NewsletterOctober 2, 2025

👀 Brett Matthews hali-faves + this weeks top events

Hey Halifax!

We’ve got a ton of great events for you this week, along with a chance to win 4 tickets to party with Rankin MacInnis and The Broken Reeds at the Craft Beer Kitchen Party later this month and a super catchy song of the week (and brand new album) from Good Dear Good.

Dig in!

1️⃣ Sullivan’s Cross star Lindura is hosting a very cool sustainable fashion fundraiser featuring a pop-up market and film screening on Saturday in Halifax. Get more info and tickets here.

2️⃣ Catch Jah’Mila’s Radiant Reggae Roots w/ Symphony Nova Scotia this Friday and Saturday.

3️⃣ Halifax Urban Folk Festival kicked off earlier this week, and there are 3 amazing shows at The Basement and Seahorse that still have tickets available featuring Pretty Archie, Bill Ricky, Nick Earle & The REckless Hearts, Burry, Jamie Fontaine, The Monoxides, The Motorleague and The Orchids. Tickets available here.

4️⃣ Wine Fair Halifax is happening at the Halifax Convention Centre this Saturday. If you love geeking out on or just trying new wine, grab your tickets here.

5️⃣ Emerge HFX is an annual arts festival run by Youth Art Connection, celebrating the East Coast’s most exciting young talents. If there’s a young artist in your life, you should absolutely make sure they take this in. Check out their IG for more info.

We’re giving away 4 free tickets to party with Rankin MacInnis and The Broken Reeds at Savour’s Craft Beer Kitchen Party on October 25 at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront! With over 20 local and guest beers to sample, prizes and an amazing snack bar, it’s going to be an incredible time.

Don’t leave it to chance - buy your tickets today and if you win you’ll be refunded!

Brett Matthews has one of the most incredible voices on the East Coast. If you like City & Colour or Bon Iver, you’ll love his genre-bending sound. He took down the ECMA for Country Release of the Year earlier this year and just released is debut album ‘Tomorrow’.

We asked Brett to share his favourite spots around Halifax for this week’s Halifavourites feature:

Eats: Ristorante aMano
I first found this place during the 2024 JUNO weekend with some buds. I couldn’t pronounce 75% of the menu, but the giant pasta shells stuffed with a mixed seafood puré was unbelievably good. The service and atmosphere keeps me coming back.

Store: Jubilee Junction Convenience
The exterior alone is enough to want to see what’s inside. I also filmed part of a music video for my song Tomorrow here, which became my favourite part of the whole project. The owner and employee’s went over the top to help us get the shots we needed. Top notch!

Venue: The Carleton
The Carleton is hands down my favourite spot to perform in the city. And on the flip side, it’s equally my favourite venue to take in a show. Great food and drinks paired with the intimate vibe is right up my alley. The sound techs, staff and service is always above and beyond great. I love it all. Catch DeeDee Austin, Rhett Miller, and myself there on OCT 3rd during HUFF!

Local Event: Rankin’s Winter Warmers
Rankin and I went to the same High School. A great pal who has given me a number of stages to stand on over the years, but nothing impresses me more than the SOLD OUT - 3PM - had to be there show like his Winter Warmer’s series. The energy and undeniable talent on that stage is THE place to be on those Saturdays.

Local Music: Villages
The by’s. I’m a bit bias with this one as the majority of the band are my first cousins. Growing up as neighbours, these fellas were a major part of my musical upbringing. They introduced me to some of my favourite listens like Buck 65 and Wintersleep (who also deserves a favourite slide here). Being from the Cape surrounded by Celtic / Traditional music, these guys represent Cape Breton through their storytelling like no other!

Local Music: Daniel James McFadyen
I can’t praise Daniel (and his band’s) music enough. I discovered “August, I’m Yours” a few years back and it was the first time in a long time I felt moved by a tune. And then you meet the guy and he’s an absolute sweetheart. He’s everything you want your favourite artist to be, yanno?

Local Music: Good Dear Good
I’ve known Tim (lead singer / guitarist) for a number of years thru mutual friends. An all around beauty and the groups sound is a real sweet treat to the pop-rock world. Their song “The Storm” is a regular in my rotation if I’m kicking around the house or on the road.

We finally got a chance to take in Good Dear Good live at Sommo Festival last month and were blown away. These guys not only rock, they hit insane harmonies and write some of the catchiest tunes coming out of the East Coast. They just released their latest album Sook, and you need to do yourself a favour and check it out if you aren’t yet familiar. Better Off Dead is our song of the week.