The time has come at last to celebrate the life of our beloved Ben Brennan by enjoying what he loved most of all: rock and roll!
For those who don't know, Ben was a pillar of the local hardcore punk and metal scene, an undisputed master of wild creativity and mind boggling musicianship. Few people, if anyone, can be said to command the kind of universal respect that Ben has within this city we call home. He was the electric wizard, the dean of dissonance, and the sage of sonic extremity, with a creative compass so perfectly dialed in you could wind your watch to it.
(Now you know.)
So, please join us at the Seahorse Tavern on Thursday, October 10th at 8PM (doors at 7:00PM) for this grand event, a memorial show featuring a host of bands Ben either played in, recorded, or was closely associated with.
We will have (in order of appearance):
the city's most mysterious folk singing trio CIVILIANS! - /album/deindustrial-nights-2
the world famous Iron Lung Records recording artistes MUTATED VOID! - /
the undisputed kings of grind SNARLER! - /album/stubborn
plus...
the shocking return of WORD ON THE STREET! - /
a one and only performance by SURVEILLANCE! - /
and last, but not nearly the least, local noise rock legends BOTFLY! - /
This is a very a big show! Do not miss it!!!
Finally, it's no secret that Ben was a victim of a mental health crisis. That's why 100% of the proceeds raised will be going towards the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia.
So, please join us in celebrating the memory of our dearly departed friend Ben, and all others lost to the struggles of mental health.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased at the provided link - /in-memory-of-ben-brennan-the-seahorse-tavern/
Thank you to @2037gottingen (The Seahorse) for hosting this special event.
(Poster by me, write-up by Dave Burns.)
One year without you, Ben. I used to have a hard time going a couple days without seeing you, but I never expected that I'd never see you again. I love you, I miss you, and I think of you every single 'day. Thank you for the years of friendship unlike any other I've known, and I'm so sorry for the life you no longer share with your family and friends who adored and admired you more than you could ever imagine. Rest in power, you will always be one of a kind to us.
Ben Brennan Forever and ever and ever and ever...
*Take care of your loved ones, and cherish the time you have with them.*
❤️
Hello, it's with a very heavy heart and great sorrow that we say goodbye to our beloved friend and family, Ben Brennan. A more radiant personality couldn't have left us, but his passing leaves behind a profound impact and so many precious memories shared with anyone who was lucky enough to know him in life.
Ben was truly a one of a kind creative spirit to be admired, and one that most certainly inspired others, whether they're strangers or close friends. He was immensely talented, and to be in his presence usually meant to learn something valuable and new; something you might have never learned on your own. Whether he knew it or not, he was a teacher and always pushed others to push themselves simply by virtue of his own originality and uniqueness. He was and always will be an irreplaceable artist and friend.
Many of us have had the pleasure to spend time with Ben, make music, play or attend shows with him, hear his contagious laughter and laugh alongside it, and that's all to say when you were with him you always knew you were being given the gift of true friendship. Unconditional and indivisible from one person to the next, he would always go the distance to show how much he cared if you needed help, to make you feel looked after and loved.
There's so much life ahead that we all expected to share with Ben, and at the moment it's an impossible task to imagine a future without him in it, but we need to be grateful for all of the time we had together. And the memories of him we'll carry for the rest of our lives. Because we can never forget him, and he should never be forgotten.
We all love you so much, Ben.
There will be a memorial service in the coming weeks, I'll help to share information surrounding that somehow as it develops. I apologize in advance for any lack of/no response to messages due to the overwhelming nature of all this. Please feel free to share some memories, stories, or photos of Ben below if you have any.
Love you all, take care of yourselves, and of eachother.
HALLOWEEN 2025 IS DEAD AND BURIED!
I almost can't believe it's been 10 years since I did my first itsy bitsy display until now, but time does have a habit of flying.
This year came with some unexpected hurdles provided by the nasty weather, though all in all it felt special in a way that previous years hadn't. For this milestone year we had over 50+ carved pumpkins, I was able to paint a few murals and get my hands dirty corpsing some skeletons. On top of all that I had the chance to put on a Halloween show with a stacked bill of bands that I love, do a screening with my homies at @thrillema , sing some spooky karaoke songs and visit a haunted house attraction I've never been to before. Needless to say after all of that my Halloween heart was full to the brim.
Special thanks to everyone who lent a hand facilitating the show and display with drives and setting up, especially @raypricefan who kept me sane through my dismay with the unfortunate weather/for contributing some sick carving skills to add to our patch, and for being my second in command for all things Halloween this year. We made Ben proud.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who made it out to say hello, take photos and share in this yearly tradition together. Seeing you all and having hordes of costumed kids take joy in checking out the display means the most. Here's to another year behind us, and another ahead that'll be bigger and better (weather pending!).
Happy Halloween everyone!
🎃🎃🎃
#halloween
A design I did for @thrillema this past year. It ended up on some shirts that we still have a few of in limited sizes. Go give the group a follow and see what we have cooking for screenings in the future.
#thrillema #volfbiter
HALLOWEEN 2K24 IS A WRAP!
Happy Halloween! What an absolutely unreal and spooktacular night! Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to see this year's display and soak it all in with us, it means the most. The only possible way for this display to keep growing (basically my mission statement at this point) is with the help and enthusiasm from my friends and family which they always bring in abundance. Grateful for the support of so many folk, but I need to specifically name @raypricefan@kthrnbrk@whatisevencal@brennanernie Nancy Saunders, and my dad, Paul Burke, for lending their time, labor, love and allowing me to lean further into this display than ever before.
This marks 9 YEARS of doing this display which I myself can hardly believe. Next year will be a LITERAL DECADE, and you can bet we'll be looking to outdo and top all of the past setups. I speak for everyone involved that we're all already looking forward to it.
Lastly, this Halloween and every Halloween is for Ben Brennan whose friendship made every year more special than the last just by being there. Happy Halloween, buddy. I hope we made you proud, and we all love you 🖤
See all of you creepy crawlies again next year!
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
#halloween #northend ##halloweendisplay #halifax #horror #trickortreat #blowmold #vintagehalloween
Hey everyone, I want to thank every single one of you that came out to the memorial show earlier this week. We all collectively made the night so special, and Ben would have been proud of what we accomplished together in his honor. All of the attendees helped to raise $2365 to donate to CMHA NS, which is absolutely remarkable! Moreso, I wanted to share this message from Ben's family to you all :
"We were so touched by the beautiful night on October 10th at the Seahorse and for Aaron Burke's dedication and work to make this happen. We felt the unbelievable love for Ben and for us from all of his friends and those he touched in his short but extraordinary life. A huge thank you to the Seahorse and to all of the bands who gave very memorable performances full of love. Ben had such a beautiful impact on so many people in his 30 years. We love him forever and will feel this profound loss for an eternity. We are so thankful for the love he had from his friends and the music community near and far and the joy he experienced in his art and relationships. Please reach out if you need help and watch closely for those who may need help; give kindness and love to all, as Ben did everyday. The proceeds from the show to the Canadian Mental Health Association-NS was very meaningful and will help many people.
Ernie, Nancy, Garret and Meaghan"
🖤🖤🖤
Collage Photo by @thejayshea
