Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
O''Learry''s(
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)
, Saint John, New Brunswick; open-mic nights
»
Old Cosmo
(700 Main St), Moncton, New Brunswick; punk and rock
»
SShip P
ip Puub(
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)
, St John's, Newfoundland; anything and everything
»
Rock Ho
ck Houuse(
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), St John's, Newfoundland; indie
African Influences
Just when you were getting tired of the fiddle, in come more cultures. Many Black Cana-
dians arrived as freed slaves and Loyalists to the British Crown during the American War
of Independence. Social inequalities and marginalization (Nova Scotia's racism earned it
the moniker 'Mississippi of the North') stopped the black community from making a
huge mark in the Maritime music scene in the past, but nowadays it's adding a lot of
spice to the region's music scene. The influence had been largely gospel music, but today
hip-hop, jazz, blues, R&B, pop and classical music are all holding some cultural sway.
Portia White from Truro, Nova Scotia, was one of the first African-Canadians to make
it big in the region when she won a silver cup at the Nova Scotia Music Festival in 1928
at the age of 17. She went on to become a powerful and well-known contralto classical
vocalist and stage presence through the early '40s. In more recent years, Nova Scotian
R&B musician Gary Beals placed second in the first season of
Canadian Idol,
and Faith
Nolan, a mixed-heritage African, Mik'maq and Irish jazz singer, songwriter and guitarist,
has made music with powerful political statements.
Men of the Deeps,
a choral group of retired coal miners in Nova Scotia, can be found
playing around the province and invariably pull a crowd.
Top Festivals
Beyond pubs and concerts, Canada's Atlantic provinces swell with music festivals, espe-
cially during the summer. The following are the most renowned:
»
Evolve
(
Click here
)
Voted best festival in Canada by the listeners of CBC Radio 3 in
2010, this three-day music and awareness festival showcases everything from grassroots
music to modern, big-name performers in styles from folk to hip-hop.
»
Stan Rogers Folk Festival
(
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) Camp out in remote Canso for three days of
live music from fine bluegrass and folk songwriters and performers.
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