollyz Bar, 2182 Gottingen Street 10pm Nova Scotia Forest Festival Memory Lane Heritage Village 5435 Clam Harbour Road, 10am Submit events to listings@thecoast.ca or upload them online at thecoast.ca.

Monday October 28 Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street Trivia Night Durty Nelly’s Authentic Irish Pub 1645 Argyle Street, 8pm, Free

Trivia Night with Brian MacKay The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, 5136 Prince Street, 8pm

Wednesday October 30 Caregivers Nova Scotia Support Group (Bedford) NorthwoodCare (Ivany Place), 123 Gary Martin Drive, 6:30pm, Free Form Filling Aid YMCA Gottingen, 2269 Gottingen Street, 9am & 1pm Free public meeting: Let’s make workplace bullying illegal in Nova Scotia Halifax Central Library, Lindsay Children’s Room, 5440 Spring Garden Road, 6:30pm Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street MFA Forum Anna Leonowens Gallery, 1891 Granville Street, 10am Hobo With A Shotgun screening A can’t miss screening of the best-worst movie ever made.

Propeller Arcade, 2015 Gottingen Street, 7pm Pot Yoga High Life Social Club, 5982 Spring Garden Road, 8pm, $15 Pumpkin Carving Sparkles n’ Sawdust Art Center, 1574 Argyle Street, 6pm

Halloween Music Bingo w/DJ Fayder Lion’s Head Tavern, 3081 Robie Street, 7-9pm

Tuesday October 29 Book Launch: More Ghost Stories of Nova Scotia by Vernon Oickle Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street, 1:30pm

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Harvest Moon Festival 2019 Historic Properties, 1869 Upper Water Street Period Poverty Summit - NS NSGEU, 255 John Savage Avenue, 8:30am-4:30pm Quiz Night in the Seanchai The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, 5136 Prince Street, 8pm Return of the Living Dead screening Thrillema, 1747 Summer Street, 8-11pm

Sure Thing

Hal-Con The biggest party of the year for lovers of anime, sci-fi and cosplay returns! Get your geek on for three days of fun. Oct 25-27, Halifax Convention Centre, 1650 Argyle Street

The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 15

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2019-10-23 4:55 PM

LOVE THE WAY WE BITCH / LOVE 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, NS B3K 3T8 Phone: 902-422-6278, Fax: 902-425-0013 Email: coast@thecoast.ca EDITORIAL Editor Kyle Shaw (editor@thecoast.ca) Deputy Editor Allison Saunders (allisons@thecoast.ca) Arts & Entertainment Editor Morgan Mullin (arts@thecoast.ca) City Editor Caora McKenna (news@thecoast.ca) Copy Editors Fadila Chater, Andrew Bethune Housing Reporter Sandra C. Hannebohm (housing@thecoast.ca) Cannabis Editor Meg Hubley (thereef@thecoast.ca) Senior Features Writer Stephen Kimber (stephenk@thecoast.ca) Contributing Writers Chris Benjamin, Jane Kansas, Carsten Knox, Brennan McCracken Contributing Editors Melissa Buote, Lezlie Lowe, Stephanie Johns, Tara Thorne Contributing Photographers Meghan Tansey Whitton, Lenny Mullins, Alexa Cude, Riley Smith Contributing Illustrators Paul Hammond, Tim Carpenter, Mollie Cronin, Jordyn Bochon ACTIVE MARKETING PROFESSIONALS Director of Sales and Marketing Christa Harrie (christah@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Kate Spurr (kate@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Haley Clarke (haley@thecoast.ca) PRODUCTION & ONLINE Production Manager Pam Nicoll (pamn@thecoast.ca) Production Designer Jess Hartjes (jess@thecoast.ca) Production Assistant Kirsten Aitken Imaging Consultant Kevin Cunningham

❤ Just a couple of dunces II “Oh, Fortuna, you capricious sprite!” I always tell people about our lovely, spontaneous encounter on the bus. About how it was a perfect rom-com set-up, and how I was so stupid to let you go without asking for your number.

—Find Me Love the way we cringe This one’s to you, The Coast.

