Halifax Pop Explosion to unleash Ghostface Killah, Against Me!

The Florida punk band Against Me!, with members, from left to right, Inge Johansson, Atom Willard, Laura Jane Grace, and James Bowman, performs at the Halifax Pop Explosion, taking place Oct. 21 to 25. (CONTRIBUTED)

Legends of hip hop and 21st-century punk are among the offerings at this years Halifax Pop Explosion, taking place Oct. 21 to 25.

Organizers for the annual festival of alternative music, and its coinciding arts and technology conference Collide, unveiled a list of over 30 acts this afternoon at the Carleton Music Bar & Grill.

Starting locally, they built from familiar East Coast favourites up to major headliners, including Wu-Tang Clan members Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, backed by Toronto rhythm trio BADBADNOTGOOD, and Florida punk game-changers Against Me!.

Danny Brown (CONTRIBUTED)

There was also a surprise last-minute announcement that Detroit rapper Danny Brown, who has previously collaborated with Halifax singer Megan James from the electronic duo Purity Ring, would also be performing at this fall’s indie pop extravaganza.

“We’re definitely happy to have more hip hop; it’s something that’s blowing up in Halifax more and more,” enthused the event’s new executive director James Boyle, who stepped into the post vacated by longtime HPX head Jonny Stevens earlier this year.

“We’ve got a larger hip-hop community, so we’re excited to have a more diverse lineup with more electronic sounds as well. And that Raekwon/Ghostface/BADBADNOTGOOD show is going to be off the hook.”

Also scheduled to appear are Canadian acts Kevin Drew, Operators, Teenage Kicks, Bry Webb, Astral Swans, Petra Glynt and Single Mothers. Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen, Kingston duo P.S. I Love You and Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club will also trek eastward, while Whitehorse, featuring Halifax-born Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, will perform with Symphony Nova Scotia at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.

While acts like Drew from Broken Social Scene and the Constantines’ singer/guitarist Webb will be festival favourites, Boyle says the band to keep an eye on is Operators, featuring Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs.

“I saw their first show at Canadian Music Week. It’s an electronic duo and it’s perfect for the Pop Explosion. If you haven’t heard them yet, you’ll definitely hear it by October, and it’s something Halifax has definitely never seen before.”


Mike Boyd (BLACK BOX MUSIC)

Maritime performers at HPX include Halifax duo Cousins, Enfield rapper Mike Boyd and Nova Scotia/New Brunswick aboriginal hip-hop crew City Natives. That roster will grow as more acts are announced in the coming months, along with plans for the Collide conference.

These acts come after news of HPX dates by Toronto electropop act Austra and U.S. comedian Jen Kirkman (Chelsea Lately, Drunk History), plus a show by Toronto indie singer-songwriter Lights at the Halifax Forum Multi-Purpose Centre, one of three wet/dry all-ages events, along with the Danny Brown and Raekwon and Ghostface Killah with BADBADNOTGOOD shows.

“It’s a key thing for us to have the Forum as a proper all-ages venue, which in Halifax can be very hard to do,” said Boyle. “To have a large-scale venue for our highest capacity shows, as well as have underage people attend, is a major win for us.

“And to have shows in a venue that’s traditionally wet/dry, so people in the community know things are set up that way, is easier than changing the setup at Olympic Hall all the time.”

Festival wristbands, passes and tickets go on sale Friday at halifaxpopexplosion.com.

Original post was published on: http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1226185-halifax-pop-explosion-to-unleash-ghostface-killah-against-me