Oh my oh my oh my!
Sometimes there is such joy living here in Halifax that I could seriously split my facial muscles smiling.
Yes, it’s all about the sea and the sand and the ships and the smell of the ocean and the fog and the skree of seagulls and all of that.
But it’s also about quaint shops and odd little spots like Plan B or Swoon and cafes and little pubs and all that…
And poetry readings and book launches and writers hanging out….
But I have to admit I love the easy access live music the very best.
I cannot believe, for example, that my hero and all time favourite musician, Matt Andersen, is bringing his glorious self to the Carleton, an intimate venue with the best sound system in any bar I’ve seen, anywhere. I am overwhelmed. And for the extreme cost of $25 a ticket!! I could perish with happiness. But not til after May 7th!!!!!!!
I’ve already seen James Hill, my ukulele hero, and Anne Davidson, his cello virtuoso partner, at the Carleton. I’ve been overwhelmed by Ashley McIsaac and his fiddle, so close I could watch each individual bow hair break as he played.
The Carleton is magnificent, but so are the smaller venues – the charming Cafe Brea with concerts now and again that bring the musician right to your table to drink a coffee with you. And the coffee is great.
The house concerts, too, where I first met PEI musicians Gordon Belcher and
And then the bigger venues, from whence I shall peer from the nosebleed section at the amazing Leonard Cohen in a few weeks. I don’t care how far away he is, in Halifax, even the nosebleed section is relatively intimate, and hey, that voice can transport me even if I heard it across a football field – as Nancy White once mourned, he’ll never bring my groceries in, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
Meanwhile, I feel like I can wallow in music all over the place here. It permeated the buildings, rocks the fog, makes my heart sing.
Sometimes I even accompany it on my ukulele, with about 50 other people. But that’s another story…