That’s right, you! Are there really so few “Love The Way We Love” submissions to choose from that you have no choice but to publish so many that seem to depict a “nice guy” misreading the supposed signals a woman was sending their way? They remind me of a Craigslist “missed connections” section—although somehow more embarrassing to read. —Cringing2Death

!

Privacy matters When I go up to the bank teller, it’s because I have less than the minimum $20 the ATM will dispense

!

THE COMIC

OPERATIONS Office Manager Audra McKenna (audram@thecoast.ca) Distribution Team David MacPhee, Bob Mitchell, Steve Amero Front Desk Enforcer Kyla Derry (kylad@thecoast.ca) Publisher Christine Oreskovich (christineo@thecoast.ca) The Coast is Halifax’s weekly newspaper, published every Thursday

by Coast Publishing Limited. The Coast’s goal is to be provocative, entertaining and truthful. The Coast Publishing Limited takes full responsibility for the People’s Party of Canada’s poor performance in this year’s election. The Coast is printed locally on recycled stock with 23,000 copies distributed throughout Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford. Mailed under Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40027554. Please return undeliverable addresses to the Distribution Department, 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 3T8 (email distribution@thecoast.ca). Staff and management of The Coast neither advocate nor encourage the use of products or services advertised herein for illegal purposes. All rights reserved. © 2019. Independent and locally owned, founded in 1993.

in my account and I need my money.

When I get up to the counter, I’ll say, “Can I withraw the funds in my account?” The teller then proceeds to tell me my balance (which I already know, thank you very much), announcing the fact that I have eight dollars and 45 cents in my account, loud enough for the whole lineup behind me to hear. HELLO! Could you not announce my net worth to the whole fucking bank please? I know how much I have in there, duh.

Then the teller always asks next if I would like the whole amount. What do you think? Of course, duh! I’ll take the whole fortune.

—Lower Your Voice

❤ Huge thanks To the person who returned my student ID: I was on my way to a school event (where I actually needed to present it) when I realized it must have fallen out of my pocket.

I backtracked and was frantically texting my roommate when you walked up and held it out to me.

I asked your name, but was too flustered to remember it, or to really thank you properly. I have no idea how you managed to find it on such a windy evening, but thank you!

—Grateful Student ❤ Happy for what you did!

I worked the advance polls last weekend and not only was I surprised at the amazing turnout, I was happy to see it as well. What really made my long days better was seeing parents bring their children with them to vote and encouraging them to be part of the process— letting them put the ballot into the ballot box, for one thing. Making kids see the voting process shows them how easy it is to change things. It was gratifying to see a whole new generation of voters getting excited

!

❤

about voting, even it if it’s way off in their future. I often don’t have a lot of hope for the younger generations but this weekend gave a little back.

Thank you parents and first-time voters as well!

Which CBC pundit gets our vote?

Rosemary Barton Peter Mansbridge —Thankful Poll Worker slavery is alive and real ! Wage The cost of living keeps increasing every day. I’m talking basics like rent hikes and electricity—screw the luxury $200 cable and internet packages. As a singleperson household, I cannot keep myself afloat without working two jobs and setting myself nuts. None of the jobs will pay you a livable wage. Employers only offer temp or part-time jobs without any benefits.

The price of food is ridiculous! I bought a pint of strawberries that were marked down 50 percent, some water and some bread, and that alone came to $15! Working people have to go to the food banks because their wages don’t get them through to the next paycheque. This is the generation of wage slaves, destined to live below poverty level forever. Boomers at least had the advantage of a housing boom and two-person-income household. If you’re single in this province, or worse, a single woman earning an average of 23 cents less on the dollar, life is grim and the future is bleak. Employers need to adjust their workers’ wages and salaries to account for the annual increases to the cost of living. Minimum wage is preposterous and pathetic. Even the educated get peanuts. No wonder people drink in public bathrooms here.

—Floundering ‘Til Next Payday More bitching Go online to post your rant at thecoast.ca/bitch

16 • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 •

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The Coast

2019-10-23 5:04 PM

Free Will Astrology

Wander in the unknown, Sagittarius, says ROB BREZSNY Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)

Pisces

“Sometimes the easiest way to get something done is to be a little naive about it,” writes computer engineer Bill Joy. Consider the value of that perspective, Scorpio.

