Singer-songwriter and guitarist Ty Messick returns to The Carleton with friends on Saturday, May 16. He’ll perform original songs plus some really great covers. Join us for this fun night of live music! Tickets available at thecarleton.ca #liveatthecarleton
Hey Halifax. I’m coming to town on May 17 for a show with one of Canada’s best troubadours, Leeroy Stagger. I’ve known Leeroy for a long time. He’s one hell of a songwriter and performer. He was last in town for HUFF 2025 and he’s happy to be hitting the east coast again. We’ve gotta sell some more tickets to make sure this west coast legend keeps coming to our shores. Leeroy is bringing his trio all the way across the country for this. And you know, it’s been a while for me too. I love playing Halifax, and especially at The Carleton. It’s an incredible room and we’d love to see your great city fill it with love. Couple of songwriters. Gonna be a stellar show. Leeroy’s new album was produced in his Victoria, BC studio with your local boy, Joel Plaskett. Don’t miss this one, please! #halifax #livemusic #thecarleton #leeroystagger #dennisellsworth
I was there to see @shaunkirkmusic , but the night got off to a surprisingly fun start before a single proper song was played. @_zebedee ’s sound check was genuinely the best I’ve ever been a part of - and to be fair, I haven’t been part of many - but the combination of his own material and a snippet of “Pink Pony Club” made it something charming, funny, and totally unexpected.
Zebedee was a first for me and I’m really glad we crossed paths. He was great with the crowd, the songs were interesting and good, and his sing-along version of “You Are My Sunshine” was a highlight. He has a full, rich voice - deep but hitting some higher notes too - and reminds me of someone I just cant place. He said someone in the crowd had suggested Boz Scaggs, which I can hear, but that’s not quite who I’m thinking of. It’s been driving me nuts ever since. Maybe that just means he’s his own thing - a unique singer-songwriter with his original piccolo bass. Either way, first time hearing him won’t be the last.
Mike Campbell stopped in to introduce Shaun Kirk, and it was a lovely moment. Mike shared the story of first seeing Shaun perform and thinking immediately that he belonged on the Huff stage - that even if nobody knew who he was yet, he deserved to be there. The timing had taken a while to work out, and Mike admitted to some nerves about being able to fill the room. But here we were, and we got a well-earned round of applause just for showing up and being smart about it.
I hadn’t heard of Shaun Kirk before this night. When I finally looked him up, I opened YouTube, played twenty seconds of a song - somewhere in the middle - and thought: “that’s enough, I’ll be there”. His voice is that kind of voice. The show more than delivered. As much a storyteller as he is a singer, he had the room hanging on his words between songs just as much as during them. He was really great, and I sincerely hope it’s not the last time Halifax gets to hear him.
Thanks again so much for having me out!
-Chandrae
@carletonhalifax and @wendyphillipspr
Halifax, we’ll be seeing you soon! We’re so excited to be sharing the stage with our dear friend Shane Pendergast at The Carleton this Thursday <3
Will we see you there? #halifaxmusic #femalefolk #americanamusic #femalefolk
Due to popular demand, Valley-based band Shiny Happy People have added a second show at The Carleton on June 25. Don’t miss your chance to catch their R.E.M. tribute LIVE! Tickets on sale now at thecarleton.ca #liveatthecarleton
Toronto’s Queen Kong will bring their energetic blend of klezmer, jazz, and folk music to The Carleton on July 29. Known for putting a modern spin on traditional sounds, the group will soon release their new album, Mitsve Tants. Tickets available at thecarleton.ca #liveatthecarleton
Local Canadian folk star Ben Caplan returns to The Carleton for two shows, September 9 & 10. Expect a mix of new material, old favourites, and stories from the road - with the possibility of a few special guests! Tickets on sale now at thecarleton.ca #liveatthecarleton
Join us on Wednesday, June 10 as Schoolhouse Brewery and North Brewing Company go head-to-head. 🍻 Enjoy a five-course dinner by Chef Mathias Probst and his team, with each course paired with two 4 oz brews chosen by the competing Brewmasters. Chefs and Brewmasters will share the story behind each pairing — and you get to decide the winning brewery. Limited seating available. 🎟️ 🎟️ at thecarleton.ca #liveatthecarleton
Second time at a @carletonhalifax Craft Draught Showdown. TLDR; I went 5/5 in favour of the attendees picks for best food pairing!
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Five courses. Two breweries. One winner.
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@gahan.novacentre vs @burnsidebrewing sure went at it. Throwing a killer food pairing tasting list together along side throwing some shade at one another (in good fun of course)
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Course 1: Endive Salad. Bright, refreshing and loved the seared grapes. I found the saaz hops in the Killick Lager enhanced the bitterness of the vinaigrette where the Beacon (while a great beer) muted the flavours a bit. Burnside was the winner.
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Course 2: Marinated Anchovies. Sounds awful, may have been the best dish. Do I like anchovies? No, but this slaps. Both beers did good but Burnside was just a little too overpowering. Coles (Gahan) added a nice citrus balance.
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Course 3: Triangoli. This was lovely. Scooped up the sauce at the end. The peach from the gahan is really in your face. I prefer the Czech Pilsener on its own but the peace is lovely with the ravv. Win goes to Gahan once again.
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Course 4: Halibut. The star here is the squash velouté. Burnside’s Grapefruit Spaceship’s citrus balanced out the dish well. Wins round 4 over the Belgian Wit.
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Course 5: Chocolate Tart. While Queen Bee is a great beer, the Butter Tart was an easy choice. The chocolate tart had some lovely orange (almost like a Terry’s orange) notes to it that was well paired with the butter tart stout. Gahan was the clear winner.
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Do I know much about food pairings? I didn’t think so but I did go 5/5 with the audience’s selections. While Gahan was the winner, I think we all won eating and drinking some great food and beer.
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#burnsidebrewing #gahanbeer #CraftDraftShowdown #NSBeer #nscraftbeer
I went to see @cameronnickersonmusic and @iamdallasalexander at @carletonhalifax , and I’ll start by saying this straight up: country is not usually my go-to genre.
I had a few reasons for going - their voices sounded great from what I’d heard, I love The Carleton, and my husband had tattooed Cameron, so I wanted to catch him live. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t walk in expecting it to hit me the way it did.
And I really want to say this clearly - just because country isn’t my thing doesn’t take anything away from how talented these guys are. They’re both great. Go see them.
That said… Cameron Nickerson completely caught me off guard. On the way home, I put him on right away because I was that blown away and just needed to hear it again.
But the recordings and what he did live tonight were two very different experiences.
On his record, there’s that full country sound - the production, the instruments, the textures. It’s solid, polished, and absolutely works. But live, stripped down in a room like The Carleton, just him, a guitar, and that voice… that’s something else entirely.
His voice has layers. There’s grit and gravel, there’s warmth, and there’s this raw power sitting right next to moments that lean into that old-school crooner feel - flashes of Elvis, even a bit of Bobby Darin - and then something else I can’t quite put my finger on. It kept hitting those little “this reminds me of…” moments without ever fully landing on any one thing. It all blends into something that feels completely his. Honestly, calling it just “country” doesn’t quite cover what he did tonight.
-continued in comments