Being naive just doesn’t come naturally to you; you often know more than everyone else around you. Are you familiar with the Zen Buddhist concept of “beginner’s mind?” You wipe away your assumptions and see everything as if it were the first time you were in its presence.

If you’ve been having dreams or fantasies that the roof is sinking or the walls are closing in, you should interpret it as a sign that you should consider moving into a more spacious situation. If you have been trapped within the narrow confines of limited possibilities, it’s time to break free and flee to a wide-open frontier. In general, Pisces, I urge you to insist on more expansiveness in everything you do, even if that requires you to demolish cute little mental blocks that have tricked you into thinking small.

This week’s birthdays: Maryanne McLarty (belated), Nevin Harrington, Talulah MacNeil, Barbara & Marie Rasmussen, Amanda Maier, Heather Clarke, Andrea Dorfman, Simon Thibault, Lesley Johnston, Barb Kail, Vicki Grant, Shaleen Jones, Lucas Dambergs, Deborah Ross, Dominic MacDougall bday@thecoast.ca

Singapore has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. A few years ago, this state of affairs prompted the government to urge Singaporeans to have sex on an annual holiday known as National Day. A new rap song was released in the hope of pumping up everyone’s libidos and instigating a baby boom. It included the lyrics, “Let’s make fireworks ignite / Let’s make Singapore’s birthrate spike.” I have a different reason for encouraging you to seek abundant high-quality sex, Aries. According to my analysis, tender orgasmic experiences will profoundly enhance your emotional intelligence in the coming weeks—and make you an excellent decision-maker just in time for your big decisions. (PS: You don’t necessarily need a partner.)

Sagittarius

(Nov 22-Dec 21) Is it always a bad thing to be lost?

To wander in the unknown without a map? I’d like to propose a good version of being lost. It requires you to be willing to give up your certainties, to relinquish your grip on the comforting dogmas that have structured your world—but to do so gladly, with a spirit of cheerful expectancy and curiosity. It doesn’t require you to be a macho hero who feels no fear or confusion. Rather, you have faith that life will provide blessings that weren’t possible until you got lost.

Capricorn

(Dec 22-Jan 19)

“Worrying is the most natural and spontaneous of all human functions,” wrote science educator Lewis Thomas. “Let’s acknowledge this, perhaps even learn to do it better.”

I agree with him! And I think it’s an ideal time for you to learn how to worry more effectively, more potently and with greater artistry.

What might that look like? First, you wouldn’t feel shame or guilt about worrying. You wouldn’t regard it as a failing. Rather, you would raise your worrying to a higher power. You’d wield it as a savvy tool to discern which situations truly need your concerned energy and which don’t.

Aquarius

(Jan 20-Feb 18)

“Some wounds go so deep that you don’t even feel them until months, maybe years, later,” wrote Aquarian author Julius Lester. Pay attention to that thought, Aquarius.

The bad news is that you are just now beginning to feel a wound that was inflicted some time ago. But that’s also the good news, because it means the wound will no longer be hidden and unknowable. And because you’ll be fully aware of it, you’ll be empowered to launch the healing process. I suggest you follow your early intuitions about how best to proceed with the cure.

Aries

Taurus

(Feb 19-Mar 20)

(Mar 21-Apr 19)

(Apr 20-May 20)

In the 1530s, explorer Jacques Cartier led expeditions from France to the New World. As Europeans often did back then, he and his team were rude and brutish to the Indigenous folks who lived there, stealing their land, kidnapping some of them and slaughtering herds of great auks in a bird sanctuary. Yet there was one winter when Cartier’s marauders got crucial help from their victims, who gave them vitamin C-rich pine needle tea that cured their scurvy. I suspect you Tauruses will embark on quests and journeys in the coming months, and I’m hoping your behaviour will be different from Cartier’s. When you arrive in unfamiliar places, be humble, curious and respectful. Be hesitant to impose your concepts of what’s true, and be eager to learn from the locals. If you do, you’re likely to get rich teachings and benefits equivalent to the pine needle tea.

Gemini

(May 21-Jun 20)

Many software engineers have enjoyed The Pragmatic Programmer, a book that helps them develop and refine their code. One popular technique is “rubber duck deprogramming.” Programmers place a toy rubber duck in front of them, and describe to it the problems they’re having. As they explain each line of code to their very good listener, they may discover what’s amiss. I recommend a similar approach to you as you embark on metaphorically debugging your own program.

If a rubber duck isn’t available, call on your favourite stuffed animal, or even a photo of a teacher or relative.

Cancer

(Jun 21-Jul 22)

Read the following passage from Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. “Gaston was not only a fierce lover, with endless wisdom and imagination, but he was also, perhaps, the first man in the history of the species who had made an emergency landing and had come close to killing himself and his sweetheart simply to make love in a field of violets.”

I admire the romantic artistry of Gaston’s dramatic gesture. I applaud his imaginative desire to express his love in a carefully chosen sanctuary filled with beauty. I praise his intense devotion to playful extravagance.

But I don’t recommend you do anything quite so extreme in behalf of love during the coming weeks.

Being 20 percent as extreme might be just right, though.

Leo

(Jul 23-Aug 22)

In his song “Diplomatic Immunity,” rapper Drake disparages tranquility and harmony. “I listen to heavy metal for meditation, no silence,” he brags. “My body isn’t much of a sacred temple, with vodka and wine, and sleep at the opposite times,” he declares. Is there a method in his madness? It’s revealed in these lyrics: “All that peace and that unity: all that weak shit will ruin me.” In the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you to practice the exact opposite of Drake’s approach. It’s time to treat yourself to an intense and extended phase of self-care.

Virgo

(Aug 23-Sep 22)

It’s a favourable time to refresh your relationships with your basic sources and to make connections with new basic sources. To spur your creative thought on these matters, I offer the following questions to meditate on. First, if you weren’t living where you do now, what other place might you like to call home?

Second, if you didn’t have the name you actually go by, what other name would you choose? Third, if you had an urge to expand the circle of allies that supports and stimulates you, whom would you seek out? Fourth, If you wanted to add new foods and herbs that would nurture your physical health and new experiences that would nurture your mental health, what would they be?

Libra

(Sep 23-Oct 22)

Mushrooms have spores, not seeds.

They’re tiny. If you could stack 2,500 of them, they’d be an inch high. On the other hand, they are numerous.

A ripe mushroom may release up to 16 million spores. And each spore is so light-weight, the wind can pick it up and fling it long distances. I’ll encourage you to express your power and influence like a mushroom in the coming days: subtle and airy but abundant; light and fine, but relentless and bountiful. a

Go to freewillastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO and DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. The audio horoscopes are also available at 877-873-4888.

The Coast • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 • 17

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Savage Love SEX ADVICE FROM DAN SAVAGE mail@savagelove.net

Cheaters’ club How a couple of scandalous sluts can make a relationship work.

Plus: The best way to tell the husband it’s over. am a guy in my 40s and a classic sexual Q Iscoundrel.

I cheated on my ex-wife and

—Can’t Part Over Sex

A

married to a loving, handsome man.

Q I’m For the first several years of our relation-

You’ve cheated on everyone you’ve ever been with, and your girlfriend has presumably cheated on everyone she’s ever been with. (That’s what you meant by “she has as scandalous a past as I do,” right?) But instead of embracing the cheats and sluts you both know yourselves to be and thanking your fucky stars for bringing you together, CPOS, you felt obligated to disavow your past behaviours and slut-shame each other. You are still the people you were before you started theatrically cringing about how you met.

She doesn’t trust you not to cheat on her, and I don’t see why she should. You don’t trust her not to cheat on you, and I don’t see why you should. So why promise not to cheat? Why waste time and emotional energy policing each other for evidence of what you both know to be true: You’re going to cheat on each other. So instead of making promises you can’t keep and then having meltdowns and breaking up and getting back together, CPOS, make a promise you can keep. Not to be faithful but to be considerate. Promise not to do anything that makes her feel like she isn’t your top priority even if you do fuck around occasionally, and ask her to make the same promise to you. Then you can move forward as honest sluts and not lying cheats.

with a married woman. I Q Iwasam thein love “other man” almost 20 years

ago, before she was married. We fell in love, but we didn’t end up together. In the intervening years, we both married and had children. We’ve reconnected and it became a sexual relationship again. Here’s the tricky part: My then-wife was an undocumented immigrant. My marriage was unhappy, but for my child’s sake I couldn’t leave my wife, for fear of his mother getting deported. This year, she got her green card and we divorced.

I reconnected with my ex again. We wanted to get married, but she is scared to end her marriage. She’s in a happy marriage and divorce will be a bombshell. And she fears that nothing short of admitting she’s in love with someone else could end her marriage, but admitting that she’s been unfaithful will make co-parenting hard going forward. We understand pain will have to happen, but we just don’t know what the best course of action is.

—Pensive And Incredibly Nervous 18 • OCTOBER 24 – OCTOBER 30, 2019 •

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If you two can’t wait until her kids are a little older before you marry, PAIN, then there’s no way to avoid the most painful possible version of this shitshow. But your girlfriend’s husband deserves the whole truth right out of the gate, even at the risk of complicating their co-parenting arrangements in the short run. Letting her soon-to-be-exhusband twist in the wind wondering why his decent, loving, seemingly stable marriage suddenly collapsed would just be cruel—and pointlessly so, as he will inevitably learn the truth. You two don’t plan to marry in secret, right? Which means her soon-to-be-ex and their kids are going to find out about you, the new husband and stepfather, at some point in the very near future. The whole truth, all at once. Don’t draw it out. Inflicting pain on the installment plan won’t assuage your guilt.

every girlfriend I’ve ever had. I’m currently dating a woman in her 20s. We are both each other’s ideal type. She has as scandalous a past as I do. We met via a hookup app. We enjoyed each other’s company from the moment we met, and the sex was great. Most of her stuff is now at my house. We’ve had many deep dives into our respective pasts. We cringe now at how we met and why we’ve hooked up with so many random people. Here’s the issue: After 12 months together, with too many breakups to count, we have no idea how to move forward. We cannot establish trust. We are in love and everything’s great...so long as we have our eyeballs on each other. Once out of direct sight, we both turn into possessive assholes. How do two sluts find peace?

ship, we had amazing sex. After moving in together, my interest in having sex with him decreased. Living together seems to diminish my attraction to my partner. The second problem is that my kink needs are not being met. My husband is aware of my kinks, but he lacks the skill to deliver what I’m interested in. Before I met my husband, I spent many years as a member of a very active kink scene in a big city. My husband is monogamous without compromise. He is unwilling to cotop me alongside another Dominant partner, and unwilling to let me bottom for others solo regardless of whether sex is involved.

This frustration has led me to seek out the occasional experience with others. My sex drive seems intact when I fantasize about hot, rough scenes with other people, but I experience very little desire for my husband. I adore this man, and haven’t ever felt like it would be worth it to leave him just so I could get my kinky needs met, but we are at an impasse.

Is it even possible to find a compromise?

—Sex Alacrity Diminished

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Knowing what you do about yourself— your attraction to a partner craters after moving in together, you have a powerful need to explore your kinks with casual play partners—you shouldn’t be cohabitating and/or making monogamous commitments. But you are and you have. There’s no middle ground between an uncompromisingly monogamous marriage and the kind of freedom to explore your kinks that you need to feel fulfilled, partnered or not. But your husband caught you fucking around and has presumably forgiven you, seeing as you aren’t emailing during your divorce proceedings. So perhaps if given a choice between letting you and losing you, SAD, he would let you. And If you were free to fuck around with other people—if your husband didn’t symbolize the end of sexy adventures—maybe you’d still want to fuck him.

But if he does give you the freedom to fuck around and you still don’t want to fuck him, do your husband a favour and leave him. Then no more monogamy for you, got it? a Listen to Dan Savage’s Weekly Lovecast at thecoast .ca/savage

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